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For Veterans Living in Ventura County

Are you a veteran living in Ventura County? Please make sure you're aware of all the federal, state and local benefits you are eligible for. The County's Veteran Services Agency is a great resource to visit. You can access their website here: https://www.ventura.org/human-services-agency/veteran-services, and thank you for your service to our nation.


Assemblymember Steve Bennett Secures $500,000 From State Budget for Meiners Oaks Park

(MEINERS OAKS) Assemblymember Steve Bennett, in partnership with Senator Monique Limón, secured $500,000 from the State Budget to create a community park in Meiners Oaks. The 2-acre county-owned parcel is located on 312 E. El Roblar Drive, Meiners Oaks, CA. The current design concept features native vegetation, interpretive education, and social gathering areas.

Successful Farming Through Sharing

Cooperative Development and Equipment Sharing Is an Equitable Solution that California's Family Farmers Need to Succeed

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Tractor in foreground with workers in background

Nate Gonzalez-Siemens of Fat Uncle Farms and Melissa Sorongon of Piedrasassi are exceptional in the south SanJoaquin Valley and the Central Coast: They are both small-scale farmers who grow grain as part of their diversifiedoperations. Consequently, small-scale and biologically diverse farming operations like Nate's and Melissa's require agreater variety of costly equipment, some of which is only used a few times a year.

Today, the realities of climate change, the structure of the supply chain, and food system inequities disproportionatelynegatively impact California's local food producers. The high costs of land, equipment, infrastructure, and water havemade it nearly impossible for young, beginning, and small farmers such as Nate and Melissa to access thesebaseline needs. And the farmers who are able to overcome these barriers and establish small businesses stillstruggle to access these resources. Roughly three-fourths of farmers in California operate on less than $100,000 inannual sales, making the purchase of any new equipment, which can average between $5,000 to $30,000 or more, achallenge. Some types of equipment, such as harvesting equipment, electric tractors, or refrigeration units can costover $100,000.