Happy Holidays!

We are excited to let you know that DeWitt Petroleum is supporting the U.S. Marine Corp Reserve Toys for Tots program this holiday season. Our Ventura office will be a drop-off site for this year’s toy drive. We encourage you to help needy children in our area by bringing in a new, unwrapped toy to 4480 Dupont Court, Ventura, 93003 during regular business hours beginning Nov. 7^th through Dec. 5^th. If you are not able to drop off a toy at our office, we would like to encourage you to hand the gift to your DeWitt fuel driver.

With the holidays around the corner, we are all getting ready for the season of giving. Now it is a great time to remember the less fortunate in our community.

Thank you for your help and best wishes for a happy, prosperous, and healthy New Year.

For me, summer means picking blueberries at a local farm with my children. The smell of star jasmine blooms while on a long run. The predictable bags of zucchini brought to the office daily from Charlie “the weather man’s” home garden (by the way, if you would like some – please call us!). Then of course, there is the Ventura County Fair.

Soon the rides and food booths will be setting up shop. Can’t you just smell the cinnamon rolls? Of course there will be entertainment and shopping galore! Though, I must admit my favorite part of the fair is getting a chance to see all of the farm animals. This year, DeWitt Petroleum is a proud sponsor of our fine fairs 4H auction. Look for my staff and me at the Livestock Auction as we celebrate our community’s rural youth programs. Who knows, I might even have an extra t-shirt on hand for you!

Enjoy the dog days of summer!

Have you registered your Ag vehicles with CARB yet? Well, you had better hurry up because that March 31st deadline is fast approaching. You know, that older truck you use to haul products to the packing house from the farm will eventually need to be retrofitted or better yet, replaced. However, you will receive a “break” from the regulation if you report such equipment (aerial sprayers, water trucks and feed trucks), mileage and vehicle information on an annual basis to CARB.

A majority of the agricultural community will have until 2017 to meet CARB’s standards. Those heavy-duty farm trucks used less frequently (under 10,000 miles annually) will have until January 2023. But again, you must register your diesel engines with CARB. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/onrdiesel/reporting.htm

CARB needs to be practical and let older model diesel engines be replaced as they wear out. Why is there such a rush? The cost for new equipment can run $100,000 to $500,000. This extra expense on our small businesses in a time of severe economic turmoil will only destroy us. These regulations brought on by an “academic fraud,” are going to put people out of a business. California is set to cost farmers and truckers billions based on this one recommendation. CARB needs to slow down and reevaluate this statistical study then generate a more realistic schedule.

We need to be aware! This ruling will ultimately drive companies out of business as well as cost consumers more money in increased cost of goods. Not to mention the possibility of increased taxes.

Cindy

Sources:
http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/afb/archives/033291
http://farmbureauvc.com/pdf_forms/newsletters/FB_News_January10.pdf