Focus on Agriculture

SALINAS VALLEY — For Candi DePauw, Jynel Gularte and Colby Pereira, agriculture is more than an industry. It is a family legacy, a career and a way of life deeply woven into the communities of South Monterey County. The three women — DePauw and Pereira...

KING CITY — Salinas Valley Fair has launched a search for a new chief executive officer following the resignation of CEO Lauren Hamilton, who had led the organization for the past five years. According to Interim CEO Joe Brengle, Hamilton resigned to “pursue other interests.”...

MONTEREY COUNTY — The 2026 winegrape harvest is underway in the Santa Lucia Highlands and across Monterey County, with some growers reporting one of the earliest starts in recent history. Caraccioli Cellars crews picked the first grapes of the season at Escolle Vineyard in the...

SALINAS — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed Salinas-based Taylor Farms that a laboratory test indicating one of the company’s iceberg lettuce products from central Mexico was contaminated with cyclospora was a false positive, according to the company and an updated FDA...

CENTRAL COAST — Broccoli and other brassica growers along California’s Central Coast are bracing for another devastating season of infestations of the diamondback moth, but state regulators appear in no hurry to approve a new federally registered insecticide that could alleviate the damage. The moth’s...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County’s agricultural production value declined 3% in 2025 from the previous year’s record, totaling $4.82 billion as growers navigated fluctuating tariffs, rising production costs and shifting market conditions, according to the county’s annual Crop and Livestock Report released last week. The...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Fair and Event Center is accepting nominations for a new recognition program honoring women who have made significant contributions to agriculture in Monterey County and the Salinas Valley. The program coincides with the designation of 2026 as the International Year...

SALINAS VALLEY — CRU Winery is building upon the success of its annual Chowder Cook-Off and expanding its hunt for the best chowder recipe nationwide. Now through July 14, U.S. residents can submit their recipe for a chance to win. The CRU Winery Chowder Cook-Off is...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Agricultural Crimes Unit arrested a Patterson man in connection with a series of copper wire thefts totaling more than $50,000, authorities said. Detectives investigated ongoing thefts of copper wire throughout Monterey County and identified a suspect using surveillance...

KING CITY — Salinas Valley Fair is recognizing the retirement of longtime employee Rick Grogan after more than 42 years of service to the fairgrounds and the community. According to the fair, Grogan spent more than four decades helping maintain and improve the Salinas Valley...