Regional drone program lands $1M grant
SALINAS VALLEY ā University of California Santa Cruzās CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER) along with several partners has received a $1 million, 15-month planning grant to support regional drone education and workforce development from the James Irvine Foundation.
The funds will be...
Grant helps agricultural workers succeed at Hartnell
SALINAS VALLEY ā Hartnell College announced it has received a multi-year grant of $260,000 from Bank of America that will strengthen its ability to help Salinas Valley agricultural workers succeed and advance in an industry increasingly shaped by technology and automation.
The grant will support...
King City FFA students partake in 5K Fun Run
KING CITY ā To celebrate National Ag Day, the King City High School FFA chapter participated in the 2021 5K for FFA Virtual Fun Run last month, hosted by the National FFA Organization.
About 45 club members, faculty and extended family participated and came together...
Monterey County plans for return of migrant farmworkers
SALINAS VALLEY ā Monterey County health officials have been working with agricultural companies and have reiterated safety plans with the onset of the new growing season, with the goal of keeping ag workers safe and the food supply network stable.
āWith the start of the...
Artichoke Festival closes its doors after 65 years
CASTROVILLE ā The beloved Artichoke Festival, a cherished tradition in Monterey County for more than six decades, will not return this year.
The festivalās board of directors announced its official closure after 65 years of celebrating the regionās rich agricultural heritage, artichoke royalty and community...
Ag Land Trust receives more than $8M in grants to preserve Salinas Valley farmlands
SALINAS VALLEY ā California Strategic Growth Council has approved more than $8.3 million in grants to the Ag Land Trust (ALT), a nonprofit dedicated to farmland preservation along the stateās Central Coast.
The funding will enable the organization to purchase conservation easements on three key...
Composting gets easier for Monterey County residents
MONTEREY COUNTY ā Monterey County residents can now put food scraps, including cooked meat and bones, among other kinds, in the green curbside cart, to be composted with their yard trimmings.
With the greater convenience comes a big reduction in harm to the climate. When food...
Taking the vaccine into the fields to help vulnerable farmworkers
CALIFORNIA ā Before state officials announced that 40% of California's new vaccine doses would go to low-income communities, leaders were struggling to make good on promises to prioritize vulnerable Californians in the vaccine rollout.
As my colleague Miriam Jordan recently wrote, farmworkers were among those...
Scheid Family Wines enters 7th year of 100% wind-powered wines
SALINAS VALLEY ā This Earth Month, Scheid Family Wines celebrates nearly seven years of being 100% powered by renewable wind energy.
The Greenfield family-owned and operated wine company, which has embraced sustainability as a core tenet since its inception in 1972, is the only winery...
King City FFA students host caravan parade in lieu of annual donkey basketball
KING CITY ā An FFA caravan hit Broadway Street last Wednesday as part of the FFA Week lineup for the Future Farmers of America at King City High School.
The caravan had 35 vehicles, including diesel trucks from L.A. Hearne and Bassetti Farms, which blew...


















