Arizona’s Salad Bowl becomes fertile ground for Covid-19
YUMA, Ariz. — The Rev. Emilio Chapa was delivering a homily on a recent Sunday when he paused to lament a sight that had shaken him as he entered the sacristy before Mass.
The board where his staff posted requests for funeral services was covered...
Retiree reflects on half-century of agricultural work in Salinas Valley
SALINAS VALLEY — Jesse Holguin retired from Gonzales Irrigation Systems on Dec. 31, wrapping up a career of 40 years with the company and more than 50 years in total with agricultural work.
Holguin began working for Mel Fowler of King City 51 years ago,...
Virtual exhibit highlights women innovators in agtech
SALINAS VALLEY — A new exhibition at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas highlights a diverse generation of women innovators and their contribution to agriculture by way of technology.
“From Farms to Incubators: Women Innovators in California Agtech,” which premiered last month, uses multimedia to...
Covid-19, wildfires present challenges for Salinas Valley winery
SALINAS VALLEY — Standing in his vineyard as a brisk wind runs amuck with his curly, sandy-blonde hair, Denis Hoey reveals why the Salinas Valley region — known for its vast agriculture — should also be noted for fine winemaking.
“We make wines here that...
Monterey County establishes hotline to report agricultural employee safety concerns
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office has established a dedicated hotline to report agricultural concerns related to farmworker safety as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, wildfire smoke and the safe use of pesticides.
The phone number, available for both English and Spanish...
Monterey County agriculture sets off ripples through local economy, report shows
MONTEREY COUNTY — The role of agriculture and the resulting monetary ripples through the economy was the subject of a recent analysis conducted by the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
Titled “Economic Contributions of Monterey County Agriculture,” the report was published in June 2020 based...
Thousands of respirator masks distributed to Salinas Valley agricultural workers
SALINAS VALLEY — Numerous area leaders recently came together to distribute thousands of N95 respirators to protect agricultural workers, as ongoing air quality problems due to smoke from nearby wildfires caused essential workers in the outdoors to be in danger.
Last week the Air Quality...
FDA recalls onions from California suppliers after salmonella outbreak
CALIFORNIA — A nationwide onion recall was expanded by the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 10 to include red, yellow, white and sweet yellow onions linked to California suppliers after more than 600 people in 43 states have been sickened with salmonella.
The original...
Cannabis represents 10 percent of Monterey County crop production as fruits, nuts decline
SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales has released the county’s 2019 Crop Report, which included an evaluation of cannabis production for the first time.
“This report reflects a production value of $4,409,992,000, which is an increase of 3.5 percent from 2018,” Gonzales...
Monterey County’s Covid-19 infection rates highest in agriculture
SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County Health Department reports that 475 agriculture workers, or 36.79 percent of the county’s total confirmed cases, have been infected with Covid-19 as of June 22.
A large gap separates that figure and the 261 “unknown or under investigation” category, and...
