Focus on Agriculture

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County’s crop production increased in value last year by more than $500 million despite decreases in both wine grapes and cannabis, according to the county’s 2022 Crop and Livestock Report. Overall gross crop and livestock production was over $4.6 billion in...

Wine grape harvest is just around the corner in the Paso Robles wine country.

CALIFORNIA — A new article appearing in the current issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry explores the concept of “superfoods” and makes a case that fresh grapes have earned what should be a prominent position in the superfood family. The author,...

KING CITY — The 78th annual Salinas Valley Fair returned after two years of Covid-19 pandemic closures with crowds packing the fairgrounds in King City, living up to the theme of “Back in the Saddle.”  While total attendance numbers weren’t available yet, the four days...

KING CITY — Once again the Salinas Valley Fair drew thousands of people to King City for a long weekend of family-friendly activities and entertainment, including its first-ever huge concert headlined by multiplatinum country singer Dylan Scott on Saturday night. The 79th annual celebration featured...

Cal State Monterey Bay had an exciting start to the semester with the first students entering our new mechatronic engineering program — which combines mechanical, electrical, software and systems engineering skills — and the project launch of our Edward “Ted” Taylor Science and Engineering...

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 73, Assemblymember Robert Rivas’ Farmworker Wildfire Smoke Protections Act, into law on Sept. 27. California’s wildfire season, combined with heat waves and the Covid-19 pandemic, has helped shine a light on the necessary safety protocols agricultural...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) is currently producing beneficial biochar from invasive eucalyptus trees removed to restore native ecosystems around Elkhorn Slough. In partnership with ESF, soil scientist Arun Jani of California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) is now studying the impacts of...

KING CITY — Celebration Nation is continuing to host food banks for local farmworkers in the Salinas Valley, with the next two events planned for King City and Greenfield on upcoming Saturdays. The nonprofit, launched in 2020 to support farm-working communities in California, currently schedules food...