Monterey County agriculture pumps more than $11B into local economy, study finds
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County agriculture pumped more than $11 billion into the local economy in 2023 and supported 81,315 jobs, according to a new economic report.
Assistant Agricultural Commissioner Rich Ordonez released the latest comprehensive analysis of the county’s largest industry on Nov. 18,...
King City High School junior crowned 2025 Miss Salinas Valley Fair
KING CITY — Jordan Davis, a 16-year-old junior at King City High School, has been named the 2025 Miss Salinas Valley Fair.
The competition, held March 13-14 at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, saw Davis compete against fellow King City teen Aaliyah Sarina in categories including...
Farms statewide hit by storms and floods
MONTEREY COUNTY — Warm atmospheric river storms wreaked havoc on California last week, causing widespread flooding from rain and snowmelt, which overfilled rivers and creeks, displaced residents, washed out roads and damaged agriculture.
In Monterey County, there was significant flooding along the Salinas River and...
Hartnell hosts conference on agriculture industry’s changing workforce needs
SALINAS VALLEY — Hartnell College hosted a special version of the annual Ag Tech Summit — a half-day, in-person program called AgTechX Ed — last month on the Main Campus in Salinas.
The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology has joined with the California...
Weed control effort seeks to curb virus threat for Salinas Valley’s lettuce
SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County has enacted a mandatory abatement program for select weeds as part of an effort to contain the impatiens necrotic spot virus, or INSV, which has severely impacted the region’s lettuce crop in recent years.
Officials are urging residents who notice...
From Gold Rush to global leader: New book explores California’s agricultural history
CALIFORNIA — Arcadia Publishing has announced the publication of “California Agriculture,” a new history of the state’s agriculture industry by author Patti DesMarais.
The 128-page paperback is part of Arcadia’s “Images of America” book series, featuring historical information and photographs.
Beginning with the Spanish padres in...
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...
Governor expands drought emergency to Monterey County
MONTEREY COUNTY — California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded his prior drought emergency proclamation to an additional nine counties on July 7, including Monterey County.
Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas), who oversees Monterey County in his district along with Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties, urged residents...
King City FFA students partake in 5K Fun Run
KING CITY — 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...
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...
