Focus on Agriculture

SALINAS VALLEY — After two years of lower levels of impatiens necrotic spot virus in the Salinas Valley, researchers have recorded a higher number of cases during the 2025 season, though they say INSV did not reach the widespread levels seen in 2022, when...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Crop values fell in 2020 by a total of $499 million from 2019, with 2020’s total at $3.9 billion, according to the Monterey County Crop Report issued by Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales on July 20. The 11.3% decrease in production...

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...

SALINAS VALLEY — Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) is now accepting applications for its Advisory Committee, a crucial body responsible for guiding groundwater management strategies in the region. The committee provides valuable input and consensus-based recommendations to the SVBGSA Board of Directors, playing...

MONTEREY COUNTY — A Monterey County program to ensure equity in the local commercial cannabis market is sputtering but will continue on a smaller scale. The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously March 19 to continue the Growing Equity Together program, known as GET, despite...

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...

SALINAS VALLEY — A campus redevelopment project is underway in Salinas, which is aimed at improving agricultural technology in the Salinas Valley and advancing the nature of agriculture work. The Growers Ice Co. lot, located at the corner of Merrill and Abbott streets, was originally...

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey Mushrooms, a mushroom grower based in Morgan Hill, has announced the release of its Certified Organic Spent Mushroom Compost (COSMC) to row crop and leafy green farmers throughout the Salinas Valley. A finely balanced mixture of straw, peat moss, cottonseed meal,...

KING CITY — More than 1,100 backpacks filled with school supplies were delivered to students in King City and Salinas this year as part of Taylor Farms’ 13th annual Backpack Giving Program. After starting the program in Monterey County in 2010, Taylor Farms has since...

MONTEREY COUNTY — The nation’s oldest farmworker union announced Tuesday that it has canceled all events celebrating labor organizer César Chávez after allegations surfaced that he sexually assaulted several women and girls. “As a women-led organization that exists to empower communities, the allegations about abusive...