47 F
King City
March 10, 2026

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...

Salinas Valley Fair returns with ā€˜thrills’ this week

Salinas Valley Fair
KING CITY — Salinas Valley Fair will bring ā€œGolden Hills & Fair Time Thrillsā€ for its 80th celebration taking place Thursday through Sunday at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City. ā€œWe are so excited to celebrate the 80th Annual Salinas Valley Fair, May 16-19,ā€...

Work continues on King City High’s new FFA facility

KING CITY — Construction continues at King City High School as the new Future Farmers of America facility begins to look more like a finished building. The site will include new agriculture classrooms and workshops for KCHS students in the FFA program, and replaces...

2023 wine grape harvest begins in Monterey County

SALINAS VALLEY — The 2023 Monterey County wine grape harvest has begun with Scheid Family Wines’ Isabelle’s VineyardĀ located in the Salinas Valley along River Road, west of Chualar, on the Monterey Wine Trail, announced Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association last week. Cool weather delayed the...

Grant helps agricultural workers succeed at Hartnell

SALINAS VALLEY — 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...

Hartnell hosts conferenceĀ on ā€˜Culture of Food Safety’

SALINAS VALLEY — Nearly 400 people with a professional stake in the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed worldwide gathered at Hartnell College on May 4-5 for the 17th Annual Western Food Safety Conference. The conference, held on Hartnell’s Main Campus in Salinas as...

South Monterey County’s first marijuana dispensary opens

GREENFIELD — South Monterey County’s first marijuana dispensary has opened for business in Greenfield, selling recreational cannabis products in the area. Higher Level, a locally owned cannabis retailer with operations in Seaside and Hollister, opened its third location in Greenfield earlier this month. A grand...

Full steam ahead: MCARLM welcomes historic tractors

Steam tractor MCARLM
KING CITY — A rare and beautifully restored steam-powered tractor has found its new home at the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum (MCARLM), thanks to the generosity of Jenny Edson Sterling and the dedicated efforts of the museum’s board to preserve Monterey County’s agricultural...

Women in agtech: Claudia Pizarro-Villalobos

Editor’s Note: The following profile is an excerpt from Amy Wu’s upcoming book, ā€œFrom Farms to Incubators: Women Innovators Revolutionizing How Our Food is Grown,ā€ which tells the stories of women entrepreneurs who are transforming agriculture through high technology. Claudia Pizarro-Villalobos was born and raised...

Monterey County’s 2022 Crop Report reveals strength in lettuce industry, weakness in cannabis production

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...