52.8 F
King City
April 11, 2026

Exploring agriculture: 21st annual South County Ag Tour features local farms, ranches

A sold-out South County Ag Tour, presented by Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum, allowed participants to visit a few agricultural businesses in the area last Saturday.

Thousands of farmworkers are prioritized for the coronavirus vaccine

COACHELLA, Calif. — The sun-baked desert valley tucked behind the San Jacinto Mountains is best known for an annual music festival that draws 100,000 fans a day and a series of lush, oasis resort towns where well-heeled snowbirds go to golf, sunbathe and party....

Salinas Valley Fair’s junior livestock auction nets nearly $1M

SALINAS VALLEY — A total of $981,000 was raised for 415 animals at this year’s Salinas Valley Fair junior livestock auction, which took place Saturday before a small crowd of buyers as well as an online component at the fairgrounds in King City. Still photos...

Monterey County looks to eliminate prior cultivation requirement for outdoor cannabis growers

Cannabis marijuana
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Board of Supervisors narrowly voted Jan. 9 to make changes to its outdoor cannabis cultivation pilot program, allowing growers to double their canopy size and eliminate a requirement that made permit applicants prove cannabis was cultivated on the property...

Salinas Valley farmers seek rebound after floods, virus hit lettuce crops

SALINAS VALLEY — Things were challenging enough for lettuce growers in Monterey County’s Salinas Valley before Mother Nature dealt a one-two punch in this year’s storms. Farmers in 2022 had suffered an estimated $150 million in crop losses as impatiens necrotic spot virus — a...

King City mural dedication ceremony reflects on agriculture’s impact

KING CITY — King City in Bloom hosted a dedication ceremony on June 24 for the recently completed mural, ā€œA Tribute to Cattle Ranching and the Salinas Valley Fair,ā€ which is the organization’s third historic mural in the town. Project co-chair Steve Schmidt spoke...

Regional drone program lands $1M grant

SALINAS VALLEY — University of California Santa Cruz’s CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER) along with several partners has received a $1 million, 15-month planning grant to support regional drone education and workforce development from the James Irvine Foundation. The funds will be...

Monterey County Sheriff’s Office recovers stolen equipment in ag theft spree

MONTEREY COUNTY — Over the past two weeks, multiple agricultural businesses in Monterey County have been targeted by a wave of burglaries, resulting in the theft of valuable equipment. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Ag Crimes Unit has been actively investigating these incidents, leading to...

King City High School teacher honored as California finalist for Ag Educator of the Year

KING CITY — Lauren Peterson, an agricultural teacher at King City High School, has been recognized as a finalist for the 2022-23 Ag Educator of the Year honor through Nationwide’s Golden Owl Award. California FFA, California Farm Bureau and Nationwide made the announcement on Feb....

King City teacher seeks funds to build school garden

KING CITY — Kacey Hass, a seventh-grade life science teacher at Chalone Peaks Middle School, has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to start a school garden. Hass is also the gardening teacher for both seventh and eighth grades, but the campus currently does...