Focus on Agriculture

More than three decades ago, Cesar Chavez, founder of the first successful union for farmworkers, predicted a future in which the cities of California would be run by people who looked like him. “History and inevitability are on our side,” he said in one of his best-known...

CENTRAL COAST — Ellie Dyt knows a lot more about the California dairy industry than most 17-year-old high schoolers. Dyt was raised on a dairy farm her whole life in the small town of Crows Landing, home to thousands of dairy cows, gaining first-hand experience...

KING CITY — King City FFA is enhancing their journey; it’s a brand-new school year and they have new goals, new officers and new ideas. Some of the objectives they hope to reach include being more involved in the community as well as having more...

SALINAS VALLEY — A dangerous herbicide banned immediately by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been sprayed on crops in many California counties and has contaminated groundwater in low concentrations in the Salinas Valley and Santa Barbara County. The weed-killing chemical, known as DCPA or...

The San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures has announced the release of the 2016 production statistics for the local agricultural industry. The total gross crop value for 2016 was $914,724,000.

KING CITY — Hundreds of third-graders recently roamed the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City to learn about agriculture during the annual South County Farm Day. Students from Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City schools attended the free educational enrichment program on Jan. 26,...

The agricultural stretch of California’s Central Coast along the Salinas Valley is often called the “Salad Bowl of the World,” and for good reason. It supplies over 60% of the nation’s lettuce and substantial portions of strawberries, spinach and broccoli. But beyond the fertile...

KING CITY — Salinas Valley Fair has announced the completion of the extensive renovation of the Expo Building, marking a new chapter in its storied history. The 12,000-square-foot, multipurpose facility underwent upgrades in 2022 and 2023, transforming it into a venue for a wide array...

Salinas Valley was initially spared the worst of the damage as storms battered California last month. But then the Salinas River overflowed its banks Jan. 10, breaching berms and levees. Over the ensuing hours and days, thousands of acres of some of the country’s most...

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...