Focus on Agriculture

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 — Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez met with a representative from the Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute (LEAP Institute) outside his new District 3 office located at 1011 Broadway St. in King City on Aug. 11. The LEAP Institute recently launched Green...

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...

South County organic farmer Israel Morales Sr. of JV Farms Organic in Soledad will receive the Organic Farmer of the Year Award at the Organic Trade Association’s Leadership Awards set for Sept. 11 at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, Md.

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County agriculture’s gross production value bounced back by 4.8% in 2021 to just over $4.1 billion, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that also resulted in supply chain shortages. This increase represents a $190 million rise from 2020, when the gross production...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Raley’s and Washington-based FirstFruits Farms donated 30,000 pounds of fresh apples on April 1 to the Food Bank for Monterey County. The contribution was made possible by Raley’s customers who purchased select apples during January and February as part of a give-back...

UPDATE — Nov. 7, 2025: Full November SNAP/CalFresh benefits have begun posting to the EBT cards of Monterey County residents, according to the County of Monterey Department of Social Services on Friday. “The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is telling us that California has initiated...

KING CITY — Construction crews recently finished pouring the foundation for King City High School’s new Future Farmers of America facility, which is taking shape at the former Mildred Street parking lot on the east end of the campus. The facility will feature new areas...

MONTEREY COUNTY — An excessive heat warning has been issued by the U.S. National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey California beginning Thursday through early next week for Monterey County. Areas under warning include: southern Salinas Valley, Arroyo Seco, Lake San Antonio, Santa Lucia Mountains...