61.2 F
King City
July 3, 2025

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...

Salinas, Soledad celebrate National Salad Month

In celebration of National Salad Month and in recognition of the great agriculture bounty of the Central Coast, the California Welcome Center Salinas and the Soledad Visitors and Gateway Center will be giving out free samples of fruits and vegetables.

How the drought is affecting California’s crops

In recent weeks, dangerous heat has killed hundreds of people in Oregon and Washington, endangered workers across the region and strained California’s power grid. It has also exacerbated the slow-moving natural disaster already punishing the West: the drought. Late last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom formally urged...

Guest Column | How Farmworkers Outlawed ā€˜El Cortito’ 50 Years Ago

For decades in the Salinas Valley, the short-handle hoe, known as ā€œEl Cortito,ā€ was used for weeding and thinning rows of crops that kept farmworkers stooped over for long hours each day. Workers were only able to stand and stretch when they reached the...

Rancho Cielo’s Veggie Box fundraiser a big success

SALINAS VALLEY — Rancho Cielo’s annual Veggie Box and BBQ Fundraiser took place Aug. 8-11 on the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus in Salinas. The fundraiser was the biggest success to date, with more than 14,000 boxes sold, 300 volunteers packing boxes and over 2,000 barbecued...

2016 crop report released for Monterey County

The 2016 Monterey County Crop Report reflects a decrease of 9.5 percent from the previous year, with the crop production valued at $4.25 billion for 2016.

Listeria risk prompts Mann Packing to recall veggies

Mann Packing of Salinas is voluntarily recalling minimally processed vegetable products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Monterey County agriculture sets off ripples through local economy, report shows

MONTEREY COUNTY — The role of agriculture and the resulting monetary ripples through the economy was the subject of a recent analysis conducted by the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. Titled ā€œEconomic Contributions of Monterey County Agriculture,ā€ the report was published in June 2020 based...

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...

Supreme Court rules against union recruiting on California farms

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a California regulation allowing union organizers to recruit agricultural workers at their workplaces violated the constitutional rights of their employers. The vote was 6-3, with the court’s three liberal members in dissent. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing...