Focus on Agriculture

KING CITY — It was a packed house inside the Orradre Building at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City on April 15, as 600 supporters of the Salinas Valley Fair attended the annual Fair Kick-Off dinner, dance and auction fundraiser. Guests were served a...

Cal State Monterey Bay had an exciting start to the semester with the first students entering our new mechatronic engineering program — which combines mechanical, electrical, software and systems engineering skills — and the project launch of our Edward “Ted” Taylor Science and Engineering...

GREENFIELD — South Monterey County Joint Union High School District (SMCJUHSD) will launch two farm-to-cafeteria educational programs between Greenfield High School and the district’s Food Services Department. The first-of-its-kind collaboration was made possible by a new grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s...

KING CITY — Hundreds of third graders from South Monterey County schools attended the 2025 South County Farm Day last month to learn all about agriculture. The annual enrichment program, sponsored by Monterey County Agricultural Education, gives an opportunity for youth to become familiar with...

SALINAS VALLEY — Salinas Valley Fair 2021 took place with an altered format due to Covid-19 pandemic health guidelines, but it was the first time since 2019 that fair-goers were able to show animals or pick up carnival food in person. This year’s animal judging...

MONTEREY COUNTY — A Monterey County program to ensure equity in the local commercial cannabis market is sputtering but will continue on a smaller scale. The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously March 19 to continue the Growing Equity Together program, known as GET, despite...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced Jan. 28 that her Cannabis Enforcement Unit has resolved a case against Faith & Family Farms LLC, a licensed cannabis cultivator located at 22730 Fuji Lane, south of Salinas in unincorporated Monterey County. The case...

SALINAS — Hartnell College has been awarded a $9.5 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s inaugural NEXTGEN program.  The official announcement was made during a presentation by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in Washington, D.C., on June 20. “This...

KING CITY — Jordan Davis, a 16-year-old junior at King City High School, has been named the 2025 Miss Salinas Valley Fair. The competition, held March 13-14 at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, saw Davis compete against fellow King City teen Aaliyah Sarina in categories including...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County agriculture pumped more than $11 billion into the local economy in 2023 and supported 81,315 jobs, according to a new economic report. Assistant Agricultural Commissioner Rich Ordonez released the latest comprehensive analysis of the county’s largest industry on Nov. 18,...