Focus on Agriculture

Integrity Wines, located at the Watsonville Municipal Airport, has been in Watsonville for two years.

APTOS—Wells Fargo has announced a boost to diverse small businesses with $1.7 million in grants from its Diverse Community Capital program, which offers capital and technical assistance to minority-owned small businesses through Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).  “Diverse small businesses face unique challenges to start...

With the growing demand for organic alternatives in every aspect of agriculture, it is no surprise that worm castings have grown so popular with growers in recent years.

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley’s agriculture businesses and the employees that keep them running are starting to feel the heat, literally. Rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves and wildfires are growing concerns for farmers in the typically cool, coastal stretch of land that overlaps Santa Cruz and...

During the winter of 2006-2007, beekeepers across the country began noticing a steep decline in bee populations.

NOTE: This article was contributed by the King City Rustler SALINAS—The Salinas Valley Ag Tech Summit returns to Hartnell College on March 17-18, promising another deep dive into the latest tactics, equipment and thinking to maximize profit and consumer satisfaction in the fresh produce industry. The...

An eager group of fifth graders filed through fresh beds of dirt at Whisky Hill Farm (WHF) in Watsonville Sept. 13, ready to plant their very own seedlings.  Laura Arnow’s fifth grade class from Calabasas Elementary School were there to finally transplant crops they had...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo released the 2021 Santa Cruz County Crop Report on Oct. 5, which shows a 3.4 percent increase in overall crop production values over the past year. Strawberries remain the top crop in Santa Cruz County, with...

WATSONVILLE—A group of 21 community leaders have been selected for Class 31 of the Focus Agriculture program.   The “first-in-the-nation” program, created by Watsonville’ Agri-Culture organization, is designed to teach community leaders about agriculture in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley.  After receiving a number...

CALIFORNIA—The Farm Credit Alliance was recently presented with Future Farmers of America’s (FFA) Distinguished Service Citation for its longstanding contributions to the organization and agricultural education in general. Katie Otto, development director for the California FFA Foundation, the state organization’s fundraising arm, said the California...