Focus on Agriculture

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...

Hosted by Congressman Jimmy Panetta and joined by Congressman Doug LaMalfa, the trio fielded questions from farmers, farmworkers and other agriculture industry personnel from across the Central Coast to discuss policies and federal programs in hopes of improving and investing in agriculture innovation.

WATSONVILLE—A group of residents from Watsonville's senior neighborhoods gathered at the Pajaro Village Club House last week to hear a presentation on pesticide use, and on an upcoming pilot project to notify residents on nearby applications. Hosted by the Center for Farmworkers Families, Safe Ag...

CALIFORNIA—U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently announced the approval of a California and Arizona request to provide online purchasing of food to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households.  This approval will allow these states to expedite the implementation of online purchasing with currently authorized...

WATSONVILLE—After working a long shift picking strawberries and greens, dozens of farmworkers and their families received the royal treatment thanks to a new program from El Pájaro Community Development Corporation. Called the Farmworker’s Family Dinner, the initiative treated 38 families—roughly 230 people—to meals from El...

Some agriculture, farm and food events happening this month throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

Ann López’s humanitarian journey began through her own education.

WATSONVILLE—While some will be celebrating the birthday of activist and labor leader Cesar Chavez on March 31, a major raspberry grower in Watsonville will close its doors, and hundreds of employees will be laid off. A representative at Premiere Raspberries, LLC confirmed the closure Thursday...

The Supply Chain Risk Management Solution utilizes new technology to advance food safety in several ways.

It has not been an easy harvest season for California apples. When temperatures shot up into the 100s in August and September, sparking wildfires across the state and harming numerous agricultural commodities, apples were one of the hardest-hit crops. The fruit is susceptible to...