Arts & Culture

CALIFORNIA—Five California Congress members, including Zoe Lofgren (District 19) and Jimmy Panetta (District 20) have unveiled a House bill to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented farmworkers. In an Oct. 30 “tele-press conference,” Lofgren and Panetta said their Farm Workforce Modernization Act would provide...

California road trips to the desert, the State Capitol, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area or the Sierra foothills have been turning up a  bounty of rewards for my wife, Sarah, and me.  This was proven on our recent drive from Watsonville to Sacramento...

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...

In a roomful of elected officials and non-profit agencies from all corners of Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest Food Bank revealed San Juan Bautista-based True Leaf Farms as its choice for 2019 Food Industry Donor of the Year. The ceremony served as the lunch event...

Five new painted monoliths now adorn the recently completed pedestrian/bike path along Green Valley Road. The Green Valley Road Multi-Use Project was managed by the Department of Community Development & Infrastructure, while the art component was managed by the Santa Cruz County Parks Department....

CENTRAL COAST—The California cut flower industry has changed drastically in the last 30 years. Once controlling more than half of cut flower sales in the U.S., it has gradually been overtaken by competition from overseas growers. The Pajaro Valley, once a mecca of rose growing,...

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) have received a grant to help the state’s small businesses boost trade and exports abroad.

WATSONVILLE—March is National Agriculture Month, a time meant to honor the role of the agricultural industry in the United States. National Ag Day 2022, organized by the Agriculture Council of America, will land on March 23, with activities and contests held nationwide. For the first...

WATSONVILLE—The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County recently announced that it secured a conservation easement for the 178-acre Tynan Ranch, located one-half mile from the current urban growth line of the City of Watsonville off of Lakeview Road. Tynan Ranch has been in production for...

Dr. Joji Muramoto recently joined Farm Fuel part-time as senior researcher/consultant to conduct research improving the efficiency of mustard seed meal and ASD applications and products.