Congressman Panetta announces farmworker aid
ROYAL OAKS—Congressman Jimmy Panetta was on the Central Coast Thursday, touting two pandemic assistance programs he helped pass that will benefit agriculture workers and the industries that employ them.
The Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program will provide $650 million in grants to food...
Pioneer Organic farmers to field test new organic strawberry starts
In recognition of their research to improve organic strawberry farming systems, Organic Advocacy and Farm Fuel Inc. have been awarded a grant to study organic strawberry transplant (start) performance in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
Purple power
Turning onto Bonny Doon Road from Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz, one can expect a number of different sights and smells. Wildflowers flank the paved road at first, pushing out onto the pavement persistently. Then there are damp, cool redwood groves. After
EcoFarm rescheduled as a virtual conference in March
CENTRAL COAST—Executive director of the Ecological Farming Association (EcoFarm) Andy Fisher had only been in the position for six months before the pandemic hit California.
Fortunately, Fisher and his team had been able to hold their 40th annual conference in Pacific Grove that January. But...
Farm history gets new life
WATSONVILLE—Heavy-duty earth-moving equipment rumbled into gear at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds over the past week, reshaping a chunk of land at the Agricultural History Project to make way for the expansion of the Living History Farm.
Situated near the entrance of the fairgrounds, the...
Orchard offers u-pick roses, outdoor fun
There is now a new way to assemble your own bouquet of roses, thanks to a pick-your-own rose venue at Birdsong Orchards in Watsonville.
Owner Nadine Schaeffer said she is growing dozens of varieties of roses on her 8-acre parcel where she also tends to...
National Agriculture Day to be observed March 23
Agriculture, like most industries across the U.S., has faced numerous challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic this past year. From worker safety to supply chain shortages, everyone from large corporations to small family farms have felt the effects.
Which is why this year’s National Agriculture Day...
Eco Farm keynote addresses food sovereignty for Indigenous communities
In 2014 Elizabeth Hoover, associate professor in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley, set out on a road trip across the U.S.
Hoover covered 20,000 miles over four months, visiting 29 different Indigenous communities and asking everyone she met one question: How do...
Premiere Raspberries closing, laying off hundreds
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...
County budget includes investments in Watsonville
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the proposed $1.033 billion budget for 2022-23, including a $680.7 million general fund.
The...