Opinion

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville-based organization Farm Discovery at Live Earth announced that it raised $87,800 at its annual benefit dinner on Sept. 24. “Mesa: Farm Discovery Fall Feast in the Fields” was held at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville, and drew attendance from across the region. Guests were...

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...

By Kathleen Kilpatrick Twenty years ago my family and I supported Measure U. Measure U was a compromise measure that came from Action Pajaro Valley, a robust stakeholder process that created the Watsonville Urban Limit line to allow for some growth and protection of farmland...

Murals express culture Murals are about community and freedom of expression. In Watsonville, mural artist Jessica Evanjelista from the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County led Empower Watsonville, a youth-led group that focuses on expanding youth advocacy to implement more equitable policies, on a mural...

Open Farm Tours (OFT) returns Oct. 8 and 9, offering the community a chance to visit organic farms, meet local farmers and learn about how their food is grown. The event, which has been held for the past nine years, is more than doubling 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...

By Eduardo Montesino As a longtime Watsonville City Councilmember, I know how essential the agricultural industry is to Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley. Many Watsonville residents have friends and family who continue to work in the agricultural sector. It is an undeniable fact that many of...

Social issues being faced by Watsonville are being encountered by every town and city in California and across the country. Rising real estate prices, housing needs and homelessness are not solved by paving over farmland. Watsonville is a special and unique place and does not...

I grew up in Watsonville and have lived and worked in the Pajaro Valley all my life. I have been an agronomist, scientifically analyzing agricultural soils in California and throughout the United States. I have studied thousands of different soils, and I can say...

We really have a bigger problem as a society when youth are turning to “harder” drugs like fentanyl, heroin and cocaine to try to deal with depression and anxiety.  Empower Watsonville is a youth-led group that focuses on expanding youth advocacy to implement more equitable...