Focus on Agriculture

SOLEDAD — Braga Fresh, the Soledad-based grower-shipper known for its fresh vegetables and packaged salads, plans to close its Salinas processing plant, resulting in the loss of about 260 jobs, according to a state WARN Act filing. The closure was disclosed in documents submitted Nov....

Editor’s Note: The following profile is an excerpt from Amy Wu’s upcoming book, “From Farms to Incubators: Women Innovators Revolutionizing How Our Food is Grown,” which tells the stories of women entrepreneurs who are transforming agriculture through high technology. Jackie Vazquez spends the majority of...

GREENFIELD — The Ripley family celebrated seven years of their Flora’s Farm stand outside Greenfield on Aug. 29. The business started as a small canopy closer to the creek, but has since expanded as the family attended local farmer’s markets and David Ripley built a...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Raley’s and Washington-based FirstFruits Farms donated 30,000 pounds of fresh apples on April 1 to the Food Bank for Monterey County. The contribution was made possible by Raley’s customers who purchased select apples during January and February as part of a give-back...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a California regulation allowing union organizers to recruit agricultural workers at their workplaces violated the constitutional rights of their employers. The vote was 6-3, with the court’s three liberal members in dissent. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing...

SOLEDAD — Soledad Historical Society’s farmers market returned with a new season that began on April 1. Signs posted at the entryway of the closed lanes at 135 Soledad St. asked guests to observe Covid-19 health guidelines, such as wearing masks and keeping spaced apart. The...

SALINAS — Fanciful Company Inc. and D’Arrigo Bros Co. of California, located in Salinas, have paid $17,000 in lost wages to a farmworker to resolve a California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) unfair labor practices complaint. The complaint alleged “that the companies fired the worker...

GREENFIELD — A certificate of recognition was recently awarded to Scheid Vineyards in Greenfield by Southern Monterey County Republican Women Federated (SMCRWF) for the winery’s patriotism demonstrated by flying the American flag at its place of business. SMCRWF President Jeane Errea-Mills and SMCRWF Caring for...

UPDATE — Nov. 7, 2025: Full November SNAP/CalFresh benefits have begun posting to the EBT cards of Monterey County residents, according to the County of Monterey Department of Social Services on Friday. “The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is telling us that California has initiated...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Board of Supervisors narrowly voted Jan. 9 to make changes to its outdoor cannabis cultivation pilot program, allowing growers to double their canopy size and eliminate a requirement that made permit applicants prove cannabis was cultivated on the property...