Focus on Agriculture

SALINAS VALLEY — Hartnell College announced it has received a multi-year grant of $260,000 from Bank of America that will strengthen its ability to help Salinas Valley agricultural workers succeed and advance in an industry increasingly shaped by technology and automation. The grant will support...

The Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival will return to the Monterey County Fair and Event Center for two full days of cooking demonstrations, activities, exhibits and entertainment.

SALINAS VALLEY — Hartnell College and its partner, the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, are reaching out to veterans and family members with an immediate opportunity for free courses in agricultural technology and paid on-the-job training at some of the largest Salinas Valley ag...

CALIFORNIA — As wildfire conditions across California are expected to increase steadily through the summer, state officials last month expressed concerns about cuts in staff and funding at federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, a division within the Agriculture Department that partners with...

SALINAS — The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) hosted Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta and their staff alongside agricultural leaders and stakeholders for a field day visit to the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Salinas station. The Oct. 21 visit highlighted the critical organic...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County’s crop production increased in value last year by more than $500 million despite decreases in both wine grapes and cannabis, according to the county’s 2022 Crop and Livestock Report. Overall gross crop and livestock production was over $4.6 billion in...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County has received 750,000 procedure masks from the state specifically to protect agricultural workers in the area. The delivery arrived May 7 after the Monterey County Emergency Medical Services Agency Medical Operation Area Coordinator requested them to safeguard farmworkers in the...

SALINAS VALLEY — Once again the Salinas Valley Fair drew thousands of people to South Monterey County for a long weekend of family-friendly activities and entertainment, including its first-ever huge concert headlined by multiplatinum country singer Dylan Scott on Saturday night. The 79th annual celebration...

SALINAS VALLEY — Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) kicked off his statewide agricultural tour last month alongside local leaders and the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California. This first leg of the tour, beginning in Rivas’ Assembly District 30 on the Central Coast, included a celebration of...