Gonzales FFA student earns champion honors
GONZALES — Luis Gonzalez won multiple banners in this year’s Monterey County Fair, including Reserve Supreme Champion Market Goat for his goat named Roberto.
Gonzalez, an incoming freshman member of the Gonzales High School Future Farmers of America (FFA), raised two animals for the fair,...
Youth ready for Salinas Valley Fair’s online livestock auction
SALINAS VALLEY — Salinas Valley Fair activities will begin this week with the virtual junior livestock auction set for Saturday, May 8.
Like last year, Covid-19 pandemic health guidelines have caused an online format and an earlier scheduling than the traditional mid-May fair dates.
Youth from...
Flora’s Farm in Greenfield celebrates seven years
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...
Guest Column | A Fuller Picture of Farm Labor: Employer-Led Stability, Affordability and the Importance of Partnership
The harvest is quickly moving toward peak season, with fields of vegetables, leafy greens and strawberries becoming a hub of activity. Those who nurture, irrigate and harvest these crops are essential to the industry’s success, and it is the responsibility of every farmer and...
From dry to drenched — How local farmers deal with drastically changing conditions
After more than four years of devastating drought, 2017 saw California receive the wettest winter in more than 100 years.
Enrichment program teaches hundreds of South Monterey County youth about farming
SALINAS VALLEY — Hundreds of third-graders recently roamed the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City to learn about agriculture during the annual South County Farm Day.
Students from Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City schools attended the free educational enrichment program on Jan. 26,...
‘Party’ honors longtime Salinas Valley grower
SALINAS VALLEY — Hartnell College Foundation will honor longtime Salinas Valley grower John Romans with its 2022 Leadership Award at the Party Near the Library this Saturday, May 21.
Romans, a member of the foundation’s board of directors, was a longtime owner of King City-based...
Regional drone program lands $1M grant
SALINAS VALLEY — University of California Santa Cruz’s CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER) along with several partners has received a $1 million, 15-month planning grant to support regional drone education and workforce development from the James Irvine Foundation.
The funds will be...
Thousands turn out for 2023 Salinas Valley Fair
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 farmers seek rebound after floods, virus hit lettuce crops
SALINAS VALLEY — Things were challenging enough for lettuce growers in Monterey County’s Salinas Valley before Mother Nature dealt a one-two punch in this year’s storms.
Farmers in 2022 had suffered an estimated $150 million in crop losses as impatiens necrotic spot virus — a...
Local News
Gonzales Police urge focus behind the wheel during Distracted Driving Awareness...
GONZALES — April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Gonzales Police Department wants to remind drivers to stay focused, keep their eyes...
