Focus on Agriculture

National Agriculture Week 2026 will be observed March 15-21, with National Ag Day falling on March 24. The annual week highlights the vital role agriculture plays in the United States — providing food, jobs and economic stability — and encourages Americans to recognize the industry’s contributions...

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County’s agriculture industry saw a major rebound in 2024, with overall crop and livestock production reaching nearly $5 billion in gross value — a 14.7% increase from the previous year. And, for the first time in county history, a single crop...

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. Martha Montoya never imagined that her...

GREENFIELD — Lavender Creek, a lavender farm and wellness brand, has teamed up with Scheid Vineyards to offer lavender gifts at the winery’s award-winning tasting rooms, including in Greenfield. The co-founders, Ryan and Myriah Hopkins, launched a catalog of soothing lavender bath and beauty products...

GONZALES — Last Wednesday afternoon, 77 members of the Gonzales High School FFA held a door-to-door food drive to collect food for the Food Bank for Monterey County’s Gonzales Program. The large group of students collected a total of 988 pounds of food for the...

SALINAS VALLEY — A documentary short film set in the Salinas Valley has been officially selected for the prestigious 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and will have its world premiere during the festival’s celebrated Short Film Program. “The Long Valley” is a 13-minute documentary showcasing the...

GREENFIELD — City of Greenfield and Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, also known as Salinas Valley Recycles, unveiled a new community mural, “El Alma de la Tierra,” last Tuesday at Patriot Park in Greenfield. The mural, created by local artist Hanif Panni in collaboration with...

Cal State Monterey Bay had an exciting start to the semester with the first students entering our new mechatronic engineering program — which combines mechanical, electrical, software and systems engineering skills — and the project launch of our Edward “Ted” Taylor Science and Engineering...

SOLEDAD — CRU Winery is building upon the success of its annual Chowder Cook-Off and expanding its hunt for the best chowder recipe nationwide. Now through July 14, U.S. residents can submit their recipe for a chance to win. The CRU Winery Chowder Cook-Off is a...

CENTRAL COAST — Ellie Dyt knows a lot more about the California dairy industry than most 17-year-old high schoolers. Dyt was raised on a dairy farm her whole life in the small town of Crows Landing, home to thousands of dairy cows, gaining first-hand experience...