Focus on Agriculture

MONTEREY COUNTY — Wild pigs in the Monterey County area were exposed to pesticide bait containing the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone, according to findings by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Wildlife Health Lab (WHL) and the California Animal Health and Food Safety...

SALINAS — Salinas produce company D’Arrigo California is partnering with Candice Walker, foodie influencer of Proportional Plate, to host a virtual and interactive cooking class Wednesday featuring Andy Boy produce. “D’Arrigo California is thrilled to get into the kitchen with Candice Walker of Proportional Plate...

Wine grape harvest is just around the corner in the Paso Robles wine country.

GREENFIELD — The DNA running through Carol and Larry Umbarger’s family business reveals itself through a fabric of unity, commitment and pride. Creekside Farms is a legacy 35 years in the making. In 1988, two American farmers transformed a humble cut flower business (designed to...

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...

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...

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County Health Department reports that 475 agriculture workers, or 36.79 percent of the county’s total confirmed cases, have been infected with Covid-19 as of June 22. A large gap separates that figure and the 261 “unknown or under investigation” category, and...

GREENFIELD — This Earth Month, Scheid Family Wines celebrates nearly seven years of being 100% powered by renewable wind energy. The Greenfield family-owned and operated wine company, which has embraced sustainability as a core tenet since its inception in 1972, is the only winery in...

GREENFIELD — Scheid Vineyards hosted an Earth Day tour of its Greenfield location in late April, sharing some of its growing practices in an attempt to make its wine production more environmentally friendly. Founded in 1972, Scheid Vineyards has 3,200 acres with 40 different varieties...

YUMA, Ariz. — The Rev. Emilio Chapa was delivering a homily on a recent Sunday when he paused to lament a sight that had shaken him as he entered the sacristy before Mass. The board where his staff posted requests for funeral services was covered...