Focus on Agriculture

KING CITY — Applications are currently being accepted for the prestigious title of Miss Salinas Valley Fair, which is open to any junior or senior high school girl who is a resident or student of school districts in the counties of Monterey, San Benito,...

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,...

Salinas Valley was initially spared the worst of the damage as storms battered California last month. But then the Salinas River overflowed its banks Jan. 10, breaching berms and levees. Over the ensuing hours and days, thousands of acres of some of the country’s most...

SOLEDAD — Braga Fresh is promoting Colby Pereira to chief operating officer, making her the first person to hold that title as the company enters its 95th year in business. “Colby’s family farming background and reasoned, no-nonsense approach to problem-solving are an asset for this new...

GONZALES — Seven members of the Gonzales FFA chapter attended a regional leadership conference on Oct. 8-9, during which more than 275 other students, all involved in the FFA, united at the 2022 South Coast Region FFA Chapter Officer Leadership Conference in Hollister. The FFA...

SOLEDAD — Leaders in the local agriculture industry were honored last Saturday at the 16th Annual Valley of the World Awards, presented by the National Steinbeck Center. The Oct. 1 ceremony took place at the Braga Family Farm in Soledad, featuring a dinner by...

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...

GREENFIELD — Lavender Creek Co., a lavender farm and wellness brand that enhances everyday life with lavender’s healthful properties, has launched its first products on Amazon and has more than 4,000 young lavender plants blooming on Carmel Valley Road in the Arroyo Seco area...

MONTEREY COUNTY — An excessive heat warning has been issued by the U.S. National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey California beginning Thursday through early next week for Monterey County. Areas under warning include: southern Salinas Valley, Arroyo Seco, Lake San Antonio, Santa Lucia Mountains...

MONTEREY COUNTY — The 2022 Monterey County Fair Junior Livestock Auction is being dedicated to Taylor Farms, the Salinas-based grower and packager of fresh produce that has supported the Fair’s 4-H and FFA exhibitors for more than 20 years by purchasing animals at the...