Agriculture

The Peninsula Open Space Trust purchased 2,284 acres of ranchland in southern Santa Clara County for $23 million, the organization announced Jan. 29. The acquisition brings POST’s total holdings at the former Sargent Ranch property to 6,114 acres and preserves sacred native land that...

State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, introduced legislation to create a tax credit for agricultural employers to help cover the cost of paying overtime wages to farmworkers.   Senate Bill 921, co-sponsored by the California Farm Bureau and the California Association...

Ken Griffin is San Benito County’s first agricultural commissioner since 2021, following a recent interview and vote by the board of supervisors.  Griffin has served as the county’s Acting Agricultural Commissioner for about five years. The board voted to remove “acting” from his title on...

Santa Cruz and Monterey counties were included in a list of areas statewide where people have been severely sickened by Amanita phalloides—commonly known as the death cap mushroom. A group of doctors from across California warned Jan. 14 that foraging for wild mushrooms can be...

Serve your community and the Earth on Jan. 19 by planting willows and setting up pollinator plots at the Nyland property in San Benito County. The volunteer event takes place on Martin Lugher King, Jr. Day, which commemorates the civil rights leader’s life and...

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on proposed management updates for oil and gas leasing and development on public lands in Santa Clara, San Benito, Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, as well as portions of Fresno,...

Addyson Dell, an ambitious 13-year-old homeschooled eighth grader who is the secretary of her 4H club in Hollister, is on a mission to repair her new livestock shelter that was badly damaged in a recent wind storm.  With the help of her parents, Dell is...

The total value of San Benito County’s crop production surpassed $405 million in 2024, with vegetables and row crops generating the most sales among all local agricultural production categories.  The county’s annual crop report this year says the total value of local agricultural production last...

Families lined up outside the Pentecostal Church of Hollister Saturday, where about 20 volunteers handed out boxes packed with produce, pantry staples and a Thanksgiving turkey—part of the church’s second annual effort to ensure no one in the community goes without a holiday meal. Last...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 4 approved an allocation of $100,000 for the Community Food Bank of San Benito due to the disruption of funding to CalFresh.  In a press release, the county said the expense highlights the board’s commitment to...