Agriculture

Hollister High School’s agriculture and FFA program has earned a ranking of No. 11 out of more than 380 ag programs in the state of California, improving its ranking from No. 15 last year, according to a press release from the San Benito High...

San Benito County will host a town hall workshop on the draft environmental impact report for the John Smith Road Landfill expansion project on Aug. 22. The workshop will start at 6:30pm, at the Veterans Memorial Building, 649 San Benito Street in Hollister.  The workshop...

A new initiative to put land use decisions in the hands of San Benito County residents is currently circulating, the latest political effort by slow-growth advocates in the area. The Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions Initiative would amend the county’s General Plan to...

Mosquitoes that tested positive for the West Nile Virus have been found in a small unincorporated area of San Benito County, according to the county agricultural commissioner’s office.  Weather permitting, county officials are planning to treat the affected area on Oct. 3, starting about 7pm,...

San Benito County is inviting residents to participate in an update process for local Ordinance Title 13, which focuses on animals within the community. The update effort seeks to ensure that the county’s regulations “accurately reflect the needs and concerns of our diverse population,”...

The Hollister Agricultural and FFA (Future Farmers of America) program has been making waves with its outstanding achievements, student recognition and commitment to agricultural education and sustainability. The program’s success can be attributed to the dedication of its educators, the collaboration with the community...

Wildfires and climate change are locked in a vicious circle: Fires worsen climate change, and climate change worsens fires. Scientists, including those at the World Resources Institute, have been increasingly sounding the alarm about this feedback loop, warning that fires don’t burn in isolation—they produce...

It’s hard to find a job fighting climate change, oddly. But the organic farming industry is one place where a person can make a living making a difference.  Food systems account for 20% to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to data from the...

Lightning caused four small wildfires in Santa Clara, Monterey and San Benito counties as thunderstorms rumbled across the area Sept. 9, the National Weather Service said. A fire in Santa Clara County charred about one acre west of Coyote Creek, the weather service said. A...

San Benito County held a town hall meeting Sept. 5 on storm cleanup to inform local homeowners of a new executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that grants emergency permissions to accelerate debris removal related to the atmospheric river storms earlier this year. The...