San Benito County Local News: Agriculture, Food & Gardening


All Local Agriculture, Food & Gardening News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: California’s farm workers help feed the whole country.
How California Feeds the Country

California stands as America’s agricultural powerhouse, growing half of its fruits and vegetables. Here’s how California farming has shaped the state, from the early missions to today’s “factories in the field.”

Image caption: The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works

The Williamson Act, passed in 1965, now keeps more than 16 million acres of farmland out of the hands of developers. Here's how the law puts the brakes on the development of California agricultural properties.

Image caption: Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment

Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation projects have helped to build California, but they are also damaging the state’s environment for people, plants and animals by eliminating essential wetlands.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Dairy products are California’s top agricultural commodity, but the industry is often criticized for its impact on the environment.
Sustainable Sustenance

California is a leading producer of agricultural crops. So it’s not surprising to find cutting-edge ideas taking root here.

Image caption: RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt

What do resource conservation districts protect? Pretty much everything that’s worth saving.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

05/09/2025
Last week the Northern California beach town of Santa Cruz enacted a tax on sodas, ice teas and other beverages with added sugar. Voters approved the 2-cent-per-ounce tax in November, despite the beverage industry pouring at least $1.2 million in opposition.

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04/30/2025
Image for display with article titled Martha’s Kitchen Named 2025 California Nonprofit of the Year for Assembly District 29

Martha’s Kitchen is proud to announce it has been named the 2025 California Nonprofit of the Year for Assembly District 29, an honor that celebrates over four decades of life-changing impact across our region.

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04/29/2025
Image for display with article titled Hollister Farmers’ Market Kicks Off Another Season

Hollister’s weekly Farmers' Market reopened on April 16 on San Benito Street and drew a fine turnout despite the cold weather. Bri Rodriguez, who manages the market, said it has been in operation for 38 years and has grown to include more than 90 vendors—from fruit and vegetable stands to food trucks. 

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

04/28/2025
Residents living near farms can now sign up to be alerted when pesticides will be applied by the a new system recently launched by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

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04/22/2025
Image for display with article titled Gardening for a Cause

The Gilroy Gardening Group held its annual plant sale April 19 at the Miller Red Barn in Christmas Hill Park. Now in its fourth year, the event featured thousands of organic plant starts for $5 each, including heirloom tomatoes, Asian vegetables, rare peppers and a diverse selection of annual flowers—all grown by the group’s members in their home gardens.

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04/22/2025
From higher costs to export worries, California’s agricultural and wine industries face many possible tariff effects. But some hope for opportunity.

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04/17/2025
Image for display with article titled Stakeholders Debate the Future of Farmland

For the past four months, county officials, agricultural leaders and members of the community have been meeting to shape the future of San Benito County’s farmland. The effort will culminate in the Agricultural Element—or Ag Element—a long-term policy document that will be embedded in the county’s General Plan.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/16/2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the lawsuit Wednesday, saying the tariffs hurt “states, consumers and businesses.”

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04/09/2025
Image for display with article titled Celebrate (Belated) Community Garden Week at Vista Park Hill

Meet Robin Pollard, who has kept the Community Garden at Vista Park Hill open to the public since 1999.

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03/27/2025
Image for display with article titled Sunnyslope School’s Food Pantry Now Open

Sunnyslope held a ribbon cutting ceremony March 14 for the new Food Pantry that acts as a satellite location in a partnership with the Food Bank of San Benito County. Funding for the pantry site came from the Community Schools Grant through the State of California. 

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/26/2025
Food aid is one of numerous competing priorities California lawmakers will have to juggle in the face of steep potential federal cuts.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/25/2025
Across California, only one in five eligible college students receive CalFresh due to complicated requirements and an arduous application process. With two-thirds of students experiencing food insecurity, many campuses have started helping them apply for CalFresh.

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03/23/2025
Image for display with article titled ‘American Agitators’ and the Early Days of the Farmworkers Movement

A new documentary, "American Agitators," examines the life of labor organizer and community leader Fred Ross Sr. It is narrated by El Teatro Campesino founder Luis Valdez and is scheduled to be shown at the 2025 Poppy Jasper Festival on April 14.

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03/19/2025
Image for display with article titled Third-Graders Flock to Farm Day

Tuesday, March 18 was “Farm Day” at Bolado Park—an event hosted by the San Benito County Farm Bureau that is "dedicated to raising awareness about the invaluable contributions of agriculture to our local community and economy.”All third-graders in San Benito County are invited to the annual event, which attracts more than 800 students every year.

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03/14/2025
Image for display with article titled San Juan School District Considers New Food Service Program

At its March 12 meeting, the Aromas San-Juan Unified School District heard a presentation from Dan Giusti, founder of the food service organization Brigade, which conducted an on-site survey of all three district schools in Sept. 2024. Giusti proposed creating a centralized kitchen hub at San Juan School to serve all three district schools, which he said would offer students more variety, serve more scratch-made foods, and bring in more local produce.

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03/12/2025
Image for display with article titled Jovenes De Antaño Seeking Community Support Amid Funding Uncertainty

About 40 seniors share daily meals at the Pauline Valdivia Memorial Community Center in Hollister. Over half of them stay a little longer to play bingo. Observing the environment of companionship and laughter, one would not know the organization providing those services faces an uncertain future as it expects to lose two of its major funding sources.

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03/11/2025
Image for display with article titled Bureau of Reclamation Announces Surface Water Supply Allocations for the Central Valley Project

The United States Bureau of Reclamation has announced its initial surface water supply allocations for the Central Valley Project for the 2025 water year. CVP contractors’ south-of-Delta have been allocated 35 percent of their agricultural contract total and 75 percent of their municipal and industrial total.

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03/07/2025
Image for display with article titled Everyone Is Having a Great Time at Food Truck Tuesdays

Food Truck Tuesdays will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on San Benito Street between Sixth and Seventh streets until Apr. 8.

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03/06/2025
Image for display with article titled Proposed Food Bank Cuts Threaten Hollister Bakery

Frankie Berlanga’s family business, El Nopal Panaderia and Tortilla Factory in Hollister, supplies about 14,000 fresh tortillas a year to the Community Food Bank of San Benito County—reliably providing a cultural staple for the kitchens and dinner tables of local families and residents in need.

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03/04/2025
Image for display with article titled Paicines Ranch Deemed Bird Paradise by Audubon Bird-Friendly Land Certification

The National Audubon Society proudly announces that Paicines Ranch in California's San Benito County has earned the bird-friendly land certification through Audubon's Conservation Ranching program. This certification recognizes Paicines Ranch's commitment to managing its 7,000-plus acres of central California rangeland for the benefit of birds and biodiversity.