San Joaquin County Agriculture, Food & Gardening Digest

The recently released San Joaquin County Crop Report showed a decline in the top four local agricultural products.

The City of Manteca community benefit agreements with three recently approved marijuana dispensaries aim to generate a minimum of $1 million for city coffers.

Garden Joy community garden is working with the Manteca Unified School District to help meet its goal of locally sourcing 20 percent of school meal produce by the next school year.

A look at the training program for beginner farmers offered by the Center for Land-Based Learning in Woodland.

A look at the 2023 San Joaquin County agriculture report: $3.22 billion in production by 3,340 mostly small family-owned farms.

The chemical, used for decades, can harm babies’ developing brains. Farmworkers and people living near fields are most at risk. The EPA issued a rare emergency order.

A Free Family Fun Night is scheduled for Friday, August 9 at Mossdale Landing Community Park, 700 Towne Centre Drive in Lathrop.

A judge has halted a union effort at the Wonderful Company, throwing into question a new state law designed to make it easier for agricultural workers to organize.

A Kings County judge today issued a temporary restraining order against the state that pauses its unprecedented move to crack down on groundwater depletion in California’s agricultural heartland.

San Joaquin County community group Ray of Hope is urgently seeking donations of food and school supplies to help fill the summer gap in meals for school age youth and to prepare for the coming school year.

The $4.5 billion Sites Reservoir project is advancing after a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by environmental groups.

The Manteca Unified School District began its free Seamless Summer Lunch program on May 28 for children ages 2 to 18.

The centerpiece of California’s water wars pits Gov. Newsom against local communities and environmentalists. A new report says the benefits of the tunnel exceed the cost since other water supplies would cost more.

Sacramento is seeking public comment on its "Urban Forrest Plan" to increase the trees in the city with priority given to areas in North and South Sacramento.

Calivirgin of Lodi was awarded the 2024 Olive Oil Producer of the Year for the second year in a row.

The Ripon Farmers Market season is open again, Thursdays starting at 5PM from May through September at 929 West Main Street.

17 trees were planted at Yosemite Village Park on Arbor Day April 25 by the Manteca Garden Club with the City of Manteca.

Following strong February rains, the Bureau of Reclamation announced increases in Central Valley Project water allotments.

The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources advisors has published a new website with information resources for small acreage landowners raising livestock.

The Wence family loves food—and creating new restaurants. So when Jaime and Esther Wence decided to open a new restaurant in Isleton, they had plenty of inspiration.

Commercial beekeeper Andrew Strehlow estimates he’s had 1,000 hives stolen over the years. The latest theft, of 96 hives from a Fresno County orchard, was his last straw.

Buu “Billy” Ngo, a co-owner at the widely adored Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine, has been named as a semifinalist for Best California Chef from the James Beard Awards.

Beehives, tractors and more are getting stolen from farmers.

State Sen. Scott Wiener wants to allow California cities and counties to designate “entertainment zones” where bars and restaurants could serve alcoholic drinks that people can consume on public streets and sidewalks.

In a sign of the ongoing threats to its precious groundwater stores, half a dozen regions in California rank among the world’s most rapidly declining aquifers.

Groundwater depletion is worsening in many of the world’s farming regions. But a global study also found that some efforts are helping to boost aquifers.

For months, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has been waging war on the oriental fruit fly, a voracious pest that can attack hundreds of types of fruits and vegetables.

Fast food lives in a consumer sweet spot: demand, convenience and relative affordability. And this pay hike—equal to minimum wage increases during the past five years—will create grand economic unknowns.

Agtech is not just redefining farming in the San Joaquin Valley, it’s reshaping our approach to the land. Drones, sensors, and data analytics have become indispensable, driving efficiency and economic vitality across the fields.

One of the oldest restaurants in Lodi took its first step toward moving into new digs.

California farmers face challenges posed by multiple types of fruit flies. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed spending just over $22 million to combat the spread of these flies.

An outbreak of the avian flu that began in California in October has killed 5.5 million birds throughout the Golden State. About 20% of the deaths have come in Sonoma County.