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Santa Clara County Agriculture, Food & Gardening Articles



Image caption: César Chávez in 1979, originally photographed for U.S. News & World Report.
What’s the Best Way to Celebrate César Chávez Day?

Californians have the perfect opportunity to remember César Chávez by making March 31 a day of service.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Garlic Festival eyes new venue, events

The rising costs of hosting a massive event have forced Gilroy Garlic Festival organizers to rethink the city’s signature event in a way that substantially supports local nonprofits without breaking the bank. A difficult two years, with the shooting in …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Ag meets tech at Sempera Organics

Nirmal Nair is a “techie” in his professional background, but he has always been a “foodie” with a strong interest in health and wellness. This combination of abilities and passion led him to start Sempera Organics mushroom farm in Morgan …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Organizer: New Fresno garlic festival not a competitor to Gilroy

The organizers of a new garlic festival in Fresno County say the event is not meant to rival Gilroy’s long-standing tradition, but rather, is a celebration of the California-grown bulb and the people behind it. The National Garlic Festival, put …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Mushroom Mardi Gras returns in 2022

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras will return to the city’s downtown for Memorial Day weekend in 2022, according to organizers. The two-day outdoor food, art and music festival will take …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Amazon purchases Gilroy farmland

Online retail and web services giant Amazon purchased 60 acres of farmland in Gilroy, documents filed Dec. 22 with the county show. According to the documents recorded by the Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, Amazon.com LLC purchased the land at …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Morgan Hill third-grader grows ‘Best in State’ cabbage

Morgan Hill third-grader Emma Johnson earned a $1,000 scholarship for growing a 24-pound cabbage in the family garden. Johnson, who attends El Toro Health Science Academy, won the award through the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program. In addition to …

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Holding Back the Bud Boom

California’s cannabis business is blossoming, but industry experts tell the Sacramento Bee that the state is leaving money on the table.

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.

Image caption: California’s three-year-old legal cannabis industry is already struggling. Here’s why.
The Crisis in California’s Legal Cannabis Industry, Explained

Cumbersome state bureaucracy and competition from their illegal counterparts has made life perilous for California’s nascent legal cannabis businesses.

Image caption: Some small composting facilities, made necessary by a methane-reduction law,  have been set up in or near community gardens.
Compost Belongs in the Garden

Californians Against Waste was one of the main advocates behind SB 1383, which requires California to divert 75 percent of its organic waste from landfills. California Local talked to CAW’s Nick Lapis to learn more about what it does and …

Image caption: At the dump, food waste is methane-producing garbage. At a farm, it's a valuable part of the food web.
Back to the Land, Not the Landfill

In 2022, California trash haulers will begin turning millions of tons of methane-emitting organic waste into a new cash crop: compost.

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Muralist Captures City’s History

San Jose Spotlight profiles Lila Gemellos, whose murals showcase San Jose’s past.

Featured

RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
Dairy products are California’s top agricultural commodity, but the industry is often criticized for its impact on the environment.
Sustainable Sustenance
Greener ways to feed the world’s growing population
Fresh and dried fruit, wine, nuts and more can be found at Casa De Fruta, a venerable stop for drivers traversing Pacheco Pass.
Roadside Attractions
Apples and berries, steaks and dairy...and much more
They help feed the whole country, but life for California’s farm workers remains a struggle.
How California Feeds the Country
California, a state known for high-tech and show business glitz, is also America’s farming powerhouse.
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
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.
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
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.