Agriculture, Food & Gardening Image

Santa Cruz County Agriculture, Food & Gardening Articles



Press Banner logo LOCAL NEWS
The Mountain Gardener | Rx for Sad Houseplants

It’s been a tough couple weeks for my houseplants. Power outages from recent storms made me move my African violet, which was just starting to bloom over to a window for more light. Others are staged on tabletops. I know …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Year in Review: Higher Education

How two UC professors dove into the weed world of Santa Cruz and beyond to explore the future of legal cannabis

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
County Supervisors approve controversial farmworker housing project in Pajaro.

Barring a lawsuit, a controversial farmworker housing project in Pajaro officially has the green light to move forward: In a Dec. 13 hearing, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved the three-building, 46-unit project in a 3-1 vote (Mary Adams…

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
The Warm Colors of Winter

By Josh Reilly December is upon us and with it, the hot-colored Holiday blooms of Amaryllis. These bulbs are often stashed in a cool, dark spot and potted in October or November. Those from in the Southern Hemisphere will flower …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Pilot program launches to recycle agricultural plastic

A new program launched by the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF), ReGen Monterey and Flipping Iron, Inc. is joining a growing effort to recycle more plastic from local farms and ranches. CMSF, an organization aiming to protect California’s coastal ecosystems …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
The Legacy of Outstanding in the Field

Distinguished chef Jim Deneven is behind one of Santa Cruz’s loftiest food events of the year

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
The Warm Colors of Fall

By Josh Reilly In September, rains brought a flush of Summery green back to our hillsides. Since then, however, with warm dry air and cool evenings, leaves are turning shades of gold, yellow, wine red, cranberry, and strawberry jam. East …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Watsonville’s urban growth is a key issue before voters

WATSONVILLE—This fall, Watsonville voters face a decision that has been 20 years in the making. Should the city’s urban growth restrictions put in place in 2002 be extended through 2040, or should residents and their elected leaders have an opportunity …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
The Fights Against Pesticides in the Pajaro Valley

A quarter of Santa Cruz County ag is organically grown, so what’s preventing other growers from abandoning noxious chemicals?

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
County Fair Board Members Fired

The state ousts two additional board members following CEO Dave Kegebein’s termination

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Fair Board appoints Dietrich as interim CEO

WATSONVILLE — In a tumultuous meeting packed with nearly 100 people, the newly transformed Santa Cruz County Fair Board appointed Don Dietrich as interim Fair CEO, a move that added another chapter to a story that began on Oct. 4 …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
State fires two Santa Cruz County Fair Board members

WATSONVILLE—The two Santa Cruz County Board members who voted against firing former CEO Dave Kegebein during a Oct. 4 meeting were terminated from their positions Friday in abrupt phone calls from the Governor’s office. Because county fairgrounds are owned by …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Group sparks conversation about Valley’s pesticide use

A newly formed community group with the vision of reducing the use of pesticides in the Pajaro Valley is taking on international berry giant Driscoll’s. The Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture (CORA) recently sent a letter to Driscoll’s CEO …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Bamboo Giant offering first-ever nighttime walkthrough experience

Located on a busy thoroughfare between Aptos and Watsonville, Bamboo Giant Nursery and Gardens (BGNG) could easily be driven past without a second glance.  But the nursery, tucked into the side of a hill in a rural, forested section of …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Temporary CEO leading Fairgrounds

WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County Fair Board President Don Dietrich has taken over as CEO in the wake of the Oct. 4 dismissal of Dave Kegebein, and says he’ll stay at the helm as the Board recruits a replacement. It is unclear …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Monterey Bay Rare Fruit Growers’ apple tasting reveals a fruit that contains multitudes.

Freddy Menge knows a lot about apples. To be fair, he’s been learning about this widely cultivated fruit ever since he was a kid—that’s when he remembers finding old, abandoned apple trees growing in the forest near his home by…

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
A Time of Reflection in the Garden

By Josh Reilly Fall has come to the SLV. Fall, for your Uncle Skip, is a time of reflection. It is safe to say that I have fewer trips around the Sun ahead than behind. I’m not complaining. I am …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Farm Discovery at Live Earth raises $87K for education, produce programs

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville-based organization Farm Discovery at Live Earth announced that it raised $87,800 at its annual benefit dinner on Sept. 24. “Mesa: Farm Discovery Fall Feast in the Fields” was held at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville, and drew attendance from …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Apple Grower Freddy Menge Shares a Bushel of Knowledge

The return of the annual tasting event at Live Oak Grange will showcase 70 apple varieties

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Cruz County Fair Board fires Dave Kegebein

WATSONVILLE—In a 7-2 vote Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Fair Board terminated Fairgrounds Manager Dave Kegebein’s employment, a decision that generated outcry from members of the public. Board Members Jody Belgard and Loretta Estrada voted no. The termination came after …

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.
Working together with many volunteers, this crew feeds 65,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month.
California’s Oldest Food Bank Pays It Forward
California’s first food bank has helped residents of Santa Cruz County for more than 50 years.
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.