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Santa Cruz County Agriculture, Food & Gardening Digest



Live Oak Farmers Market Moving

03/27/2024

After failing to negotiate a new lease for the East Cliff Village shopping center location with owners San Jose based Swenson Builders, the Live Oak Farmers Market is looking for a new home.

County Supervisor Zach Friend Honored at Luncheon

03/21/2024

The retiring District 2 County Supervisor received the Al Smith Friend of Agriculture Award from the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and Agri-Culture at the National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon.

New Website Features Information on Care of Backyard Chickens, Sheep, Goats

03/07/2024

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

Tipsy Putt Opens on Cannery Row

02/20/2024

One of the biggest properties on Cannery Row has a new identity, after several years dark. Tipsy Putt soft opened in the former Cannery Row Brewing Company.

Coalition Plans Federal Lawsuit Over Pesticide Exposure

02/16/2024

Pesticide reform activists and legal experts held a news conference in Watsonville outlining mounting evidence for a lawsuit they’re preparing to file against California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation for civil rights violations against farmworkers.

Beekeeper Offers $100,000 Reward in Brazen Fresno Beehive Thefts

02/14/2024

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.

Oblò Kitchen + Cocktails Reinvents Classic Santa Cruz Space

02/13/2024

The new downtown Santa Cruz restaurant from Sugo partners Marco Paoletti and Andrea Loporcaro has opened in the space that used to be CafĂŠ Mare.

Central California Is Battling a Unique, ‘Growing’ Crime Problem

02/13/2024

Beehives, tractors and more are getting stolen from farmers.

New Faces at Mentone

02/08/2024

There’s a new face and ethos driving the wine program at Mentone these days. Wine director Emma Bavera has been here only a few months, but she’s already bringing many welcome additions to the wine experience.

Is California’s Workplace Safety Agency Protecting Farmworkers? Legislators Want to Know

02/07/2024

State lawmakers grill Cal/OSHA officials, with allegations that employers get tipped off to inspections. The chairperson of the Assembly Labor Committee is seeking an audit.

Otter Bay Canning Company Aims to Galvanize Tinned Fish

02/06/2024

History has a way of repeating itself. Not this time around. On the docks of Moss Landing, history has a real chance of reinventing itself.

Cavalletta Opens This Week in Aptos

02/05/2024

The custom wood-fired oven will be blasting out pizzas with the char, bubbles and caramelization only 800 degrees can bring.  The Emiliomiti pasta extruder will be squeezing out strozzapreti, rigatoni and bucatini.

Will More Outdoor Drinking Give CA Economy a Buzz?

01/29/2024

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.

California Ranks High Worldwide for Rapidly Depleted Groundwater

01/24/2024

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 Levels Are Falling in Parts of California and Food-Growing Regions Worldwide

01/24/2024

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.

Invasive Flies Are Inching Closer Toward Ruining California’s Economy

01/24/2024

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.

Winners and Wonder From a Wild Big Sur Fungus Face-Off

01/23/2024

Rain romped. Mushrooms rose. Delirium descended. So it went for the first in-person edition of the Fungus Face-Off in several years, as part of Big Sur Foragers Fest.

Will $20 Minimum Wage Crush Fast Food in California?

01/22/2024

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.

Ian Brand Expands Into Dorcich Facility

01/18/2024

Ian Brand, who owns the I. Brand custom crush facility in Salinas, was looking for room to grow. So he has leased the Dorcich winery in a major expansion.

Big Sur Food & Wine Announces Grant Recipients

01/16/2024

The Big Sur Food & Wine Foundation has awarded 17 grants worth a record $225,000 to local organizations with funds raised in 2023. Activities included the Big Sur Fashion Show, the Ferrari Event at the Barnyard, and more.

Lessons of Resilience and Hope at McHenry Vineyard

01/10/2024

Like the redwoods that survived the devastating CZU fire of 2020, the McHenry family is resilient. That fateful August conflagration ruined a promising crop at Beauregard Vineyards.

Newsom Pitches Spending $22M to Fight Fruit Flies

01/10/2024

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.

12 Monterey Bay Spots to Anticipate in 2024

01/09/2024

It’s nice to have a little something to look forward to. Or in this case, a dozen somethings, starting with three special cases.

Avian Flu Outbreak Hammers California Poultry Industry

01/04/2024

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.

Bright Blue Waves Return to Southern California

01/03/2024

Bright blue waves have been spotted in Long Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. The bioluminescence is caused by organisms known as dinoflagellates and can impact fish populations.

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Sells to Local Buyers

01/02/2024

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing has been acquired by Adair Paterno of Sante Adairius Rustic Ales and Brad Clark of Private Press Brewing, which focuses on malt-forward and barrel-aged craft beer.

The Midway Comes to Midtown Santa Cruz

01/01/2024

The pandemic threw a wrench in Katherine Stern’s plans, but on Dec. 29, the chef’s long-awaited first restaurant opened on Soquel Avenue, two doors down from the Rio Theater.

Sierra Nevada Releases Its First Non-Alcoholic Beers

12/22/2023

The Chico-based brewer has taken a more traditional approach to creating its non-alcoholic beer.

The 7 Best Non-Restaurants of 2023 (and More Bests)

12/21/2023

Bring on the cute Nepalese dumplings and deli sandwiches the size of a suitcase. Give me all the caviar in Carmel and hotdogs at the dump.

Kern County Is Poised to Become Warehousing’s Next Frontier

12/19/2023

Farmland is being rezoned for industrial use, and massive warehouses are being built on spec near communities like Buttonwillow and Shafter, so goods coming through the Southern California ports can be shipped quickly throughout the western United States.

California Awards $116.8 Million to Conserve Agricultural Lands

12/19/2023

The California Strategic Growth Council approved over $116 million in Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program grants to permanently protect 50,500 acres of croplands and rangelands, as well as lands utilized by Indigenous tribes for the cultivation of traditional resources.

17 Best Openings of 2023

12/19/2023

As another year zips by, Edible Monterey Bay has your back, offering a tasty way to mark its passing. Sample the Best New Openings of the Year, from Salinas to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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