Santa Cruz County Agriculture, Food & Gardening Digest

This summer’s Michelin star recognition for Chez Noir in Carmel, granted within 10 months of its opening, might seem sudden. It’s not.

Daniel Laggner, founder of Santa Cruz-based Wildstag Provisions, is on a mission to protect American wildlife by selling free range game meat.

Many farmworkers in Coachella Valley lack legal status as citizens and don't qualify for most federal and state disaster aid. Even a new $95 million storm assistance program for immigrants that Governor Gavin Newsom recently touted is out of reach because it pertains to the winter and spring storms and floods.

Office parks, corporate campuses, strip malls would have to remove grass, or face fines of up to $500 a day.

Frank “Lud” McCrary Jr., Santa Cruz County native and co-founder of family business Big Creek Lumber Co., died Sunday. He was 95.

This year we celebrate the founding of the Arroyo Seco AVA—granted status on April 15, 1983—making it one of the earliest to be established of California’s over 100 such designations.

When winemaker Bobby Graviano left Bargetto, he had signed on as winemaker with Nicholson Vineyards in Corralitos. However, his subsequent involvement in a new project made that impossible, so he tapped his winemaking colleague Ellie Loustalot to take the reins at Nicholson.

After losing a community garden on the property of All Saints/Cristo Rey Episcopal Church when the church ended the contract, Tierras Milperas is searching for a space and speaking out against what members call an "unjust" termination.

Coauthored with Rep. Alma Adams, the Opportunities in Organic Act seeks to help organic producers expand access to new markets and resources, and provide support and training for farmers.

It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon at Oakes College, with few people in sight despite the rare appearance of warm sunshine. For students Gabe Schiering, Lydia Oltman, Charlie Lysikhina, and Isabella Brower, it’s a perfect time to make dirt.

Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture pushed for an end to pesticides and a move toward organic farming during the Watsonville City Council meeting.

Food safety rules require that soil and irrigation systems be inspected and tested for pathogens after the floodwaters recede.

With the library/affordable housing project set to displace the market from its longtime home on Lot 4, director Nesh Dhillon aims to choose an interim spot during construction by this summer.

"It’s deeply offensive to have this happen to somebody who has been such a contributor to the fair and, essentially, to our lives," said former Watsonville mayor Dennis Osmer.

Stephen McCabe, emeritus director of research at the Arboretum & Botanic Garden, has recently named two species from the Dudleya genus.

As drought and climate change continue to wreak havoc on California's water supply, an environmental advocacy group is calling on the state to limit the cultivation of thirsty crops like almonds and alfalfa.

California has given the federal government its own counterproposal for apportioning reductions of Colorado River water, saying a plan offered by six other states would disproportionately burden farms and cities in Southern California.

State lawmakers are calling for investigation into corruption in the state's cannabis industry and the exploitation of farmworkers.

Federal regulators have ordered Union Pacific railroad to make sure a livestock producer gets the grain it needs in California to prevent millions of chickens and hundreds of thousands of cattle from starving.

Scientists have discovered that heavy agricultural pumping has drawn down aquifer levels to new lows and now threatens to devastate the underground water reserves.

Stanford scientists have genetically re-programmed plants to grow roots that change how they gather nutrients or water.

In the fall, rice fields in the Sacramento Valley usually shine golden brown as they await harvesting. This year, however, many fields were left covered with bare dirt.

Drought, human-caused climate change, invasive species and a “legacy” of environmental issues are permanently altering California’s landscape and placing some communities and ecosystems at increasing risk.

A modern-day Noah’s ark, California Plant Rescue collects seeds from rare plants and fights the permanent loss of irreplaceable species.

In 2021, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation announced pesticide notification programs to increase transparency around pesticide application. After a public comment period, the department selected four sites to pilot the program, including Watsonville.

Linda and Stewart Resnick have donated $50 million to UC Davis for an agricultural research center—the largest donation in the campus’s history—but the couple’s Wonderful Company is the state’s single biggest water user.

In a 50-page legal request, Central Coast activists are asking the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner to review all permits for pesticide applications issued this year within a mile of Ohlone Elementary, Pajaro Middle School and Hall District Elementary School in North Monterey County.

There’s a new wine tasting room in Scotts Valley called Inversion Wines, featuring wares from very small vineyards in the far reaches of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

As the first organic farming specialist hired by the University of California system, Dr. Joji Muramoto is uniquely positioned to help growers expand their organic capabilities. But he also understands the practical challenges facing growers.

The Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Market board will vote soon on whether to move forward on an agreement with the city to relocate the downtown market. The timing—just a month before Santa Cruz voters decide on Measure O—is raising concerns.

Photos from Stanford University’s Ernesto Galarza collection documenting the bracero program were on view at the Salinas Sports Complex. Now county leaders hope to find a permanent place for the display, but until then the photos can be seen at the Monterey County Historical Society.

For the first time, members at the California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting will be able to sell goods from their farms and ranches. Called the California Marketplace, this interactive event will be held Dec. 4—one of several new features of the meeting, taking place Dec. 2-7 in Monterey.