Agriculture

As vineyard manager at the 7,000-acre Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, Kelly Mulville has a rather significant task: he’s trying to practice organic, regenerative farming on 25 acres of vines while surrounded by hundreds of acres of vineyards being conventionally farmed.  “Our underlying philosophy...

I love our local wineries but have to admit I haven’t been to them all. In an attempt to spice things up and seek something new, I wanted to take a trip to Leal Vineyards near Hollister.  I decided I wanted to slow it down,...

Fans of fresh, ripe and local fruit will want to venture to Andy’s Orchard in east Morgan Hill before the short stone fruit harvest is complete in a few weeks.  Owned and operated by renowned grower Andy Mariani, the orchard off Half Road features many...

Sunday's dry spell helped the greater Bay Area briefly recover from a powerful storm on New Year's weekend, but a Pineapple Express on the way will soak the region mid-week, forecasters said Monday. Mop-up efforts to bail out flooded basements and clear mudslides from roadways...

Final counts reveal that more than 10,000 letters were submitted to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors during the public comment period for the Sargent Ranch Quarry Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) regarding a proposed open-pit mine at Juristac (Sargent Ranch) in southern...

As workers and volunteers put the finishing touches on the Santa Cruz County Fair, the animals raised by Future Farmers of America and other organizations—including some from Morgan Hill and southern Santa Clara County—have arrived in the livestock section. Earlier this week, students from Morgan...

Getting to the Sweepstakes round at the largest wine competition in North America takes a wine that outshines and outlasts 5,700 entries from more than 1,000 wineries in North America, Mexico and Canada.  The San Francisco Chronicle is not only the first official wine competition...

Facing criticism over their ambitious plan to curb urban water use, California’s regulators Tuesday weakened the proposed rules—giving water providers more years and flexibility to comply.   Cities and urban water districts welcome the changes to the state’s draft conservation rules, which they said would have...

Every Saturday, scores of people make the drive to Pinnacle Farms market in San Juan Bautista to buy fresh, organically grown produce. Owners Phil and Katherine Foster began farming in San Benito County in 1968. Today they grow certified organic fruit and vegetables on 295...

Projected costs of the massive Anderson Dam reconstruction project in Morgan Hill have risen to approximately $2.3 billion, according to a report prepared by engineers for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Two years ago, the cost of the dam project—required for earthquake protection and...