Agriculture

The 2024 Gilroy Rodeo broke records for highest attendance and the most contestants participating in the event’s seven-year history on Aug. 9-11.  More than 1,000 contestants competed and performed in the local rodeo, which is run entirely by volunteers and returns all of its annual...

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...

Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation will host a special Free Entrance Day on July 29 “as a token of gratitude to the community for entrusting the department with the stewardship and recreation of over 52,000 acres of beautiful parkland and 28 adventurous and...

Nursery crops retained their top spot in Santa Clara County in 2023, according to Santa Clara County’s latest Crop Report, with mushrooms clinging to the No. 2 spot despite a drop in crop value of almost 8% from 2022 due to the closure of...

On a normal Friday afternoon, the farmers market in downtown Watsonville—which draws vendors and customers from Hollister, Gilroy and beyond—is a bustling, joyous event, with gaggles of children playing in a bounce house and families happily in long lines to purchase fresh produce and...

The Gilroy High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) students found much success at the Santa Clara County Fair in late July. Gilroy FFA had 22 students participate in this year's fair.  Students brought home top prizes, which included but not limited to: Caitlyn Correia,...

An expansion project underway at the South County Regional Wastewater plant will increase the treatment facility’s capacity by nearly 30%, bring advanced technology to the local recycled water production system, tighten South Valley’s commitment to sustainability and help accommodate the long-term growth coming to...

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust board of directors appointed Noelle Chambers as its new executive director.  Chambers is the former Vice President of Conservation at Peninsula Open Space Trust, where she worked for 20 years and helped execute the successful protection and transfer of 30,000...

A regional land preservation organization recently purchased a 1,986-acre ranch in west Morgan Hill, pledging to permanently protect the property that includes sweeping views and critical wildlife crossings, as well as homes for native and endangered species.  The Peninsula Open Space Trust announced on April...

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a new state law that could lead to more farmworker housing development in Santa Clara County.  Assembly Bill 3035 was authored by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin and was inspired by Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas’ Agricultural Worker Housing Initiative, says...