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...

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...

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...

Horse owners, ranchers and agricultural advocates are sounding the alarm over proposed zoning amendments they say could force hundreds or more horses out of Santa Clara County and devastate an industry woven into the region’s rural heritage. The controversy centers on draft zoning ordinance amendments...

On Oct. 11-12, eight members from the Gilroy FFA chapter attended a Regional Leadership conference where more than 300 other students, all involved in the FFA, united at the 2025 South Coast Region FFA Chapter Officer Leadership Conference in Hollister. As an organization, the FFA’s...

Valley Water, the local water district that is in charge of rebuilding the dam at Anderson Reservoir in Morgan Hill, recently released a draft environmental study of the seismic retrofit project.  The district is now accepting public comment on the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project...

In my last column I highlighted Rosy and Rich Bergen’s Little Uvas Vineyard (LUV) and their facility called “The Garage” at 255 Fitzgerald Ave. in San Martin. Their long range plan is to have other businesses, like other wineries and eateries, help fill the...

I recently went out to visit another winery in San Benito County, where the wineries and the wines share a similar place in the world of California regions—we had a history of being leaders in winemaking going back to the 19th century, we are...

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...

Fortino Winery, likely one of the most familiar Santa Clara Valley wineries to local people, reflects the history of winemaking in a region famed for the craft.  Premium wine has been made in the Santa Clara Valley longer than anywhere else in California. Part of...