Agriculture

Nursery crops remained at the top in Santa Clara County, growing by 19% in 2021 to exceed $109 million in value, according to the 2021 crop report released Aug. 31. Mushrooms, meanwhile, grew by 5% but remained in second place at $79,480,000, followed by bell...

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority last week announced the winners of the “Picturing Coyote Valley” photo contest, in which the public was invited to submit their best photos of wildlife, landscapes and people in open space areas just north of Morgan Hill.  The...

San Benito County Supervisors at a recent meeting approved a conditional use permit for the Betabel commercial project, after hearing two appeals against the proposal due to its likely impacts on the environment and tribal lands. The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Nov. 8 to...

The Board of the State Coastal Conservancy recently authorized funding totaling $84 million for projects throughout California to protect and restore coastal lands, increase coastal resilience to climate change, improve public access to the coast and reduce the impact of wildfire on coastal lands.  Locally,...

To celebrate Earth Day, Performance Food Group on April 22 held an open house event in Gilroy to show how they have created a sustainable distribution model at the company’s local facility. In collaboration with a number of vendors in the transportation and distribution industries,...

A non-native Aedes aegypti mosquito—an aggressive species that can spread certain diseases—has been discovered in a residential area of Gilroy, according to the Santa Clara County Vector Control District. A mosquito of the same species was also found recently in a neighborhood of east...

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...

Winter’s gone and sunny spring days prompt us to step outside and work in our gardens. Don’t worry, expert advice is near. Seven private gardens will be open to the public from 10am-4pm May 11. The Garden Tour is an opportunity to explore the...

Local agencies finally have enough money to complete the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project, about 70 years after the massive infrastructure project was initially planned.  Valley Water celebrated the milestone Sept. 13 at the construction site in south Morgan Hill for the final phase...

Two multi-generational farming families recently formed a partnership on land in Gilroy that aims to preserve agriculture for the long haul in Santa Clara Valley—which is becoming increasingly difficult to do—and bring more fresh, locally grown and organic produce directly to households, restaurants and...