Agriculture

Santa Clara County is considering sweeping changes to its rural zoning ordinances that would impose new building limits and require mitigation when farmland is converted to non-agricultural uses. If approved by county supervisors, the new rules could significantly affect wineries and other agricultural operations...

South Santa Clara County students in 4-H and FFA will have a new opportunity to show off their livestock this summer as the inaugural South Valley Ag Fair kicks off July 27-28, with an auction to follow Aug. 1. The first event, a two-day “jackpot”...

Santa Clara County planning officials have walked back controversial proposed land use policy changes that would have reclassified animals as non-livestock, following fierce opposition from equestrians, ranchers and agricultural advocates who warned the amendments could devastate rural businesses and displace thousands of horses and...

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...

The San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo kicked off rodeo week on June 22 with the annual rodeo parade in downtown Hollister.  The procession began with a traditional cattle drive down the middle of San Benito Street, featuring dozens of steers, longhorn cattle...

Rachael Gallagher wears the crown as the 2026 Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen, winning the distinction at the festival’s annual scholarship pageant on April 19. Gallagher, 25, is a Gilroy native and a graduate of Gilroy High School’s Class of 2018, according to the Gilroy...

Federal, state and local officials gathered May 1 at the Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve to break ground on a $1.4-million project that will improve trail access for visitors of all abilities. Announced in 2024, the project will widen and stabilize the quarter-mile Heart’s Delight...

As the latest in a line of strong storms was bearing down on the Central Coast this week, the California Conservation Corps (CCC) sent two crews to Morgan Hill to help fill and distribute sandbags for local residents and property owners.  The crews—out of Fresno...

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on proposed management updates for oil and gas leasing and development on public lands in Santa Clara, San Benito, Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, as well as portions of Fresno,...

On sunny afternoons at the Morgan Hill Community Garden, Charlie Beecroft tends to his plot of vegetables and herbs. After downsizing to a home in Morgan Hill with virtually no yard, the community garden has become his outdoor sanctuary. “For us, it was a great...