Agriculture

“Amazon-style” warehouses won't be in the future of Coyote Valley for now, as the city plans to preserve 314 acres of green space, marking a victory for local environmentalists. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Nov. 16 to rezone portions of the valley south...

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...

UC Santa Cruz recently acquired and established the Strathearn Ranch Natural Reserve, a 2,400-acre oak-studded grassland property in San Benito County that will be used for field research and outdoor education for the university’s students, staff and researchers.  The UC Board of Regents approved the...

Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority has invited all local nature enthusiasts to give back to nature by joining the agency’s 2025 Volunteer Cohort, the OSA said in a press release.  Volunteers play a key role in the OSA’s mission to care for and connect...

Santa Clara County health officials on Aug. 14 reported the first local death attributed to West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness. The death this month of an immunocompromised adult at a local hospital “after experiencing West Nile virus symptoms” is the second reported human case...

With seemingly constant rain storms pummeling the South Bay so far this winter, a federal drought monitoring program recently downgraded most of Santa Clara County from “Severe” to “Moderate” drought. But local water supply authorities warn that residents and property owners should continue to...

Proprietor Billoo Rataul stands tall and proud as he surveys the vineyard land that gently slopes to the banks of Machado Creek outside Morgan Hill. Born and raised in northeast India, he grew up near jungles where beasts still roamed, and his childhood imagination...

A public television program focusing on agriculture in the United States, has turned its focus on two local enterprises in Morgan Hill. The first nationally broadcast agriculture series of its kind, “America’s Heartland” is back for its 18th season with 10 new episodes featuring crops...

The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras returns for the 41st year this weekend, May 28-29—this time with a new “Platinum Sponsor,” local mushroom cultivator Sempera Organics. Sempera Organics, located off Church Street, grows and processes “functional mushrooms” for a variety of wellness and cuisine purposes,...

Locals named to Provost’s List Morgan Hill residents Wendy Brill and Brittany Sonderegger, both students of the College of Health Sciences and Professions, have been named to Ohio University’s 2023 spring Provost’s List.  At the end of each semester, Ohio University's undergraduate students are evaluated based...