Agriculture

Symposium addresses shortage of educator housing As a lack of affordable housing exacerbates the teacher shortage, school district leaders and school board members gathered at the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) on Sept. 21 to learn about a variety of housing resources and...

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...

The 41st Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras took over the city’s downtown for the holiday weekend, bringing patrons and visitors all the arts and crafts, food vendors and live entertainment they missed from the festival’s cancellations due to Covid-19 in recent years. The Mushroom Mardi...

In the wake of a series of powerful winter storms that lashed California for three weeks in January, the state announced Jan. 26 that it will deliver more water than expected from its major storage and delivery system.  All 29 public water agencies—serving 27 million...

The city will break ground this week on Morgan Hill’s first dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, which will be located at the Community Park off West Edmundson Avenue.  A groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 10am Dec. 20 at the site of the future new courts,...

As workers and volunteers put the finishing touches on the Santa Cruz County Fair, the animals raised by Future Farmers of America and other organizations—including some from Morgan Hill and southern Santa Clara County—have arrived in the livestock section. Earlier this week, students from Morgan...

It’s hard to find a job fighting climate change, oddly. But the organic farming industry is one place where a person can make a living making a difference.  Food systems account for 20% to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to data from the...

Fans of fresh, ripe and local fruit will want to venture to Andy’s Orchard in east Morgan Hill before the short stone fruit harvest is complete in a few weeks.  Owned and operated by renowned grower Andy Mariani, the orchard off Half Road features many...

Nirmal Nair is a “techie” in his professional background, but he has always been a “foodie” with a strong interest in health and wellness. This combination of abilities and passion led him to start Sempera Organics mushroom farm in Morgan Hill about 18 months...

What do you do when you’ve owned and operated one of Morgan Hill’s oldest and best known restaurants—a place I’ve called “Morgan Hill’s living room”—for years? You start a winery in San Martin, of course.  But it’s not just a winery; it’s a potential destination...