Agriculture

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...

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...

Kawahara Nurseries, which is based in Morgan Hill, is looking to open a year-round wholesale agricultural facility on Anzar Road in San Benito County. The planning commission on June 16 approved Kawahara Nurseries’ application for an agricultural facility use permit on a 104-acre property that...

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...

The scent of fresh-cut pine fills the air as Jorge Garcia watches his children, ages 2 and 5, weave between rows of evergreens with their mother, searching for the perfect Christmas tree. It’s their first time at Battaglia Ranch as a young family, but...

The Conservation Fund purchased the Richmond Ranch on Jan. 22, a 3,653-acre property in southern Santa Clara County.  The Fund is a national organization that provides money to bridge the acquisition of conservation lands by private and public sources. In this case, they are buying...

President Donald Trump lost no time Jan. 20 in advancing his agenda for California’s water supply with a “presidential action” intended to send more Delta water south to millions of Southern Californians and San Joaquin Valley farms. The memo calls on the Secretary of Commerce...

The ongoing project to restore Anderson Dam to functionality has been delayed by almost a year, extending the project’s completion to 2033 and increasing its estimated cost by approximately $100 million, according to Valley Water. The delay is due in part to a new schedule...

I’m back, and glad to see you are too. I’m starting this column with some basic information about wine and our region because I’ve found out so few know about our local wine regions or really understand some of the basics of buying and enjoying...

The San Francisco Bay Area is likely to be warmer and wetter than normal for the next three months, forecasters said Nov. 18. A winter season outlook update shows a higher probability of above-normal temperature and precipitation for December, January and February, the National Weather...