Agriculture

On a recent December afternoon, about 30 volunteers gathered at St. Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista to give their efforts to the sprawling, multifaceted Farmworker Caravan—an annual holiday donation drive for families in need in five counties.  Labeled a “Santa’s Workshop,” the Dec....

Like many growers in Santa Clara Valley, Dilip Sharma and Hektor Luis Calderon-Victoria are eager to plant rows of fruits, vegetables and other organic, commercial crops on their unincorporated Morgan Hill farmland as soon as the long, cold, wet winter finally comes to a...

The 29th annual National Farmers Market Week comes to a close on Aug. 9, and the downtown Morgan Hill produce market continues to celebrate high customer attendance and vendor participation.  On Aug. 2, the local farmers market on Depot Street was packed with visitors—including many...

The goats at the Santa Clara County Animal Services Center in San Martin have a new source of shade: an array of solar panels that generate power for the 37,000-square-foot shelter. The county Facilities and Fleet Department completed the project last fall. It’s one of...

Lifelong San Martin resident Kenneth Ludewig, a local “treasure” who brought joy to countless South Valley residents as the creator and operator of the former San Martin Country Park & Pumpkin Patch, died unexpectedly on Nov. 7, according to family members. He was 74...

Construction crews and Valley Water officials recently reached a “milestone” on the $576-million Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project in east Morgan Hill, with the completion of a massive concrete and “soil nail” wall next to the existing dam, according to water district staff. The wall...

A future public trail on El Toro Mountain is one step closer to fruition after the Morgan Hill City Council adopted a “shared commitment” to explore the option in partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority.  On Nov. 5, the council approved a...

A newly funded housing complex in Morgan Hill will include units specially dedicated for farmworkers, the city announced on July 11.  The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors originally signed off on a $13.2 million proposal for the site on June 28.  The Magnolias will be...

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...

A collaboration of area land trusts recently secured permanent conservation rights for the historic 540-acre Nyland property in San Benito County.  The Trust for Public Land, the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust...