Agriculture

Julie Hutcheson, a longtime Morgan Hill resident and environmental advocate for the South Bay, is the new executive director for Green Foothills.  Hutcheson has been on Green Foothills’ staff for more than 12 years and has taken an active role in leading the organization, most...

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 Office of the State Fire Marshal recently established a statewide program to allow qualified applicants to support Cal Fire in its defensible space and home hardening assessment and education efforts, says a press release from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.  Qualified...

The Peninsula Open Space Trust recently completed the transfer of 1,908 acres of Lakeside Ranch in Morgan Hill to the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency.  With the transaction, the Habitat Agency gains stewardship of one of the largest remaining intact ranches in the South Bay,...

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...

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 Board of the State Coastal Conservancy recently authorized funding totaling $84 million for projects throughout California to protect and restore coastal lands, increase coastal resilience to climate change, improve public access to the coast and reduce the impact of wildfire on coastal lands.  Locally,...

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...

Hundreds of California native pigeons have died this winter due to a parasitic disease, announced state wildlife officials on Feb. 23.   California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said they’ve noticed an increase of reported sick and dead band-tailed pigeons since early February, mostly around...

I hear this question a lot: are our local wines as good as Napa’s? OK, that’s a fair question.  Let’s start all this with the fact Napa is considered one of the greatest wine making regions in the world. Period! Italian, Spanish, Croatian, etc… wines...