Agriculture

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority has entered a three-year lease to allow Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch and Fruit Stand to reopen at a new location at Laguna Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard in Coyote Valley. The 60 acres of prime farmlands (known...

Horse owners, ranchers and agricultural advocates are sounding the alarm over proposed zoning amendments they say could force hundreds or more horses out of Santa Clara County and devastate an industry woven into the region’s rural heritage. The controversy centers on draft zoning ordinance amendments...

Two California legislators recently introduced a bill that will ensure the federal government pays out anti-dumping duties it has collected to U.S. producers of garlic, honey and crawfish.  Gilroy garlic grower Christopher Ranch is one of the companies in California that could finally receive the...

An expansion project underway at the South County Regional Wastewater plant will increase the treatment facility’s capacity by nearly 30%, bring advanced technology to the local recycled water production system, tighten South Valley’s commitment to sustainability and help accommodate the long-term growth coming to...

The Valley Water Board of Directors elected Tony Estremera as the Chair for 2025, and Richard P. Santos as Vice Chair. The board voted on their new officers at the Dec. 10 meeting.  Estremera has been on the Valley Water Board since 1996, and is...

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...

About 80 people gathered March 10 in the historic Aromas Community Grange after the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) selected the Pajaro River Watershed as one of five watersheds to pilot the Watershed Resilience Program. The initiative, which is supported by a $2 million...

I love our local wineries but have to admit I haven’t been to them all. In an attempt to spice things up and seek something new, I wanted to take a trip to Leal Vineyards near Hollister.  I decided I wanted to slow it down,...

Morgan Hill’s first farmworker housing development will break ground on Watsonville Road on Aug. 11, according to city staff. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 1pm at the project site, near the intersection of Monterey Road. Royal Oak Village is a 73-unit multi-family apartment complex,...

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,...