Monterey County's $11 billion agriculture industry, online protests over a cancer-causing pesticide

KAZU | By Katie Brown

Published November 20, 2025 at 2:05 AM PST

People who live in rural areas face heightened risks from agricultural pesticide drift. This photo, taken on Sept. 11, 2022, shows a housing development adjacent to a vineyard in Watsonville, a small, Latino-majority city that has for decades sought stronger community and worker protections from pesticide exposure. — A housing development adjacent to a vineyard in Watsonville where pesticides are sprayed.

In today's newscast, the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s office publishes its fourth report analyzing the region's $11 billion agriculture industry. And, California farmworker families and environmental groups are calling for stronger protections against a cancer-causing pesticide used on berry, grape and nut crops.

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Katie Brown

Katie Brown comes to KAZU after earning spot news and investigative journalism awards for her reporting and photography in Maine. A Report for America alumna and former Metcalf Institute fellow, Katie’s reporting beats span business, environment, and public health.

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