Salinas Valley

With sheer precision, a farm worker harvests a row of strawberries. He tosses the bruised berries that won’t sell on the ground, the others into plastic packaging. It’s hard work, even without a pandemic and wildfires. 

Emergency relief for undocumented immigrants became available last week in California, but demand outweighs the supply of cash. For years, advocates have been fighting to shore up the economic safety net for these workers, many of whom are in essential industries. Now, they say more assistance is crucial. 

Many businesses across the Central Coast, especially in the tourism and hospitality industries, are slowing or have shut down. But that isn’t the case for one of our region’s most important sectors, agriculture. In fact, even with or perhaps because of COVID-19,  this industry is thriving. 

Many communities in Monterey County receive their water supply from two dams. And those dams are in serious need of repair. Later this spring, its likely voters in the county will be asked to decide whether these costly repairs will go forward.

Romaine lettuce from the Salinas region is finally safe to eat after multiple E. coli outbreaks linked to it. But the investigation into what went wrong is still ongoing.

Inside Taylor Farms' massive, 120,000-square-foot warehouse in Salinas, millions of pounds of lettuce, cabbage and spinach are processed each day. It's loud, and the temperature is kept at 35 degrees, so workers wear earmuffs and multiple layers of clothing. 

The number of people sickened by the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from the Salinas growing region has increased. As of Wednesday, at least 67 people have fallen ill with over half hospitalized. Cases have been reported across 19 states. Federal investigators are working to narrow down the source of contamination. Meanwhile, loads of lettuce are being thrown out this Thanksgiving. 

As the Food and Drug Administration continues investigating the E.coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from California, literally tons of lettuce are ending up in landfills. Now, some agriculture companies are using a voluntary labeling system to help consumers stay informed and hopefully avoid food waste in the future.

The multistate E. coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce may have a connection to the Salinas Valley.

Farmworker housing is in crisis. There’s not enough of it and much of what’s available is lousy. A growing number of agriculture companies are building seasonal housing for their workers. But that has it challenges.

Thursday AM Update: The CDC reports one person from California has died in connection to this E. coli outbreak from contaminated romaine lettuce. At last count, there are 121 cases with 52 hospitalizations. The cases now span 25 states. 

The Monterey Bay’s multi-billion dollar farming industry depends on thousands of farmworkers. But a new study finds there’s a tremendous lack of housing for them.

Located in the heart of the Salinas Valley, Greenfield used to be known as the Broccoli Capital of the World.  Now the small town is banking its future on cannabis.  Greenfield has 11 marijuana grow facilities going up over the next two years.

Farmers in the Salinas Valley are worried about how they will plant, grow and harvest crops in the future.

For more than three decades, the number of farm workers in California has been shrinking and those still on the job are getting older.  So, ag companies have been turning to technology for help.

If you’ve read your John Steinbeck and listened to your Merle Haggard, or if you grew up in a farmworker family, you know that farm laborers in California have struggled to find decent housing for decades.

Three years ago, Cal State Monterey Bay and Hartnell Community College started an ambitious computer science bachelor’s degree program called CSin3 (formerly CSIT-in-3).