As a heat wave gripped the region, Lookout journalists spoke with workers from Santa Cruz to Capitola to Watsonville about how they were getting through it, shift by shift.
Agriculture
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Industry interests spent big money to stop California from banning PFAS pesticides
After an aggressive lobbying campaign against a bill to ban “forever pesticides” in California, what passed instead “is a shell of what we set out to do,” its author said.
Posted inLatest News
California officials allow plans for the country’s biggest kelp farm to move forward
The California Coastal Commission voted Wednesday to allow a plan to build the United States’ largest kelp farm 6 miles off the Ventura County coast to move forward as the Trump administration seeks to ramp up aquaculture in the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Can California farmers break free from plastic?
Microplastics in waterways and soil are fueling calls to reduce the pervasiveness of plastic in agriculture.
Posted inLatest News
New Driscoll’s CEO Brie Reiter Smith succeeds Soren Bjorn
Brie Reiter Smith, vice chair of Driscoll’s board of directors, has replaced Soren Bjorn as chief executive officer, the Watsonville-based company announced on Tuesday.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California pesticide agency hopelessly captured by industry, critics charge
State regulators face calls to better protect low-income, Spanish-speaking immigrants from pesticide exposure in agricultural communities.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Can steam replace chemical fumigants? Watsonville berry growers will put it to the test
The Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commission is testing out a high-temperature steam alternative to chemical fumigants on five berry fields in Watsonville beginning in September as part of a three-month pilot program.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
¿Puede el vapor reemplazar a los fumigantes químicos? Los productores de berries de Watsonville lo pondrán a prueba
La Oficina del Comisionado de Agricultura del Condado de Santa Cruz probará una alternativa a los fumigantes químicos en cinco campos de berries en Watsonville a partir de septiembre, como parte de un programa piloto de tres meses.
Posted inLatest News
Los Gatos Farms closes out lavender season with a final bundling session Saturday
Los Gatos Farms, a family-owned farm off of Highway 17, is hosting its last lavender bundling session this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees can expect to help tie lavender stalks into 2-inch bundles to be dried in the farm’s barn, and to be sent home with a few bundles of their own.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Driscoll’s faces growing legal storm over pesticide safety, ‘forever chemicals’ and social media claims
Berry giant Driscoll’s is facing multiple legal challenges, including consumer lawsuits alleging “forever chemicals” and pesticide cover-ups, while simultaneously suing a mobile app startup for spreading false claims. The Watsonville-based company denies the allegations of misconduct, affirming its commitment to food safety and regulatory standards.
