Breaking News: More than 23,000 people were ordered to evacuate Simi Valley, California, as a fast-moving brush fire threatened homes, officials said.

After decades of water scarcity in parts of unincorporated Monterey County, new water supply from Pure Water Monterey is poised to open the tap. The question: how will that water be tracked and allocated to new projects? tinyurl.com/y3j944m2

Across the region, more exotic pests and diseases have been encroaching on Monterey County farms. The diamondback moth has become one of the worst offenders, attacking top crops for which the county supplies a significant share of the national market. tinyurl.com/47p32pb2

BREAKING: Lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a farm bill this morning with a vote of 224 in favor to 200 opposed. The vote comes after several controversial amendments nearly tanked the process.

With a short window to tackle a high-stakes problem – water – things are getting serious, fast. @montereycountynow.com tinyurl.com/2b577jmz

A Monterey County USDA-funded program delivering fresh produce to low-income residents, as well as income to local farmers, ended April 2, two years ahead of schedule after funding cuts. tinyurl.com/bddrtyp5

“A lot of farmers, I don’t think they know that’s what they’re spraying on their crops,” says Bernadette Del Chiaro, EWG senior vice president. “The EPA doesn’t label them as PFAS.” www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_n...

In the nearly year-and-a-half since the Moss Landing battery plant went ablaze, reports detailing the possible fallout of airborne heavy metals, and what that means for residents and the environment, have painted a patchy picture at best. www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_n...

Oil flows through Santa Barbara coastal pipeline for first time in decade amid Trump's fight with California

It’s too soon to tell how, and in which areas of Monterey County, farms may be impacted by SGMA changes, says Robbie Long of Braga Ranch. This year will be significant in formulating a set of projects and management actions to carry forward. tinyurl.com/286nkrbf

After nearly three years of closure — the longest in the regions history— reopening Highway 1 in Big Sur appears near. www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_n...

“Agriculture is becoming larger, farms are becoming larger. It’s harder to keep up if you’re a small farm,” @jaysayre.bsky.social says. “You’re not going to buy a laser weeder if you’re a one-acre farm.” shorturl.at/K1WkG

“The family makes 16% of raw sugar produced in the U.S. through Florida Crystals, which recorded $5.75 billion in revenue in 2024. “

“Ag today doesn’t look like what it did five years ago,” says Richard Chapman, a professor of agricultural engineering at Hartnell. He advises the school’s Farm Robotics Challenge team - part of a nationwide competition soon to welcome its third cohort. www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_n...

Over nearly 20 years working with a single lettuce producer, Cal Poly researchers found that regulatory compliance costs had increased by 1,366% since 2006, while total production costs rose only 44.4% — without a matching increase in revenue. www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_n...

So cool, how octopuses do their octopus thing. Reporting about research @kakanikatija.bsky.social is doing at @mbarinews.bsky.social by @katierodriguez.bsky.social for @montereycountynow.com "They have no bones yet are able to move across complex underwater terrain with ease,” Katija says.

Bob Coomber, EPA’s senior labor adviser, said the reason for terminating the contracts was “to prevent irreparable harm to national security.” www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

Although the new research into the 2013 sunflower sea star die-off doesn’t focus much on California, it offers incredible insight—especially alongside the work at Moss Landing’s Sunflower Sea Star Lab, which looks to hopefully reintroduce the species to the wild. ⭐️

Since President Trump's first day in office, hundreds of environmental justice grants have been cancelled by the EPA. Among these are 21 projects designed to improve climate, farming, and food resilience in underserved communities across the United States.

“Quite frankly, I think the USDA is being looked at as being a poor employer. Science is a very slow process. Because of some vacillation, you have all this uncertainty on whether they’ll commit to the [work].” www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_n...

I got permission to share this, and I'm extremely grateful for that. The Onion got this letter from one of our subscribers in Alaska. She works with dementia patients and decided to leave a copy in the car for each one. This email made my year. Read it and you'll see what I mean. People are good.

HUGELY Important.

An update for those tracking the USDA changes in office leases, workforce and funding streams. The local Monterey USDA service station will stay, for now, but funding streams remain in flux. www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/news_b...

New by @andreatweather.bsky.social on National Weather Service cuts & expanding fallout. We're headed into life-threatening territory, & you don't have to take my word for it: consider the joint statement by former NWS directors (of various political affiliations). www.scientificameric...

Hi Bluesky- Can’t tell if I’m late to the party or early but I’m down for the cause. I’m a reporter based in Monterey, covering Ag, climate, Big Sur, County Board of Supes and more for the Monterey County Weekly. I freelance on the side. Let’s make this app a better one 🤌🏾