A Weekly Newsletter Promoting Monterey County:
Open for Business

Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

Edition 957

New & Improved Date!
MCBC 'Covid Business Survival Awards'

We decided to put off our gala event until all of the holiday madness has subsided. So, please mark your calendar for the “new and improved” date of Friday evening, Feb. 24, from 6-9 p.m. Instead of a normal celebration of what would be the Monterey County Business Council’s 25th anniversary, we’re going to call this event our “Covid Business Survival Awards.” We’ll have fun while we honor some of the businesses and people who have successfully weathered the storm of the last few years. $195 per person (we should mention it’s at Pebble Beach’s posh Inn at Spanish Bay). Click here to register. For sponsorship opportunities, please email our CEO at Kimbley@MCBC.biz.

CSUMB to launch four-year agribusiness degree

California State University, Monterey Bay (MCBC member) will launch a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness supply chain management in the fall of 2024. 

Approved by the CSU Chancellor’s Office last month, the new major expands the university's current agribusiness concentration into a standalone bachelor's degree, said Marylou Shockley, interim dean of the college of business at CSUMB. “Our goal is to develop a talent pipeline that meets critical industry supply chain needs," explained Shockley.

The university has so far raised $2 million to move the major forward. They will also convene a committee of professors and ag professionals to adapt the curriculum to the needs of the industry. Read more
Source: Monterey County Weekly

Pathogens destroying Salinas Valley lettuce

Plant pathogens that are spreading disease in the lettuce fields of the Salinas Valley are leading to a nationwide lettuce shortage and higher prices at the supermarket. Fast food restaurants including Wendy's and Chick-fil-A have stopped serving lettuce on their sandwiches. 

Two pathogens, Pythium Wilt and INSV, are spreading a virus among lettuce and other leafy greens that's likely to destroy crops similar to what happened in 2020 when a third of the Salinas Valley lettuce crop was destroyed, resulting in a $100 million loss for farmers.

“This is the most critical issue for production agriculture here in this region when you're accounting for the scale and the dependency that the nation has on the Salinas Valley as our nation's breadbasket,” said Chris Valadez, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California.

Valdez says warmer winters are partly blamed for the spread of the pathogens. Historically cold winters kill off the pathogens preventing them from spreading when temperatures warm up, according to Valdez.

State leaders have awarded a $1 million grant to help fund a new task force, while plant breeders and seed companies work to develop new varieties of lettuce. Read more
Source: KSBW

Local efforts work to recycle agricultural plastic

A new program launched by the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF), ReGen Monterey and Flipping Iron, Inc. is joining a growing effort to recycle more plastic from local farms and ranches.

CMSF, an organization aiming to protect coastal ecosystems and communities, conducted an assessment in 2020 that looked at agricultural plastic use across Monterey Bay. Agricultural plastic was identified as a land-to-sea source.

CMSF Water Quality Program coordinator Jazmine Mejia-Muñoz said they understood the benefits of agricultural plastic for growers, and wanted to help find solutions that could benefit everyone while protecting the environment.

“We wanted to find end-of-life solutions for these plastics,” she said. “One of the plastics we saw that had a pretty obvious solution was drip tape, as well as hoop house plastic. This is compared to other kinds which are much harder to recycle due to contamination.”

The agricultural community has been very supportive of recycling programs, said Mejia-Muñoz. “They are very involved,” she said. “They don’t want all this plastic either, and they know (recycling) is beneficial. It’s a win-win for everyone.” Read more
Source: Register Pajaronian

Handcar tours return to Marina next week

Handcar tours officially return with a grand opening on Thanksgiving weekend. The tours are held by a Southern California family who re-designed old-school handcars and brought them to underused train tracks in Marina.

The six-mile handcar tour, for two to four passengers, uses the Monterey Branch Line on a guided handcar fleet tour. The experience is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes long and departs from the corner of Palm Ave and Del Monte Blvd in the City of Marina. Read more
Source: KSBW

Upcoming Monterey Bay PTAC Events

Visit the Monterey Bay PTAC website at www.montereybayptac.com to learn more about government contracting, see upcoming webinars, or contact our PTAC team.

Special thanks to the County of Monterey for its ongoing support of the Monterey County Business Council's efforts for economic development and education.

Submit news items of general interest about your organization or upcoming events for consideration for inclusion in Friday Facts, our weekly MCBC e-newsletter that reaches key decision-makers, industry leaders, movers and shakers in Monterey County and the greater region.  And if you aren't yet a member, join us now and help shape the future of Monterey County for the better. Download the membership application or call 216-3000.

Founded in 1995, the Monterey County Business Council (MCBC) is a 501(c)(6) organization comprised of a diverse group of members representing all industries and geographic areas of Monterey County. It remains the only countywide organization focused on business advocacy, economic development and workforce readiness.

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