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Summer 2018 Central Coast AGRICULTURE A Special Advertising Supplement to Monterey Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel Ag Commissioner launches new website The Monterey County Pesticide Notification Pilot Project (PNP) has developed an informational website, FarmingSafelyNearSchools. com. Launched the week of June 4, 2018, the website features information on pesticide regulations, farm neighbors, health facts, and a notification signup page which allows users to sign up for emailed information on scheduled fumigations within a quarter of a mile from the three Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) locations currently covered by the PNP: Hall District Elementary, Ohlone Elementary, and Pajaro Middle Schools. The website site has content available in both English and Spanish. The website is designed to be dynamic and responsive to stakeholder opinions on the types of information included and kept current with regulation updates. Us- ing an embedded survey, the PNP team plans to assess stakeholders' experience on the website. The survey will be completed while explor- ing the available information on the website. This feature will be available soon. The PNP team is grateful for the contributions of the various stakeholder groups in providing comments and recommendations for the new site, including repre- sentatives from Califor- nians for Pesticide Reform (CPR), Center for Commu- nity Advocacy, Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health (The CHAMACOS Study) at UC Berkeley, Grower-Shipper Association, Monterey Coun- ty Farm Bureau, California Strawberry Commission, Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, Pajaro Valley Fed- eration of Teachers, PVUSD Trustees, District Adminis- trators, Migrant Education, and school Principals. Learn more at www.farm- ingsafelynearschools.com. Information provided by Monterey County Farm Bureau The most fun you'll have in the dirt! Gleaning is a popular vol- unteer activity offered by Ag Against Hunger. Gleaning is the opportunity for volun- teers to go into a produce field and pick produce le behind aer harvesting has been completed. The remaining produce is is still healthy, fresh, and edible. The produce harvested through the gleaning events not only benefit Ag Against Hunger's programs, but is also a chance to educate the public about the work that goes into getting produce from farm to table. The next glean will be held August 25, 2018, with addi- tional gleans scheduled for September 22 and October 13. Please RSVP to Alicia@ agagainsthunger.org or at 831-755-1480. Gleaning signups are limited to the first 75 people and there are some restric- tions and guidelines to be aware of which can be found at www.agagainsthunger. org. Dates are subject to change and locations will be announced closer to the event dates. Monterey Bay Community Power appoints community advisory council At its Policy Board Meeting on June 6th, the members of the Community Advisory Council were officially ap- pointed by the Monterey Bay Community Power Board. There were 62 applications from the tri-county area for the 11-member Council. Appointees to the Council come from diverse back- grounds and experiences, representing almost all aspects of our local commu- nity's stakeholders. Appointed to the Com- munity Advisory Council from the agricultural sector is Norm Groot, Monterey County Farm Bureau's Executive Director. There are 5 appointees from Monterey County, 4 from Santa Cruz County, and 2 from San Benito County. Monterey Bay Community Power was formed to provide local- ly-controlled, carbon-free electricity to residents and businesses in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties through the Com- munity Choice Energy (CCE) model established by the State of California. MBCP began serving electricity to customers during spring 2018. The CCE model enables communities to choose clean-source power at a cost equivalent to PG&E while retaining PG&E's role in maintaining power lines and providing customer service. The CCE model helps ensure local economic vitality because surplus rev- enues that would normally flow to PG&E will stay in the community. Current PG&E custom- ers will be automatically enrolled in MBCP. All "exit fees" charged by PG&E will be absorbed by MBCP at the time of enrollment. Currently available PG&E programs, such as energy efficiency programs and CARE, will continue to be accessible by MBCP customers. Formed in March 2017, Monterey Bay Community Power is a joint powers authority, governed by a Policy Board and an Opera- tions Board, each of which includes eleven members. All board meetings are open to the public, with agendas posted in advance. The addition of the Community Advisory Council will provide a direct voice from the community into the power policies of our region. Visit www.mbcommunitypower. org to learn more. 25th Annual Agricultural Woman of the Year The annual recogni- tion dinner honoring the Agricultural Woman of the Year will be held September 21, 2018. The Agricultural Woman of the Year award honors unique leadership qualities held by women working within the agricul- tural industry in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. The winner of this prestigious award will demonstrate a signif- icant contribution to local agriculture, is a leader in the community and an advocate for agriculture. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2018 Agri- cultural Woman of the Year. Completed nomination forms must be received by close of business on July 31, 2018 and are available online at www.agagainsthunger.org. You can also help recognize the works of previous honor- ees by making a donation in their honor through the Ag Against Hunger website. Bill Barker Memorial Golf Tournament Monterey County Farm Bureau has announced the 2018 Bill Barker Memorial Annual Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday, August 16, 2018. The tournament will be played on both cours- es at Bayonet & Blackhorse, overlooking beautiful Mon- terey Bay. There will be a reception at 9:30 a.m. followed by a putting contest beginning at 10 a.m. and and a shotgun start at 11 a.m. An awards banquet with buffet and raffle will follow tournament play. Tournament proceeds benefit a variety of orga- nizations including the Bill Barker Scholarship Fund, Monterey County Agricultur- al Education, and The Mon- terey County Farm Bureau. Visit www.montereycfb. com for more information on sponsorship opportunities or to register as a player.

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