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Winter 2018 Central Coast AGRICULTURE A special advertising & content section of the Monterey Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel The local, multi-genera- tional Bontadelli farming family has donated $5,000 to establish a Laura Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund. In announcing this contribu- tion, Steve Bontadelli stated, "We lost a dear member of our agriculture extended family in Laura Brown. We are very appreciative of the hard work and dedication Laura's husband Jess has given to our farming com- munity over the past quarter century. We were wonder- Bontadelli family initiates Laura Brown Memorial Scholarship ing how best to convey our feelings of condolences to Jess on his great loss." Bontadelli continued, "My family donated $5,000 to establish a Laura Brown scholarship fund to be man- aged by the organization, Agri-Culture, and housed at the Community Founda- tion, to honor both her and Jess." The Bontadelli Family is asking anyone who feels in their hearts that this is a wonderful effort to please make a tax-deductible Laura Brown - Provided photo contribution. For a fund to start paying out and become fully endowed, it takes a total of $25,000. Checks should be made payable to: Agri-Culture (note "Laura Brown Scholarship" on the check) and mailed to the Agri-Culture office at 141 Monte Vista Ave., Watson- ville CA 95076. Credit card donations can be made by contacting the Agri-Culture office at 831-722-6622. UCSC Extension steps up to train the next generation of supply chain managers SANTA CLARA—In the Cen- tral Valley where business, agriculture and technology meet innovation, it's no sur- prise that demand is grow- ing for professionals skilled in logistics and procurement. "Companies are recognizing the value of skilled supply chain managers who can affect the bottom line," says Darin Matthews, director of Procurement & Supply Chain Services for UC Santa Cruz. Matthews, a prolific author and speaker on the topic, has created a state- of-the-art Supply Chain Management certificate program at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension in Santa Clara. Numerous supply chain courses are scheduled for spring and summer while the certificate program is pending final UCSC approval. Matthews and other working professionals in the field teach the courses. A Matthews also serves as co-chair of the UC Sustain- able Procurement working group. He has taught supply chain management cours- es for more than a decade and has launched this new Silicon Valley program to train the next generation of logistics and procurement professionals. The industry draws professionals from fi- nance, transportation, sales, marketing, project manage- ment, and technology. "Supply chain is no longer about product inventory and stacking shelves," he says, noting the impact of huge technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and robotics. "The supply chain professional is now part of the senior leadership in an organization and can have a huge impact on the bottom line." Sustainable chain strate- gies, contract negotiation, global procurement strate- gies, new technologies, and supply chain data analytics are all part of the accredited and UC-approved curricu- lum. "Every purchase has the ability to impact the environment, human health, and the local economy," Matthews said. "At UCSC, sustainability is part of who we are." Supply chain management courses start soon. For more information, visit ucsc-ex- tension.edu or call (408) 861-3860. How Monterey Bay Community Power Impacts the Local Agricultural Community Provided Photo Photos provided: Alex and her Heritage hog Wells. Heritage Foundation Selects Scholarship Winner King City, CA - The Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foun- dation named Alex Burgess, a Junior at Salinas High School, as their 2018 Heri- tage Foundation Scholarship recipient. "Alex stood out in a pool of excellent candi- dates because of her track record in leadership through 4-H and FFA ," said Schol- arship Chair Ralph Rianda. "The committee recognized Alex's drive to continually better herself and her com- munity and we are excited to have her as this year's Heri- tage Scholarship recipient." As the Heritage Foundation Scholarship winner, Alex receives a $2,500 scholar- ship, a commemorative belt buckle, and is reimbursed for all expenses associated with raising her market hog for this year's Fair. All proceeds from the sale of the animal will benefit the Salinas Val- ley Fair Heritage Foundation and on-going projects at the Salinas Valley Fair. Alex has been a part of 4-H for most of her life, starting at 5 years old in the Cloverbud program. She also served as a teen ambassador for the Monterey County 4-H Program. Her participation in 4-H helped her continue her success into FFA. "Oen people view 4-H and FFA as competing programs, but 4-H has laid the foundation and sparked my interest for the last 12 years," Burgess said in her Heritage Schol- arship essay. "FFA has been able to help me focus in and narrow down my career choices and path." Alex's passion for agricul- ture and commitment to leadership were echoed by her teachers and commu- nity members. "Alex is very passionate about agricul- ture and is a great advo- cate for educating others," Salinas High FFA teacher Rachel Martinez said. "She possesses strong leader- ship skills and I believe her leadership skills will take her far in agriculture." Join the fun and bid on the Heritage Foundation animal at the Salinas Valley Fair Junior Livestock Auction on Saturday, May 19, beginning at 8 am. To become a buyer, please contact the Salinas Valley Fair at 831-385- 3243. The Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3, was formed in 2001 by a group of people dedicated to supporting and improving the Salinas Valley Fair in King City. The Heritage Foundation has raised more than $10 million dollars for various projects at Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in King City. To join the Heritage Foundation or for more infor- mation about the Heritage Foundation, please visit salinasvalleyfair.com. Photos provided Breeder Debbie Soares who donated the Heritage hog. Ocean Mist Farms offers academic scholarship opportunity Monterey County Farm Bureau, Central Coast Young Farmers & Ranchers, and American Ag Credit will be awarding scholarships for students attending college in the 2018 / 2019 academic year. Applicants may be incoming college freshmen, starting or continuing students at a two-year community col- lege or four-year university, or transferring to a four- year college or university, majoring in Agriculture Beginning March 1, 2018, Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) will provide electricity to customers in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito coun- ties at a lower cost than PG&E. MBCP will procure carbon-free energy while PG&E continues to deliver the electricity, customer support, and billing services. MBCP customers will con- tinue to receive only one bill from PG&E. With energy being one of the top three variable costs for agriculture, MBCP understands how important energy savings can be to those in the ag industry, whether you are a large- scale operation or planting a single acre. MBCP provides a 3% savings over PG&E costs through a rebate credited to your bill either quarterly or yearly depending on your usage. MBCP is committed to understanding the shi- ing challenges and needs that growers, shippers and packers face, and MBCP is working with the ag commu- nity to be of better service. Regarding land-use con- cerns, MBCP will source power through the wholesale market from locations out- side the tri-county region. For the foreseeable future, MBCP does not expect to source any utility-scale proj- ects from within the region. Large projects are typically more cost-effective in other regions with less dense de- velopment than Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties. PG&E just announced sig- nificant rate increases for all customers. MBCP is ready to address possible reasons for the increase, discuss what the future may hold for rates, and consider ways to mitigate the impact through MBCP programs and cost savings. MBCP is commit- ted to lowering electricity costs for customers and will continue working with the agricultural community to make sure all programs are effective and econom- ical for the unique energy usage needs of agricultural customers. MBCP customers have a choice when it comes to en- ergy. If a customer takes no action aer enrollment, they will automatically receive a rebate of at least 3% of their total electric generation cost as a periodic credit on their bill. Alternatively, customers can choose to donate this rebate to one of MBCP's community programs, MBgreen+ or MBshare. MBgreen+ allows customers to support the procurement of local renewable resourc- es and jobs. MBshare is geared toward funding local non-profit projects that low- er greenhouse gas emissions and support low income rate-payers. MBCP staff are in initial discussions with community foundations to review possible donor options. Agriculture-related busi- nesses are invited to attend a live call or webinar with MBCP staff. To ask ques- tions and learn more about how MBCP might affect your business, please join MBCP during one of the following times: March 6 at 3 PM, or March 8 at 10 AM. Simply call in or join the webinar on your computer to view the presentation. Request an invite for either presentation from your Strategic Account Manager, James Mark, at (831) 641-7211 or jmark@ mbcommunitypower.org, or inquire about hosting a complimentary presentation at your business. MBCP is honored to have the opportunity to serve our local ag community and save ag nearly $900,000 in 2018! For information about enrollment, rates and billing, service options and more, visit www.mbcommunity- power.org curriculums. Students must have graduated from High School in Monterey or San Benito Counties. Applica- tion forms can be found at: http://montereycfb.com. Deadline for applications and all supporting documents is Friday, April 27, 2018. Monterey County Farm Bureau, Central Coast Young Farmers and Ranchers, and American Ag Credit awarded a total of $10,000 in schol- arships in 2017.

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