Where AG Meets Tech

Overview

Changes in the California population, as measured by the 2020 census, resulted in a net loss of one congressional representative from California. The outcome was a realignment of most existing districts to allow for the elimination of one district.

One example of this district rebalancing is the new California Congressional District 18. The District is a combination of San Benito County and parts of Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, and (southern) Alameda County. Geographically, it’s a very large district with a full range of economic, and income diversity. This is where Agriculture Meets Tech. The District starts from the San Benito rural, agricultural areas and ends in the eastern parts of San Jose along with a piece of downtown San Jose, approximately 130 miles long.

There are only three candidates in the District 18 primary. One candidate is Peter Hernandez. We sat down with Peter to understand the dynamics at play in the new 18th District and why he decided to run for California’s new 18th Congressional District.

The nine priorities addressed in this interview are:

The importance of agriculture as the economic backbone of the region
The challenges posed by State regulations
The constraints of water as a disruptive threat to the region
Peter’s perspective on education and the role parents should play in education
Economic challenges facing the District
Employee recruitment and retention for small businesses
Infrastructure d commercial development
Rebuilding the middle class
His roots in the District, his commitment to representing the District.

More information on Peter’s mission is available at Hernandez for Congress
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The podcast is available:

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San Benito Crop Report

With its unique climate along with fertile soils and water supplies, agriculture is the County’s largest industry. In 2020, the gross value of agricultural production came to over $338 million. The top ten crops for the year 2020 were as follows:

Miscellaneous Vegetables and Row Crops (1): $46,167,000
Lettuce Salad Mix (3): $36,755,000
Wine Grapes (4): $34,773,000
Spinach (2): $34,417,000
Peppers, All (6): $16,443,000
Industrial Hemp (5): $16,245,000
Tomato, Fresh Market (10): $15,302,000
Broccoli/Broccolette (8): $15,181,000
Pasture/Rangeland (10): 15,120,000
Lettuce, Romaine (9): $ 14,801,000