The current situation in the Monterey Bay area is serious. Many of the problems are ongoing, but the negotiations surrounding the city of Watsonville's attempt to annex surrounding prime farmlands and convert them to light industry have sharply focused the issues. What's at risk is the future of the Pajaro Valley. Many feel the Pajaro Valley is now the world's premier fruit growing region. Its range of micro climates, produces a rich diversity of plants.
Growers consider it a horticultural treasure.
Jeff Rosendale, owner of Sierra Azul and Rosendale's Nursery in Watsonville, estimates that between his and the nurseries of two other colleagues in the area, they raise five to six thousand different varieties. This is truly a unique growing area. The Salinas Valley, long regarded as the world's salad bowl, is another vital agricultural resource. The cool weather row crops grown in that long valley are shipped across the country and around the globe. The less fertile slopes are being planted in vines and the wine from the region is making a name for itself.