Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and San Luis Obispo Counties
Customers treated to unique demonstration
Groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of the first solar project at SHS
Candy converted to alternative fuel
By KELLIE HICKS
By TODD GUILD
Of the Land
SOLEDAD — Dozens of people gathered at Soledad High School Dec. 10 to celebrate the start of the school district’s first solar project. In attendance were Soledad Unified School District officials, Soledad High School staff, Soledad City Council members, community members and employees from OpTerra Energy Services, the company completing the work. The project has been a long time coming. Last year SUSD started talking about the need for solar and other energy solutions, and SHS was chosen to receive the first phase of the solar project. The project was put out to bid in March, and OpTerra was selected through a competitive procurement process in April. Superintendent Jorge Guzman said the project will not only save the school money for power, it will also be a learning tool with two kiosks to give students exposure to STEM and sustainability careers. “We are developing those pathways,” he said. SUSD School Board Vice President Jodi Massa called the project “exciting for our district.” “We are creating as many diverse learning opportunities for our students as we can,” Massa said. OpTerra has worked with MCOE and Hartnell College and with several of the cities in South County. Please turn to Page 4
JANUARY 2017
Of the Land
Agriculture land of the Pajaro Valley meets the slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land
WATSONVILLE — Science has long ago busted the myth that too many sugary treats make children hyperactive, although few would argue against the fact they are unhealthy. Now, a Watsonville-based alternative fuel company may have found a good use for the chocolate bars, gumdrops, lollipops and other sweets for which children strive and parents discourage. Blume Distillation at 371 Calabasas Road recently received a 2,000-pound shipment of unwanted Halloween candy and, after boiling it down and distilling it, produced alcohol that can be used as a clean-burning fuel alternative. Blume Distillation has long led the alternative fuel industry in ways for its customers to make fuel from waste products. The candy demonstration was a colorful and largely tongue-in-cheek way to show the efficiency of the company’s distillation process, which can convert a wide range of waste products into a useful commodity. In its large warehouse, the company produces clean-burning ethanol from crop waste and other by-products most agricultural industries would consider garbage. Please turn to Page 4
MCARLM a historic and educational friend of the community By SAMANTHA BENGTSON Of the Land
KING CITY — Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum has been selected as this year’s Friend
of the Community. “The MCARLM board is excited and honored to have been chosen for this award,” Executive Director Jessica Potts said. In the late 1970s the Monterey County
The MCARLM Board of Directors. Pictured left to right: Will Taylor, Lincoln Hatch, Jessica Potts, Raye Ann Houx, and Jim Spreng. Submitted photo
Parks Department became involved with the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum (MCARLM) when San Lorenzo Park was chosen as a museum site. Over the next 20 years MCARLM grew to include La Gloria School, Spreckels House, The Main Exhibit barn and a blacksmith shop. The Harvester Barn, which housed the harvesters and larger piece of agricultural equipment, was added in the mid-1980s. The Railroad Depot was added in 1989 and restored to its turnof the century appearance. The museum was officially dedicated in April 1982. “When the museum started in the early ‘80s, its goal was to save artifacts and pieces of the Salinas Valley agricultural history,” Potts said. “As the museum has grown, school tours have been a main aspect of our outreach, but our focus really changed in 2012. We went through the American Alliance on Museum’s program called Museum Please turn to Page 6
Blume Distillation Plant Operation Manager Rob Re dumps candy into a cooker as part of a process to switch waste into profitable fuel. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/The Land
Inside ... Farm Bureau honored
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Polenta and Stew Feed
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Women in Cannabis
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USDA grants
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