Ventura County farms, ranches, nurseries and other agricultural operations, from organic to conventional, row crops to orchards, will open their doors to the public during the 7th Annual Ventura County Farm Day. On Saturday, November 9, visitors will experience a day of agricultural activities and meet the farmers who grow the food they eat. Farm Day is free and for all ages.
Farm Day tour hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can go to www.VenturaCountyFarmDay.com, select three or four agricultural operations (some require reservations) and then drive themselves to each location. Every stop is unique, but all farms feature a number of activities such as educational tours and free produce samplings.
Participating ag operations include Reiter Affiliated Companies at Laguna Farms, Houweling’s Tomatoes in Camarillo, Agromin (organics recycler), Gill’s Onions in Oxnard, Limoneira Company in Santa Paula and Petty Ranch in Saticoy.
Ventura County Farm Day is organized by the nonprofit Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG). SEEAG’s mission is to help children understand the farm origins of their food and benefits of proper nutrition through classroom agricultural education and free farm field trips.
“Agriculture has been an important part of Ventura County since the mid-1800s,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG’s founder and CEO. “Many of the farms in the county have been passed down from generation to generation. We sometimes take agriculture for granted, but it’s the world’s most important industry. Ventura County Farm Day is an opportunity for the public to learn about all what goes into planting, growing and harvesting our food.”
Farm Day Kickoff BBQ: Farm Day officially kicks off Thursday, November 7 with a pig roast at Topa Mountain Winery in Ojai. Beginning at 5:00 p.m., the public (ages 21 and over) can enjoy live music, farm-fresh food including locally grown produce, craft cocktails, beers and wines. Barbecue tickets are $95 per person (early entry VIP tickets are $150 each).
Ventura County Farm Day sponsors include Ventura County Coast, Farm Credit West, Brokaw Nursery, Al Lowe Construction and Ventura County Agricultural Association.
For more information about Ventura County Farm Day, go to www.VenturaCountyFarmDay.com or call 805-901-0213. Farm Day t-shirts, hats, glasses and mugs are available for purchase on the website.
About SEEAG
Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is a nonprofit organization that aims to help young students understand the origins of their food by bridging the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming. SEEAG’s “The Farm Lab” program based in Ventura County teaches schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland by providing schools with classroom agricultural education and free field trips to farms. Through this and other SEEAG programs, over 25,000 elementary school students in Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey. For more information, visit www.seeag.org or email Mary Maranville at [email protected]
Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG)
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