6th Annual Ventura County Farm Day: "Family-Friendly Weekend of Farms & Food"

Farm Day visitors create their own itinerary, travel at their own pace to experience a day of agricultural activities and meet the farmers who grow the food they eat.
Photo by: Skitterphoto

On Saturday, September 7, more than 20 Ventura County, California farms will open their doors and invite the public to experience a day of agricultural activities and tours during the 6th Annual Ventura County Farm Day.

Farm Day tour hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Farm Day visitors create their own itinerary, travel at their own pace to experience a day of agricultural activities and meet the farmers who grow the food they eat. Each farm is unique, but all feature a number of activities such as conducting educational tours and offering free produce samples.

Farm Day Kickoff BBQ: .New this year, Farm Day will officially kickoff the night before, Friday, November 2, with a "Farm-to-Table" barbecue at Oxnard Historic Farm Park. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., the public can enjoy live music by Mark David, farm-fresh food prepared by celebrated chef Tim Kilcoyne, locally produced craft cocktails, beers and wines, and kids' activities. Barbecue tickets are $45 for adults and $15 for kids under 12.

Speaking at the BBQ will be the new Ventura County Ag Commissioner Edmund (Ed) Williams at strong supporter of Ventura County Farm Day and the need for the public to understand the importance of agriculture. "The lineup of farm tours will give the public a wide view of many of the farming and ranching activities, and the families involved in producing the high quality agricultural products Ventura County is known for," says Williams.

Participating Farms, museums and farming operations include Reiter Affiliated Companies at Laguna Farms, Houweling's Tomatoes and McGrath Family Farm in Camarillo, Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, Agromin (organics recycler), Deardorff Family Farms and Gill's Onions in Oxnard 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.

"Ventura County has such a rich farming history," says Mary Maranville, SEEAG's founder and CEO. "Many of our farmers have been growing food for decades, passing the farming tradition from one generation to the next. Ventura County Farm Day is an opportunity for the public to get a behind the scenes peak at farming life and say thank you to those who keep our markets brimming with fresh produce. "

Ventura County Farm Day sponsors include Ventura County Coast, Farm Credit West, Reiter Affiliated Companies, Ventura County Ag Commissioner and Kaiser Permanente.

Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) 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: The Journey of Our Food From Field to Fork" program based in Ventura County teaches school children 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 program, over 15,000 elementary school students in Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey.