Farm Day Experience

The Farm Day Experience

Through out Monterey County, local school districts are facing difficult budget problems. Programs, service and ‘non-essential’ positions are being cut from the budget. Many school districts have totally eliminated student field trips, focusing funds on higher priority needs. All Monterey County schools are assured to have access to one very special field trip - at absolutely no cost to schools or districts.

The agricultural industry of Monterey County, annually, comes together to provide an outstanding educational enrichment program for all schools in our county. This program is a successful example of business and industry joining with education for the benefit of students; it is also unique in the United States. There is not another program, nationally, that matches the size, reach and quality of THE FARM DAY EXPERIENCE. The respect for this program by agriculturalists throughout the state is especially noteworthy. The California Department of Food and Agriculture recognized its positive impact and has provided funding for “The Farm Day Impression” , an internet mentor program.

The Farm Day Experience has its roots in the mid-1980s, as a mobile program that went from school to school, when industry leaders realized that the majority of students lacked knowledge of the basic concepts regarding the origin of their abundant food supply. The requests for the program became so numerous that it was necessary to develop a program that had the capacity to reach many, many more students. The first Farm Day Experience was held in 1991, and has since become a permanent component of county third grade curriculum. More than 68,000 students have, to date, participated in The Farm Day Experience.

The local agricultural industry, operating through Monterey County Agricultural Education, Inc., provides over 700 volunteers to make the series of three events a memorable, hands on learning experience for approximately 6500 third grade students, at a cost of almost $100.00 per student. All expenses are funded by Monterey County Agricultural Education, a non-profit organization, including bus transportation. Funds come from the agricultural industry, private citizens, the Harden Foundation and the Office of Economic Development.

The Farm Day Experience provides basic, current facts about the agricultural industry of our county, gives students and teachers the opportunity to become familiar with food production, and makes the important, personal contact with farming that has been lost through increased urbanization. It also gives those involved in our industry a chance to interact with the enthusiastic and interested children – and adults.

For more information, contact Joanne Nissen or Connie Quinlan at (831) 455-8177 or email us at mcaged@redshift.com.

Quote:

"I would like to…thank you for being so kind and helpful to my students. My students’ parents are the ones who pick the produce. However, the children do not often see where it goes or how it’s done or how they too have an interest in the good of our valley. Another courtesy you extended was treating my children so respectfully. Very often…our children are treated as if they don’t have much to offer, but not this time….The Salinas Valley feeds the nation, and on Farm Day you fed my children’s minds and their curiosity."

— Excerpt from a teacher’s letter

Funded by California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Produce Block Grant.

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