Brown Elementary teacher Sharon Peters has brought her students to AgEdventure for the past several years. “For some of the children, this is the first time they’ve seen farm animals up close—let alone been able to touch, pet and interact with them.” Students participated in a variety of learning experiences, from fruit production and nutrition presentations to close encounters with goats, pigs, chickens, dairy cows and tractors. They also planted tomato seedlings to grow at home.
The primary goal of the event is to educate students about agricultural processes and commodities produced here in the Central Valley, as well as encourage youngsters to eat healthy, locally grown produce. Tom Orvis of the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, one of more than 25 local organizations who cosponsored the event, said, “We know we’ve accomplished our goals when students say, ‘My food comes from the farm,’ and not ‘My food comes from the grocery store.’”
Dr. Mark Bender, CSU Stanislaus Agricultural Studies Professor and Endowed Chair, and his staff spearheaded the event. Participants and cosponsors included:
Almond Board of California American
Ag Credit
Burchell Nursery California Grain & Feed Association
California Poultry Federation
Canning Peach Association
CSU Stanislaus Agricultural Studies
Dave Wilson Nursery
Del Monte
Denair Unified School District
East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District
Fredriks Nursery
Garton Tractor
Milk Advisory Board
Modesto Junior College
Mountain View 4-H
N&S Tractor Supply
Pitman High Future Farmers of America
Sierra Research Laboratory
Stanislaus County Department of Agriculture
Stanislaus County Farm Bureau
Stanislaus Farm Supply
Tractor Supply
Turlock City Schools
Turlock High School
Turlock Irrigation District
University of California Cooperative Extension
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
MEDIA CONTACT: Denise Nordell
(209) 667-3916
dnordell@csustan.edu