Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — More than 10 Santa Barbara County farms, ranches, wineries and nurseries in Santa Maria Valley and Lompoc will open their doors to the pubic during the first annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day. On Saturday, September 28, visitors will create their own itinerary to experience a day of agricultural activities and meet the farmers who grow the food they eat. Farm Day is free to attend.
Tour hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Farm Day visitors travel at their own pace since they drive themselves to the farms they select. Each location is unique, but all feature a number of activities such as educational tours and free produce sampling. A barbecue lunch is available at Engel & Gray, Inc.
Participating agricultural organizations include Babé Farms, Bonipak Produce Company, Innovative Produce, Driscoll’s, Engel & Gray, Inc., L&G Chavez Family Farms, Main Street Produce, Plantel Nurseries, Primus Labs, Rancho Laguna Farms, Reiter Affiliated Companies/Union Valley Ranch, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery and Tres Hermanas Vineyard & Winery. More are expected to be added.
Santa Barbara County Farm Day officially kicks off the night before, Friday, September 27 at Tres Hermanas Vineyard & Winery. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the public can enjoy live music, a “Farm-to-Table” Santa Maria-style barbeque dinner and a Tres Hermanas wine flight.
Santa Barbara 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 through classroom agricultural and nutrition education and free farm field trips. SEEAG has been hosting Ventura County Farm Day for six years (the seventh takes place November 9). The Ventura County version attracts over 5,000 visitors each year.
“Santa Barbara ranchers and farmers got wind of Ventura County Farm Day and saw the benefits of educating the community about how the food they eat is grown,” says Mary Maranville, SEEAG founder and CEO. “They’re excited about having this unique opportunity to connect with the public.”
For information about participating farms and dinner, visit www.SantaBarbaraCountyFarmDay.com or call 805-901-0213.