LOCAL AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY
PROVIDES SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AND HONORED
PROGRAM
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 Connie Quinlan
at (831) 455-8177 or email at mcaged@redshift.com.
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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
Powerpoint Presentations
Farm Day Experience
* 16 MB file size.
* For best viewing, save
file to your desktop and open in MS PowerPoint. Large file size
may result in long download time.
THE FARM DAY IMPRESSION
With the success of The Farm Day Experience, there have been many requests for information from other organizations wishing to establish their own Farm Day Experience. The California Department of Food and Agriculture also wished to see The Farm Day Experience replicated in counties throughout California. The Farm Day Impression has been developed, with funding from CDFA, to provide assistance with time lines, materials, forms and mentoring.
PDF link would
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