Totally Local VC Agricultural Education Foundation Presents

A week-long celebration of Ventura County Agriculture

Join us for Ventura County Ag Week
March 19-25, 2018

A Week-long Celebration of Agriculture in Ventura County

Totally Local VC Agricultural Foundation presents the second annual Ventura County Ag Week where we celebrate all that our local Farmers and Ranchers do. Ventura County Ag Week runs from Monday, March 19th through Sunday, March 25th in conjunction with National Ag Day and California Ag Day both of which are on Tuesday, March 20th. We thought that, since the Agriculture Industry is so important to our local economy, it deserved to be celebrated for a whole week! And, we want you to join in the celebration.

We’ve planned a whole week’s worth of great Ag-related events for you. We’ve brought together a diverse group of agricultural-related organizations to guide this year’s Ventura County Ag Week. We’ll show everyone, young and old alike, the important economic role that agriculture plays in our community, the wide range of agriculture-based jobs available and the vital role each step plays from field to fork – all packaged into a full week’s worth of fun and informative events.

Ag Week Events

Ventura County Ag Week’s goal is to highlight the important role agriculture plays, not only to our county, but the world, as we honor all those that do so much to feed our community and the world. So, we’ve planned several events to do just that. Take a look!

Ventura County Ag Week Awards Luncheon

Honoring our leaders in agriculture

Farmers, ranchers, chefs and Ag educators will be honored at the 2018 Ventura County Ag Day Awards Luncheon held at the Limoneira Ranch Visitors Center in Santa Paula. Guests will include a wide range of Ag Industry notables, City and County officials, chefs, educators and the general public.

Date:	Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Time:	11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Cost:	$20.00
Location:	Limoneira Ranch Visitors Center 1141 Cummings Road Santa Paula, CA 93060

Meet-the-Farmer-and-Rancher Mixer Night

Mix, mingle and taste the flavors of Ventura County

Come, mix and mingle with local farmers, ranchers and all those that help support our area’s Ag industry. Taste the flavors and libations of Ventura County. Show your appreciation of all that our local agriculture industry does for us all. Bid at a silent auction hosted by the Ventura Chapter of California Women for Agriculture. Join us at this wonderful mixer hosted by Totally Local VC, Old Creek Ranch Winery, CWA and Veteran Farm Workers of America.

Date:	Thursday, March 22, 2018
Time:	5:30 pm- 8:00 pm
Cost:	FREE
Location:	Old Creek Ranch Winery 10024 Old Creek Rd Ventura, CA 93001

Student Tours and Classroom Talks

We teach the kids about Ag and take them to the farms

Totally Local VC is partnering with leading farmers, ranchers and culinary experts to show students how agriculture not only plays a vital role in their lives, but also how it connects from the field to their careers. Activities include class talks and field trips to farms, industrial kitchens and Ag-related industries.

Date:	March 19-25, 2018
Time:	Varies
Cost:	FREE
Location:	Schools and farms all around Ventura County

Local Beer Tasting!

Celebrate Ag Week by lifting a pint of local beer

What better way to celebrate Ventura County Ag Week then a pint of locally crafted beer. Join Cafe Ficelle for a night of friends, local beer tasting and fresh made goodies from their bakery. Local brewers Poseidon, MadeWest, Rincon, Topa Topa, and Institution will all be present offering a taste of their amazing, locally-brewed beers! Food will also be provided including house-made pretzels. A free Cafe Ficelle glass will be given to everyone that attends which you can later use to receive Happy Hour draft beer pricing at any time at the cafe!

Date:	Friday, March 23, 2018
Time:	5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Cost:	$30 in advance; $35 at the door This event is for persons aged 21 and older
Location:	Cafe Ficelle 390 South Mills Rd Ventura, CA, 93003

Oxnard Historical Farm Park BBQ

Celebrate the history of our local agriculture

Bring the family and enjoy a day at the Oxnard Historical Farm Park. Step back in time to the days of Oxnard’s historic agricultural past when sugar beets filled the fields and lima beans ruled. View vintage tractors. Enjoy a locally-sourced barbecue lunch from Cowboy John’s Smoken BBQ while listening to music from great local musicians.

Date:	Saturday, March 24, 2018
Time:	2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Cost:	FREE
Location:	Oxnard Historic Farm Park 1251 Gottfried Pl Oxnard, CA 93030

Join us for the fun!

Ag Week Goals

Help our future generations

One of our main goals for Ventura County Ag Week is to work with area schools to help educate and connect students to agriculture. This week, students will learn about the vital role agriculture plays in each step of the chain in the food we eat and the clothes that we wear.

Perhaps no other intervention in the lives of young people makes as much intuitive sense as the concept of mentoring and working in internship programs. Research shows that junior high, high school and college level student that take part in mentoring programs have higher grade-point averages, are more likely to attend

college or post-secondary training programs and these students are less likely to drop out of school, carry weapons, use drugs or engage in other high-risk behaviors.

So, throughout Ag Week, students from junior highs, high schools and colleges will have an opportunity

to hear firsthand from local farmers and chefs about the role agriculture plays locally and how they can participate as we visit schools through Ventura County. Activities will include class talks, learning about job opportunities in agriculture, field trips to farms, ranches, industrial kitchens and more.

Honor our Farmers and Ranchers

Ventura County is known as one of the top agricultural producers in the world. As such, our local Agriculture Industry plays an extremely important economic role in our community. During Ventura County Ag Week we honor all the hard work of our Farmers, Ranchers and all of the Ag and Culinary-related workers in our county.

The agriculture industry is essential to our economy. This way of life in Ventura County has been attracting farmers, ranchers and farm-related workers since the 1800s. Even with the oil boom in the 1920s, the construction of military bases in the 1940s, and the growth of freeways, subdivisions and technological

industries, agriculture has continued to be the number one employer in our county. Many of our founding farm families still remain today with the current generations carrying on their families’ legacy and relationship to the earth.

And just have some ag-related fun

Part of celebrating is having fun. So, we have a whole host of additional public events planned throughout Ventura County Ag Week.

Some of the great public events we have planned for you include a Meet-the-Farmer-and-Rancher mixer, a celebration of agriculture with a BBQ and music at a historical park, a night of tasting locally-brewed beers and we’ll top it off with an Awards Luncheon honoring area farmers, chefs and educators.