Santa Barbara County Farm Day Grows a Better Understanding of Agriculture Industry

Arriving by the carloads, househpreviouss acquired to see, contact and type northern Santa Barbara County’s agricultural enterprise the placeas standing Inside the midst of what one grower referred to as “A pair of of In all probability the Most useful farm floor on the planet.”

Saturday marked the third annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day with the theme of “Meet the Palms That Feed You.” 

Greater than a dozen websites hosted visitors Freed from cost, self-guided excursions That permit them study and depart with each information and produce. 

At Revolutionary Produce, on Simas Road between Santa Maria and Guadalupe, sixth-period farmer George Adam talked with pals and strangers alike as his crew demonstrated machines for prepping celery and Brussels sprouts for market.

“I really feel there’s A lot of misconceptions about how meals Is primarily produced. We Try and get The fact On the market as a lot as We will, And positively one of the Neatest factor for people To actually get The complete understanding of what’s Occurring is To return out to an event like this,” Adam said.

With extra than 15 commodities grown on almost 2,000 acres of land, Adam said They Want to plan crops years Prematurely.

“We now have to plan it out for labor, for gross sales and for plant well being rotation,” he added.

After earlier thanhand farming with cousins, Adam shaped Revolutionary Produce in 2008.

Palms-on actions at Engel & Grey give youths and adults An alternative to plant greens in pots. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photograph)

On Saturday, the enterprise gave amethod lettuce, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, hats, reusable luggage and sips of inexperienced juice for visitors who drove down A mud road previous lush produce areas And numerous farm gear.

In a area behind some buildings, staff demonstrated machines used for harvesting celery, prepping and packaging stalks made into ready-to-eat sticks.

“Yep, You will Have The power to eOn them. All You’d like is peanut butter,” an Revolutionary Produce worker said the placeas handing out luggage of celery sticks. 

Completely different machines demonstrated how they free Brussels sprouts from their thick, leafy stalks so the orbs Might be despatched to shops. As staff demonstrated how the machines opperiodted, visitors stood close by watching and listening earlier than asking questions.

Santa Maria resident Denise Yamamoto soaked up The information that she found at Revolutionary Produce and other Farm Day sprimes.

“I really feel it’s superb,” she said. “It’s displaying me To understand how your meals begins … All of the biggest method As a lot As a Outcome of the half the place it’s packaged After which Includes us as a shopper. That’s superb. I’ve by no means thought-about that earlier than.”

An Engel & Grey truck serves As a Outcome of the backdrop for A photographgraph with a Santa Barbara County Farm Day physique. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photograph)

Her multiperiod group started their Farm Day excursions at Engel & Grey with composting as The primary goal to practice Regarding the very important dietary vitamins, water-hpreviousing performance and other advantages it brings growers.

Collectively with letting youths climb into heavy gear, Engel & Grey educated visitors about composting, offering pots, dust and seedlings ready for transplant and to be taken house.

“We Want to elucidate what composting’s about. Definitely one of many messages we Try and get to The genperiodl public is To purpose To primarytain the inexperienced clear because everyphysique throws their garbage into the inexperienced can, After which we get it and we have to Deal with it in the composting enterprise,” co-proprietor Bob Engel said.

He said he Desired To expire for extra pots after the exercise proved properly-appreciated with attendees Saturday.

Formed To current trucking for oil areas, Engel & Grey added composting in 1993, starting with the ag enterprise and later serving to an previous feed lot proprietor earlier than the enterprise expanded. Right now, Engel & Grey, marking its Seventy fifth anniversary, boasts being The one enterprise composting agency on the Central Coast.

A worker feeds celery Proper into a machine For laundry, slicing and packaging at Revolutionary Produce, one of a quantity of halficipants of Santa Barbara County Farm Day. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photograph)

The Number Of vacationers who conagencyed up Saturday appeared to prime The primary Farm Day two years in the past, Engel said. The 2020 mannequin reprimaryed a digital event As a Outcome of of COVID-19 pandemic.

“Individuals are so ; they’re simply consuming it up,” he said Saturday as one other huge group arrived On the Engel & Grey lot on West Bettperiodvia Road.

“It’s simply been regular,” he said. “A lot of househpreviouss, which Is primarily neat.”

The Santa Barbara County Farm Day builds upon the success of An identical event in Ventura County, Which might host its ninth annual version on Nov. 6.

College students for Eco-Education and Agriculture, or SEEAG, a Ventura-based mostly nonprofit group focused on educating youngsters Regarding the origins of their meals from area to desk, organizes each Farm Day events.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully Might be reached at .(JavaScript Want to be enabled to view this e-mail tackle). Adjust to Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkInformation and @NoozhawkBiz. Join with Noozhawk on Fb.