This Saturday, 20 farms and other agricultural organizations will give residents the opportunity to see where their food comes from during the eighth annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day.
Multiple farms stretching from Santa Maria to Carpinteria invite the public to experience free agricultural activities and tours. The event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is free to attend, and each farm will offer a variety of activities, including tours, tractor rides, produce tastings and giveaways.
Farm Day is organized by Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture, a local nonprofit organization that focuses on connecting students and the community with local farms.
This year, while not required, SEEAG is encouraging interested participants to pre-register in order to access as many locations as possible by giving them a QR code that signs them up for events and cuts down waiting times. Those who register early will be entered into a giveaway contest in which three winners will receive a $100 gift card and five winners will receive themed merchandise. Participants can attend any of the farms throughout the day without any registration.
Participants can also access the Farm Day trail map, where they can see all the different locations the event is being held.
SEEAG marketing and events coordinator Kylie Barbar said that for anyone interested in picking up Farm Day merchandise or meeting the SEEAG team, they’ll be found at Bonipak Produce, Engel & Gray Inc., Harvest Blend Compost, the Mark Richardson CTE Center and the Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm.
Other farms participating in the event include the Allan Hancock Student Farm and Vineyard, a four-acre vineyard including fruit orchards, greenhouses and garden areas. In Solvang, the nonprofit Growing Minds Farm Education also will be hosting, with a focus on giving learning experiences to individuals of “all abilities, including those with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.”
Fans of walnuts can look forward to Rancho La Viña, which specializes in producing organic walnuts. Another farm hosting is Sweet Wheel Farms, a nonprofit farm in Summerland that grows “chemical-free food” by building “resilient local food systems,” among others.
