- Author: Saoimanu Sope
GROW program also builds skills of students with learning differences
Renowned for pioneering research that leads to exciting new crop varieties like the Luna avocado, the University of California South Coast Research and Extension Center (REC) in Irvine is also an important hub for agricultural education. Through programs like the GROW program, South Coast REC – administered by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources – is a dynamic resource for workforce development in the community.
Originally created by the Orange County Farm Bureau, GROW provides out-of-the-classroom experiences in agri-business, career exploration and other educational opportunities for local high students in school districts with agriculture programs. Participants engage in field days at South Coast REC to learn about the research component of agriculture, and the research center quickly became a popular aspect of the program.
In 2016, South Coast REC stepped in to oversee GROW. Tammy Majcherek, UC Cooperative Extension community education specialist for Orange County, has been at the forefront of the program's successful partnership between the Orange County Farm Bureau and the REC.
“Each field day we host is different, and that's intentional,” said Majcherek. “The students aren't just learning about agriculture – they're experiencing it. During their visit, they see where their food comes from and realize that agriculture isn't just planting seeds or hopping on a tractor.”
In 2023, GROW reached more than 600 high school students and continues to nourish the minds and lives of Orange County community members. Students interact with UCCE advisors, industry partners and other experts to learn about a wide variety of topics related to agriculture including hydroponics and emerging ag technologies, pest management, food safety and preservation, plant breeding and more.
Andres Martinez, a junior at Fullerton Joint Union High School in Orange County, recently visited South Coast REC for a GROW field day and said it surpassed his expectations. "Everything was cool. I thought we were just going to be sitting in a classroom but my expectations definitely got blown out the water," he said, adding that he loves to eat and his favorite part of the visit was trying new food.
Martinez admitted that the visit deepened his interest in agriculture and he would like to return to South Coast REC to learn more about where his food comes from.
Chocolate avocado pudding, anyone?
“We provide an opportunity for the students to see how growers, nutritionists and chefs intersect,” Majcherek said, noting that participants not only get to taste the crops harvested at South Coast REC, but they get to use it in creative dishes like chocolate avocado pudding.
Using cocoa powder, avocados, milk or milk alternatives and a sweetener, participants create a new and different snack. Thy Phan, a student at Westminster High School, recently visited South Coast REC for a GROW field day and said the pudding taste surprised her. “It didn't look that good when we were making it, but I actually like it,” she said.
“Of course, not all the students are going to like it but many of them are, at least, willing to try something new because they're involved in the process of creating it,” said Majcherek.
Jacob Ortigoza, another student from Westminster High School, confirmed that he was not a fan of the chocolate avocado pudding. “I didn't like the flavor, but making it was fun. I'd like to do more cooking,” he said.
GROW continues to expand its programming to serve students in various Career Technical Education programs, including cuisine, biology and mechanical engineering, as well as young adults in Adult Transition Programs.
GROW participants enter the workforce at SCREC
Adult Transition Programs (ATP) cater to 18- to 26-year-olds who have learning differences and are shifting from the student life to that of a young professional. Skill-building, for personal or professional use, is the primary focus of ATP and Majcherek was adamant about providing a space for ATP members to learn and explore at South Coast REC.
Gavin Olsen, who was a member of ATP at Esperanza Education Center in Mission Viejo, also learned of South Coast REC during a GROW field day. Despite growing up in Orange County, Olsen admitted that he had no idea the REC existed, but is glad he finally does.
“I grew up knowing about agriculture and come from a family of farmers,” said Olsen, who dreams of owning land one day. “At South Coast, I'm learning what it takes to manage land and I'm understanding plants better,” he added.
Lindsey Pedroncelli, interim director of South Coast REC, envisions the center as a launch pad for success. “We not only want to highlight novel career paths to students, but we want to train and empower them to work in these spaces,” she said.
Earlier this year, Olsen was hired as a field technician, supporting matters like plowing weeds, setting up irrigation lines and preparing field plots. Olsen has dyslexia and said the nature of his work at South Coast REC requires him to be hands-on, which he loves and prefers over desk work.
“I love getting my hands dirty and I feel like the hands-on aspect of the job is the best part,” Olsen said.
Pedroncelli wants South Coast REC to continue serving students by providing a base of knowledge that will help them succeed in the various agricultural industries.
“Beyond teaching the basics, we aim to assist students in taking the next step – whether that be pursuing a certification or degree at a college or university, taking part in an internship, or getting their first industry job,” Pedroncelli added.
To donate and support the GROW program, visit https://give.ucanr.edu/forms/SCREC-GROW.
- Author: Rachael Callahan
- Author: Cooper Limon
The COVID-19 pandemic hit farmers hard. Supply chains were disrupted and even non-traditional agritourism revenue streams such as hay mazes and on-farm events had to be canceled due to shelter-in-place mandates.
On the other hand, demand for local farm products skyrocketed, and thus many farmers and ranchers needed a quick pivot strategy and a set of new skills.
UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) was well-positioned to support this shift toward direct sales, pulling in trusted community partners and experienced farmers and ranchers to put together a comprehensive webinar series, “Agritourism and Direct Sales: Best Practices in COVID Times and Beyond”.
Funded by a USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant, the webinar series is part of a three-year project, Strengthening California Local Food Networks with Agritourism and Direct Sales, which provides trainings and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers on how to diversify their revenue streams.
The strength of the series, which includes eight webinars that were recorded earlier this year and are available online, lies in the collaborations among the UC SAREP Agritourism Program, UCCE, community groups, and farmers and ranchers.
The series features a range of speakers, including representatives from community organizations, technical experts, academic researchers, and farmers – all coming together to build resilience and adaptability for small-farming operations and the agritourism industry across California during the pandemic and after.
“It's great to collaborate with other organizations and regions, to learn from each other and to broaden our networks, as we are all working to create more resilient and sustainable food systems,” said Carmen Snyder, executive director of Sonoma County Farm Trails, one of the nonprofit partners on this project.
And because of those strong partnerships, the webinar topics reflected the on-the-ground needs facing agricultural producers.
“COVID initially dramatically affected farmers' restaurant contracts, with many losing more than 80% of their accounts overnight,” Snyder said. “CSAs [Community Supported Agriculture], on the other hand, couldn't keep up with the demand, and all of our CSA members were full and had wait lists for the first time ever. Producers pivoted by creating more online stores, including pick-up and delivery options. It was a challenge for them to navigate the new technology and platforms.”
Unsurprisingly, two of the more popular webinars were “Online Sales Options and Methods” and “Safe, Healthy and Successful Farm Stands”.
The “Online Sales Options and Methods” webinar, a partnership with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), provided an overview of several e-commerce marketing and online sales strategies that farmers can implement to diversify their revenue pathways and reach new customers. CAFF stressed the importance of farmers enhancing their resiliency through e-commerce.
The webinar also featured Ciara Shapiro, the owner of AM Ranch in Penn Valley, who shared her experience with online marketing and how it helped her and her husband survive the pandemic when the restaurants and farmers markets they sold to shut down. This personal and informative webinar demonstrated the effectiveness of online sales and marketing, while highlighting available resources from groups like CAFF.
The “Safe, Healthy and Successful Farm Stands” webinar was aimed at farms of all sizes and organizations that operate or advise agricultural operations using farm stands as a form of revenue. The webinar provided an outline of the rules and regulations that farm stand operators needed to follow during COVID – as well as during business-as-usual times.
Both farmers saw an increase in farm stand business during the pandemic, which Yagi attributed to the “traffic storm of people” who attended their annual plant sale fundraiser and came to participate in new farm outdoor activities and volunteer opportunities. Yagi also noted the growing number of low-income individuals who were unable to access fresh produce during the pandemic.
The speakers' shared experiences running successful farm stands gave audience members tangible examples and real-time information on how to incorporate farm stands into their businesses.
Carmen Snyder of Sonoma County Farm Trails, which helped circulate the recorded webinars to their network of farmers and ranchers, remarked: “These webinars were extremely helpful for local producers, to get clarity on best pandemic practices during these challenging times and to learn how other producers are adapting and navigating the circumstances.”
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
As part of her job with the USDA, Joyce Hunter often attended meetings focused on using open data from the government to solve problems related to food and agriculture. But she noticed a distinct lack of women and young people at those open data meetings. Hunter was told there just weren't many who were interested.
“I thought to myself, well, they aren't looking in the right places,” said Hunter, an African American woman and former chief information officer at USDA. “Maybe we ought to encourage youth of different cultures and colors in order to ensure the pipeline is filled for the future. So I went to my CIO and asked her if it would be okay to set up an open data camp for youth, particularly underserved youth.”
By partnering with The Governance Lab at New York University and other agencies, Hunter organized summer camps for youth to experience science, technology, engineering, agriculture and math, or STEAM. This summer, she brought the STEAM camp concept to Sacramento. For two weeks in July, about two dozen high-school students went on field trips and engaged in STEAM-based activities as part of the California Open Data STEAM Summer Camp.
“One of the things I love about it is the kids are so curious and they're coming up with their own research questions, with their own challenges,” said Melanie Weir, a STEAM camp instructor. “They're asking questions about why agriculture is important to them. Why food is important to them.”
Adam Low, a sophomore at Franklin High School in Elk Grove, was one of the camp participants.
“I chose the water and drought group because as a Californian, we know California was most recently in a drought. And I wanted to see what this data camp could teach me about water and how it affects agriculture and other topics,” said Low.
“They're traveling all over,” Weir said. “They went to different places. They went to Russell Ranch, they saw the drones, they're really excited about it. They saw the UC Davis laboratory and the UC ANR researchers. They saw helicopters. They saw these big machines that have 35 cameras that do 3-D dimensional pictures of crops and what's out there. They also went to the Cannery and they loved hugging the chickens. They thought it was the greatest thing in the world.”
The California Open Data STEAM Summer Camp was made possible through a partnership between USDA, The Governance Lab and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
