Students Learn About Ag Research and Career Opportunities

May 23, 2018
By Tamara J Majcherek

Hosted by UC ANR South Coast REC, Cooperative Extension, and the Orange County Farm Bureau, programs that provide agricultural education to an increasingly urban population, local high schools participated in workshops at the South Coast REC that were designed to acquaint the students with ag research techniques, careers in agriculture, and the importance of urban ag and water conservation in their daily lives.

UCCE Master Gardener volunteers assisted UC staff rotating the Students and teachers between workshops focusing on basic IPM and pest identification; crop rotation strategies and hands on potato harvest, vertebrate pest management and gopher trapping demonstration; as well as safe food handling and lunch preparation.

Following the morning activities, OCFB and South Coast REC staff provided a barbeque lunch featuring potato salad and roasted potatoes prepped by the students after which all the youth and teachers had the opportunity to bag up the fruits of the labor to share with their families.

Much fun was had by all:

Learning about using the right trap for the right pest. — A group of people gathered under a blue canopy tent outdoors, participating in a community event or demonstration, with some individuals taking notes or observing.

Harvesting potatoes - not the everyday activity for OC students. — People working together in a garden or farm setting, planting or tending to rows of plants, with yellow buckets and gardening tools around.

Identifying pests under the microscope. — Two microscopes and laboratory equipment arranged on a table indoors, likely for a scientific activity or workshop.

Handling food properly and safely is always a good thing! — Children and adults sitting at a table inside, engaged in arts and crafts activities, with notebooks and supplies in front of them.

Delicious barbeque lunch courtesy of OC Farm Bureau and South Coast REC staff. — A group of people standing outside near a building, serving or distributing food or snacks from tables, with plates and containers visible.

Taking home the bounty - (7) different varieties grown here at South Coast REC. — A large group of people, including children and adults, posing together outside a building, some holding gift bags or boxes, smiling for the camera.