UC's winter FARM SMART program kicks off at Desert facility

FARM SMART visitors pick vegetables at the UC Desert REC.

Each winter, thousands of "snow birds" land in the Southern California desert to enjoy the warm and dry climate. They are short-term refugees, many of them senior citizens, escaping cold weather in northern states and Canada. Winter visitors also have the opportunity to attend FARM SMART and learn about the food grown in the vicinity and shipped across the nation, reported Krista Daly in the Imperial Valley Press.

FARM SMART is offered in January and February each year. Attendees learn about irrigation and soils, pick vegetables to take home and enjoy a lunch of local produce.

"We want to pass on the message that agriculture is important," said Sam Urie, FARM SMART manager at the UC Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville.

The tour was eye-opening for visitors Joe and Nadyne Greschner, farmers from Goodsoil, Saskatchewan.

"What surprised me is that there is no rain here," Joe said.

The 2015 FARM SMART program continues through Feb. 26.