Agriculture is the number-one industry in Santa Barbara County, yet few residents ever get a close-up look. So on Saturday, September 28, 13 farms will open their doors to the public in what will be, surprisingly, the first-ever Santa Barbara County Farm Day.
The free event is organized by Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG), which was founded in 2008 by Mary Maranville. A dairy farmer’s daughter, she was inspired to connect kids to where their food comes from by watching a 3rd-graders’ field trip to a farm in Santa Paula. In 2013, she started a similar day in Ventura County, which has grown from 10 farms and 2,000 attendees to 22 farms and more than 5,000 people.
“This unique day creates educated consumers, agricultural ambassadors, and a conscientious regional community that understands their local growers,” says Maranville, who tells us a bit more about what to expect and why.
