Prepare your family for an enriching farm adventure! Mark your calendars for the 11th Annual Ventura County Farm Day, where you can immerse yourself in the world of agriculture. Join us on Saturday, November 4, 2023, to "Meet The Hands That Feed You." Explore over 15 Ventura County locations including farms, ranches, and agricultural organizations offering free educational activities and tours. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with local farming traditions!
“Big, small, conventional and organic farms plus ag support organizations come together on this special day to give us a close-up look at how the food we eat is grown,” says Mary Maranville, founder and CEO of Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture "SEEAG," the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that puts on Farm Day. “Ventura County Farm Day is an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to connect with local agriculture, gain a deeper understanding of food production, enjoy a fun day exploring farms and learning about where our food comes from.”
Explore the details below and plan your visit to Ventura County locations in Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Saticoy, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Moorpark, and Somis for a delightful family farm-learning experience. Give your children the opportunity to connect with the origins of their food right from the farm. This event caters to kids of all ages, from the little ones to high school students and everyone in between. Delve into farm tours, gain insights into farm operations, learn about agriculture and the hard work of farm laborers. Participate in hands-on activities like harvesting and sampling fresh produce, explore and even ride farm equipment, and even take home some farm-fresh goodies. There's so much to discover and enjoy on this educational farm outing. Don't miss out on this enriching adventure!
♿ There are even some wheelchair-friendly options for accessibility.
Farm day is a free, family-fun event to engage and education your children. Experience a day outdoors exploring our local farms and meet the hands that feed you as you learn all about the farms.
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Plan your visit
Tour hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Register online: Avoid entry lines at each venue by registering in advance for this free event. Once registered, visitors show their 805Tix QR code at each location to enter without having to sign in.
- Win Prizes: Register to be automatically included in a drawing to win prizes - Winners will be notified on Farm Day.
- Trail Map: The Ventura County Farm Day Trail Map lists participating locations and is updated daily.
- For more information: Visit Ventura County Farm Day website, or call 805-892-8155.
- No pets allowed
“It’s important for the public to understand the effort and time that goes into producing high-quality vegetables,” says Jackson Duda, production manager at Duda Farm Fresh Foods. “Seeing the scale of what it takes to get something from a seed to the dinner table really puts where your food comes from into perspective.”
More about Farm Day and how it works
Farm Day is a dynamic one-day event held across multiple locations, perfect for the entire family, and the best part? It's entirely FREE! This event aims to enlighten the community about the origins of our food and provides the chance to meet the hands that feed you! The self-guided format, allows you the freedom to explore various participating farms at your own pace.
With so many locations to choose from, you might wonder how to decide which ones to visit? Not to worry, we've got you covered! Check out the details below where they are grouped by location, also utilized the Farm Day interactive map to plan your day to suit your family. Each farm offers unique attractions, some are more kid-friendly, others focused on row crops, livestock, embracing STEM-based activities, or serving as an agricultural support business. A good strategy is to plan visits to 3-4 farms throughout the day. Every location has carefully curated activities, ranging from tastings and tours to educational lessons and delightful kid-friendly activities. There's something enjoyable for every member of the family!
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Farm Day Participants
Use the links below for complete details about each location and activities for the day
Camarillo, CA
Growing Works , Camarillo | fresh flowers
- Tour our two-acre nursery and learn about our mental health recovery program!
- Please note: the nursery yard is outdoors with limited shade and a varied gravel surface that is not wheelchair or stroller friendly. Wagons are OK but bumpy
McGrath Family Farm, Camarillo | organic farming and nursery | on the Oxnard Plain since 1868
- Tours every 30 min - farm educators will be guiding visitors through immersive tours around the farm, offering visitors the chance to personally harvest their own vegetables.
- A range of engaging activities will be available for children, along with a convenient pop-up market for purchasing fresh produce and merchandise.
Moorpark, CA
Apricot Lane Farms, Moorpark | kid-friendly | organic / sustainable orchard + livestock
- Wander through our Regenerative Market Garden, say hello to the garden chickens and goats, peruse certified Organic and Biodynamic fall produce at our Farmstand, and relax on our Garden Lawn - bring a picnic blanket! while your children play in the adjacent kids zone.
- Please note: Additional pre-registration is required for this farm
Somis, CA
Alpacas At Windy Hills, Somis | kid-friendly | Alpaca fleece | Alpaca Sanctuary
- You’ll get up close and personal with our alpacas and learn all about what we do at the ranch!
- Be sure to wear closed-toed shoes, a hat, sunscreen, and bring your camera!
Santa Paula, CA
Prancer’s Farm, Santa Paula | kid-friendly | ♿ wheelchair accessible | strawberries, tomatoes, avocados, organic, livestock & orchard
- Join us on our family-friendly tractor ride and farm tour! Tours run at the top of the hour.
- The tractor ride will ride through our strawberry fields, tomato fields and avocado orchards… plus, pass by our goats, tortoises, Highlander cow, horses, donkeys and alpacas.
- Admission and tractor ride / farm tour is free.
- If you’d like to enjoy any of our additional activities: Petting Zoo, Barrel Train Ride or Horse Rides, additional fees apply.
- You can also purchase farm-grown produce at our year-round Produce Stand and Pick-Your-Own Strawberries in our seasonal strawberry fields!
Ventura Agricultural Museum , Santa Paula | kid-friendly | historic
- Explore your roots and grow closer to your community with a brand-new interactive exhibition, Ventura County, the Place We Call Home.
- Little farmers can climb aboard the Oliver Tractor and engage in dramatic play at a child-sized Produce Stand.
- Get up close with some hard-working honey bees at the living observation hive, then step out into the gardens to see these pollinators in action!
- While you’re outside, enjoy a tour of the California native gardens.
- We have curious and friendly free-range chickens, a shaded gazebo to rest and picnic under, and lots of different crops to learn about on a very walkable two acres of farmland.
- See how the farm uses organic, tractor-free, no-till growing methods to cultivate, care for, and harvest crops year round.
- Visitors will all get to pick out a fresh dragonfruit plant cutting ready to be potted and grown at home! Vegetable and flower seeds will also be given away!
- Located in the historic Mill building built in 1888 in downtown Santa Paula, the Agriculture Museum houses immersive exhibits, a broad collection of tractors and farming implements, beautiful gardens, and fun activity stations for kids. We help visitors of all ages understand the importance of agriculture in Ventura County and around the world.
Ventura County Agriculture / Weights and Measures , Santa Paula | kid-friendly | historic
- Meet the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner, Ed Williams, and learn all about what his office does for the county’s ag industry!
- Our Mission is to protect and promote agriculture, while ensuring the welfare of the public, the industry and the environment. We do this by enforcing federal, state and local laws, regulations, and ordinances related to agriculture, weights and measures.
Fillmore, CA
Ranchos Camulos National Historic Landmark Museum , Fillmore | learn about local ag history
- An authentic Mexican Land Grant and the only National Historic Landmark in Ventura County
- Visit the 1920 Ranch office – Ranch Managers Residence, see other historic farm buildings, and learn about our agriculture history to the present day!
Saticoy, CA
Petty Ranch, Saticoy | also the Farm Day hub | Kid-friendly | Avocado, lemon, and fig orchard
- Offering tours & additional special guests and activities
Oxnard, CA
Reiter Affiliated Companies, Oxnard | kid-friendly | ♿ wheelchair accessible | berries
- Take a tractor tour with our team where you’ll see and hear about how we grow traditional in-ground strawberries and how sustainable farming practices are playing their part in the future of farming on our ranch.
- Sample berries while learning about our farmworker health and wellness initiatives, philanthropic activities in the community, the research and genetics behind the berries we grow, and more!
- All guests MUST sign a waiver upon arrival for entry. Tractor tours run every 15 minutes.
Driscoll’s, Oxnard | strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and specialty | Family-owned and operated for over 100 years
- Come learn all about Driscoll’s brand, genetics, distribution, and community involvement across all regions where they operate.
- While you’re at it, enjoy free samples of Driscoll’s berries!
Good Farms, Oxnard | strawberries | organic | kid-friendly | STEM
- Learn the art of how we harvest strawberries!
- The tour of our farm will showcase both the traditional and innovative equipment along with new processes that help improve the life of the farmworkers at the farm and care for our soil.
Agromin, Oxnard | organic compost & mulch
- Come see the compost process and learn the importance of putting organic waste in their green recycling containers.
VCAAA Senior Nutrition Farm , Oxnard | kid-friendly
- Come feed the chickens, learn about our 50 different varieties of organic fruits and vegetables, see how we grow oyster mushrooms, and leave with free seeds and a dragonfruit plant!
- Tours run every 30 mins
Oxnard Historic Farm Park, Oxnard | kid-friendly
- Visitors will get to explore our one-acre historic location that features antique tractors, vintage equipment, and sample crops that showcase the agricultural heritage of the Oxnard plains.
- Bring the whole family and enjoy kids craft table, food trucks, rich history displays / books, and live music by Whole Hog Duo.
Ventura, CA
Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Ventura | row crops, 100+ years | STEM
- Learn about the food journey of Ventura County grown celery!
- Take home your own celery seedlings courtesy of Plantel Nurseries!
Sa’Aliyas Ranch , Ventura | orchard and learning farm for high schoolers
- Come tour our aquaponics lab and see drone demonstrations of our ranch!
- Guests will tour our organic farm where we focus on providing career exploration in agriculture to local high school students.
- Come learn all about exciting ag technology and the organic crops we grow that are representative of the most important fruits and vegetables grown in Ventura County.
SEEAG’s Farm Day Hub , Ventura | kid-friendly | STEM
- SEEAG will feature seedling and produce giveaways, orchard tours and booths from the Ventura County Farm Bureau and other ag organizations.
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All about SEEAG
SEEAG’s mission is to help children understand the farm origins of their food through classroom agricultural and nutrition education and free farm field trips. Through this and other SEEAG programs, over 100,000 elementary school students in Central and Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey since SEEAG’s founding in 2008.
Please note: Although this event is free, donations to SEEAG / Farm Day 501(c)3 are appreciated, donations go a long way in helping us educate students about the farm origins of their food while connecting them to the farmland in their own backyards. 100% of your donations go to fund our programs.
Ventura County Farm Day sponsors
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, Driscoll’s, Reiter Affiliated Company, Gill’s Onions, Sunkist, Port of Hueneme, and County of Ventura Agriculture/Weights and Measures.
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