Join the Ag Futures Alliance for Lompoc Valley Farm Tour

Join the Santa Barbara County Ag Futures Alliance (AFA) for “A Day in the Fields,” a day-long bus tour of local farming and food systems operations in northern Santa Barbara County. The tour serves as a follow up to successful tours held in 2011. The September 15th tour will focus on farming operations in the Lompoc Valley, one of the most fertile farming regions in the County. The goal of the AFA’s farm tours are to increase awareness among community members about the diversity and importance of local farming and ranching operations. Join AFA as we learn about the farming and ranching taking place in our own back yards!

Stops will include:
• Ed Wineman Farms (mixed vegetables)
• Lompoc Valley Seed and Milling (beans)
• Hibbits Ranch Co. (walnut orchard)

Bailey Avenue is the site of a contentious ag/urban interface debate in Lompoc, where prime ag land is threatened by urban encroachment. Learn about this ongoing issue while standing on the site itself. Lompoc Valley Seed and Milling is part of a historic bean growing ranch and warehouse in Lompoc, while Hibbits Ranch boasts one of the region’s only walnut orchards, now being held under a conservation easement.

To register, please click here (https://foodlab.wufoo.com/forms/a-day-in-the-fields/) or call 805-886-0355

Please arrive for the tour by 7:30am, as the bus will depart promptly at 8:00am. Coffee and bagels will be provided, and a farm lunch at the beautiful Hibbits Ranch is included in the registration fee. Participants must attend the tour by bus, as no extra vehicles will be allowed on the farms. Wear comfortable clothes and close toed shoes.

http://aginnovations.org/articles/view/the_santa_barbara_county_ag_futures_alliance_sbafa_invites_you_to_join/