Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites - Kids Kaleidoscope

Sixth annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day is set for Satuday August 24. Farm Day is a free event that allows the public to take behind the -scenes tours of local farms and agricultural organizations, and participate in tractor/trailer rides, tastings, giveways and kid-friendly activ ities.

Participating locations are in Santa Maria, Santa Ynez Valley, Orcutt, Lompoc and Gaviota. Last year, Santa Barbara County Farm Day attracted over 5,000 visitors.

Tour hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees can tour farms and ranches that produce specialty crops including green leaf vegetables, walnuts, organic vegetables, berries, wine grapes as well as livestock. Through a Farm Day Trail Map

, the public selects which farms to visit and then maps out their day’s driving itinerary.

Santa Maria-based Babé Farms, involved in Farm Day since 2019, grows, packs and ships an assortment of gourmet vegetables year-round including over 70 different varieties of specialty greens, colorful root vegetables and baby head lettuce. During Farm Day, attendees can select an assortment of free vegetables from a farmer’s market-style farmstand, get an up-close look at farming equipment and machinery and learn about farm operations.

“As a grower, Farm Day is important because it gives us the opportunity to connect with our local community,” says Jeff Lundberg, Babé Farms president and CEO. “We often hear from first-time Farm Day attendees who say they had no idea these types of specialty vegetables were grown locally. Farm Day allows us to answer questions, help educate, and share our story.”

Santa Barbara County Farm Day participants include Babé Farms, Riverbench Vineyard and Winery, Bonipak Produce, Central West Produce, Rancho Laguna Farms, Growing Grounds Farm, Engel and Gray Inc., Mark Richardson CTE Center and Agricultural Farm, Las Cumbres Ranch, Sunrise Organic Farm and Plantel Nurseries.

New this year are Dare 2 Dream Farms, Ballard Walnut Grove, Growing Minds Farm Education, and Santa Barbara Blueberries.

"Santa Barbara Farm Day enables visitors to enjoy the county’s beautiful farmlands, sample just-picked produce and hear from growers about all that goes into bringing their products to market,” says Caitlin Case, executive director of the 501c3 nonprofit Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG

A Santa Barbara County Farm Day Hub is at Bonipak Produce. At the Hub, visitors can plant seedlings, visit ag-related booths, talk with growers and community organizations and learn about SEEAG’s free youth agriculture programs.

. Some farms require visitors to sign up for specific tour times. Once registered, visitors show their 805Tix QR code at each location to enter without having to sign in. Plus, they are automatically entered into a drawing to win prizes. Winners are notified on Farm Day.

Santa Barbara County Farm Day sponsors include The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, Driscoll’s, County of Santa Barbara, Edwin and Jeanne Wood Family Foundation, Santa Barbara Foundation, The Land Trust For Santa Barbara County, Church Brothers Farms, AgWest Farm Credit, Central West Produce, Plantel Nurseries and Bonipak.

Several area hotels are offering Farm Day discounts including Santa Maria Inn, Holiday Inn & Suites and Radisson Hotel. Information is on the Santa Barbara County Farm Day website.

To learn more about Santa Barbara County Farm Day and to register, visit www.SantaBarbaraCountyFarmDay.comor call 805-892-8155. Check the Farm Day website and social media for the latest list of farm participants. No pets allowed. Also, mark your calendars for the 12th annual Ventura County Farm Day on November 2.