VC Farm to School

10/09/2026

October is National Farm to School Month!

This year we are celebrating Edgar Espinoza as Ventura County’s Farm to School Champion!

Edgar comes from generations of farmers, and grew up in Ventura County’s farmland. His family grow a variety of fruits and vegetables in Ventura, and he is leading the impressive effort to grow fruits and vegetables for Rio School Districts’ school meal program.

Over the last few years, Edgar has grown thousands of pounds of strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, peppers, and much more at the Rio School District farm. He also educates students on the farm during field trips!

Our community is lucky to have Edgar and all of his contributions to farm to school programs in Ventura County. Thank you, Edgar!

10/09/2026

October is National Farm to School Month!

This year we are celebrating Edgar Espinoza as Ventura County’s Farm to School Champion!

Edgar comes from generations of farmers, and grew up in Ventura County’s farmland. His family grow a variety of fruits and vegetables in Ventura, and he is leading the impressive effort to grow fruits and vegetables for Rio School Districts’ school meal program.

Over the last few years, Edgar has grown thousands of pounds of strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, peppers, and much more at the Rio School District farm. He also educates students on the farm during field trips!

Our community is lucky to have Edgar and all of his contributions to farm to school programs in Ventura County. Thank you, Edgar!

08/27/2026

This summer, Hueneme Elementary School District’s Child Nutrition Director, Joanna Carino, was able to attend the International Fresh Produce Association’s Food Service Conference in Monterey.

On her tour of Duda farms, she encountered celery forests and was inspired to grow the tallest celery ever seen in a school garden!

Challenge accepted! Here’s to giant celery in schools in 2026!

08/18/2026

Help plan the 2027 Ag Education Summit in Ventura County!

If you would like to help contribute to the topics, speakers, workshops etc. that are offered at the Summit, please RSVP to attend one of the planning meetings in late September.

You can RSVP at the link in the bio.

September 23rd from 3:30-4:30pm

September 24th from 9:30-10:30am

The meeting location will be provided after you submit your RSVP.

07/30/2026

We’re excited to share a new program from Ventura County Farm to School!

This fall, we’re launching the Hueneme Student Kitchen—a farm-to-table cooking program where students will explore fresh, seasonal ingredients, develop lifelong cooking skills, and deepen their connection to local agriculture.

To bring this program to life, we’re growing our team and are looking for passionate individuals who believe in the power of food, education, and community.

We’re currently hiring:

Program Manager (Full-Time)

Chef Educators (3 Part-Time Positions)

Culinary Program Aides (3 Part-Time Positions)

Whether you’re an experienced educator, chef, or someone who loves working with young people and sharing healthy cooking skills, we’d love to hear from you.

These positions offer a unique opportunity to help inspire the next generation of confident cooks, healthy eaters, and community leaders while working alongside an organization dedicated to connecting schools, gardens, farms, and local food.

Learn more about each position and apply here:

https://www.vcfarmtoschool.org/opportunities

04/29/2026

This month students tasted pea tendrils! Many people don’t know these are edible parts of the plant- but they are delicious and nutritious too!

Thank you for growing beautiful and delicious foods for students in our community!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day from the San Miguel Preschool Garden!

Today Miss Dominique and Miss Michelle planted with our youngest students to celebrate this wonderful day centered on connecting with our soil, air, water, and natural life around us.

04/22/2026

Everyday is Earth 🌍 Day in the school garden 🐛🪱🐌

On this Earth Day we want to share appreciation for our CSUCI Service Corps Member, Samantha!

Samantha has been working with the Sprout Scouts after school program in Ocean View schools. Teaching students each day to connect with the natural world around them, engage in hands on learning about soil, plants, insects, water, and weather!

From our garden to yours, Happy Earth Day everyone!

04/02/2026

Thank you, Mina Wahab, of KEYT NEWS, for featuring the Ventura County Agriculture Education Summit from last Friday- it was inspiring to learn Rizpah Bellard of Nova Farming's story, and connect with over 150 educators, administrators, industry partners and community members who want our youth to have more opportunities and connections to careers in the agriculture industry. We learned from over 20 presenters, including panelists- Ventura County Ag Commissioner Korinne Bell, Ben Waddell of Fruit Grower's Lab, Emily Nye from the VC Resource Conservation District, and Oleg Daugovish from UC ANR- who led an informative discussion about current and future opportunities in the agriculture industry.

Thank you to the following who made this event possible :

-CSU Channel Islands for hosting the event
-UCANR, Ventura County Farm Bureau, Ventura County Agriculture Department of Weights and Measures
-California Department of Conservation Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Grant

Thank you to the farms and partner organizations who brought the event to life by sharing all of the great work in our community!

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) — Educators, students, farmers, and community leaders gathered Friday for an agricultural summit focused on connecting young