Farm tours a popular tourist activity in Monterey County

Most tourists come to the Monterey area for its mild climate and coastal attractions, according to a San Francisco Chronicle article written by Christine Delso. Increasingly, tourists are showing interest in Monterey County’s No. 1 industry, agriculture. Evan Oakes, a former farm advisor and current consultant for UC Cooperative Extension in Monterey County, pioneered the agritourism trend here when he started AgVenture Tours in 1997, mixing agricultural education tours with sightseeing and wine tours of the county.

ANR news from UC campuses:

UC Davis launches agricultural sustainability degree
Eve Hightower, UC Davis news service

The UC Davis this fall will launch an undergraduate major focused on agricultural sustainability. The bachelor of science degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems uniquely integrates several subjects to provide students with a thorough understanding of the many issues facing modern farming and food systems, including production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste management.

Turfgrass field day at UC Riverside offers wealth of information about lawns and landscapes
Iqbal Pittalwala, UC Riverside

The public has an opportunity to get the latest information on the care and maintenance of home lawns and landscapes at the 2011 Turfgrass and Landscape Research Field Day, presented by the University of California, Riverside. The field day will take place from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Sept. 15, at the university’s Turfgrass Research Facility, 1060 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Riverside, Calif.