Focus Agriculture

Focus Agriculture is Agri-Culture's "first-in-the-nation" educational program. It is an opportunity for community leaders to participate in a nine-session intensive program acquiring knowledge about a broad spectrum of agriculture. The once-a-month day-long seminars, including farm tours and hands-on experience, cover such topics as:

• Production and labor
• Ethnic groups in agriculture
• Government relations and politics
• Regional diversity of commodities   produced                                    Focus Agriculture Class XXIII, 2012                                    
• Environment and technology
• Marketing and foreign competition
• Farm tours and hands-on experience

Agri-Culture will grant each class member $1,500 toward the tuition expense. The class member will pay the remaining $500. One hundred dollars will be refunded if the participant has achieved 100% attendance for all sessions.

Twenty-one participants were chosen for Class XXIII.

John Armstrong - Assistant Director-Alternative Program SC County Office of Education
Ralph Bracamonte - District Manager, Central Water District
Carla Carstens - President, Carla Carstens Designs, Inc.
Leslie DeRose - Trustee, Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Karen DeWitt - Executive Director, Ag Against Hunger
Zach Friend - Principal Analyst, City of Santa Cruz Police Department
Grace Galvan - Operations Director, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County
Bill Gielow - Retired, Landscape Design
Tony Gregorio - County Supervisor's Analyst, Supervisor Greg Caput
Michael MacDonald - Sergeant, County of Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office
Mary Lou Nicoletti - Agricultural Commissioner, County of Santa Cruz
Richard Otto - Financial Advisor, Edward Jones Investments
Malkeet S. Padda - Postharvest Research Analyst, Driscoll's Strawberry Associates, Inc.
Ana Rasmussen - Program Director, Mesa Verde Gardens
Ken Schwan - Chef/ Owner, Monterey Bay Caterers
Melodye Serino - Senior Administration Analyst, County of Santa Cruz, CAO Office
Ginny Solari Mazry - Executive Director, Richard and Mary Solari Charitable Trust
Jennifer Squires - Editor, Watsonville Patch (AOL)
Eric Summers - Assistant Vice President Business Banking, Comerica Bank
Michael Turpin - President & Publisher, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Joseph Williams - Operation, Pacific Coast Ag

2013 Schedule - Session Dates

Friday, March 15, 2013

Friday, April 12, 2013

Friday, May 10, 2013

Friday, June 7, 2013

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Wednesday, August 7, 2013*
(Day on the Farm)
*Or a date mutually available for both parties

Friday, September 6, 2013

Friday, October 4, 2013

Friday, November 1, 2013

Participants are required to attend all sessions.

Click here to download application for Class XXIV - Due January 18, 2013

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about Focus Agriculture.