The Great AGventure is an exploration of agriculture where over 1700 fourth grade students from throughout San Luis Obispo County have the opportunity to discover where their food and fiber originates. There is a Great AGventure held in the South County at Arroyo Grande High School Agriculture Technology Department in May and the Great AGventure – North, held at the Paso Robles Events Center in October. Classes are bussed into the venues, and all expenses are paid for the schools thanks to the generosity of our partnering sponsor Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust and various other sponsors and donors. The classes are assigned to a rotation of six, hands-on 20-minute presentations covering subjects’ areas in: an arena event, farm animals, farm machinery, crops, science and an “AG-tivity” Each presentation is provided by volunteer county agricultural professionals who share their expertise directly with each class. Presentations are as interactive as possible, making the event both educational and memorable. Some of the presentations include butter making, owl pellet discovery, petting a calf, learning about soils, horsepower, apple grafting, water resources, weather, grape history, bees, farm machinery, working cow horses/dogs and much more. Lesson resources are provided to the teachers before the event, extending the agricultural learning back into the classroom.
The Great AGventure – South was implemented in 2013, whereas the Great AGventure, North was first featured in 2002 and has provided thousands of the county’s fourth grade students an in-depth glimpse into the agriculture bounty that San Luis Obispo County has to offer.
Organization HistoryIn the late 1980’s, the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau recognized that children were very disconnected from where their food originated; you just buy food from the store – was their thoughts. The San Luis Obispo Agricultural Education Committee was originally organized by the county’s Farm Bureau, later becoming an independent 501-C3 in the mid 1990’s. Committee members are made up of agriculturalists and/or teachers who are dedicated to teaching children about where their food originates. The Committee’s focus is to expose all aspects of the agriculture industry to teachers, students and the community to create an understanding and appreciation of agriculture’s contribution to the economy as well as the health and nutrition of the population. Populations served are K-12 th grade teachers and students from throughout San Luis Obispo County.
For 40 years now, the Agricultural Education Committee has organized programs that enhance education by instructing students and their teachers about the importance of agriculture. Some of the programs offered include 20 consecutive years of teacher seminars and the Great AGventure program held in the South County in the spring and North County in the fall.
As society has grown increasingly more urban, children have less opportunity to understand where their food actually comes from. Less than 2% of society is directly involved in agricultural production to feed the 98+% of consumers. Citizens need to fully understand the importance of agriculture so that our ability to feed ourselves is kept within our concept concerning agriculture and how it affects our lives. Also, understanding our food source is the first step in decreasing childhood obesity. By teaching our children where food originates, children can make better food choices.