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
• Environment and technology
• Marketing and foreign competition
• Farm tours and hands-on experience

  Focus Agriculture Class XXII, 2011   

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 Barcamonte - 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

2012 Schedule - Session Dates

Friday, March 23, 2012

Friday, April 20, 2012

Friday, May 11, 2012

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wednesday, August 8, 2012*
(Day on the Farm)
*Or a date mutually available for both parties

Friday, September 7, 2012

Friday, October 5, 2012

Friday, November 2, 2012

Participants are required to attend all sessions.

Click here to Download PDF of 2012 Application - Due January 20, 2012