WATSONVILLE — Doron Comerchero, founder and executive director of Food What?!, will be the featured speaker at the 2019 National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon on March 13.
The title of his speech will be, “Agriculture, a Learning Tool for Youth.”
The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, in conjunction with Agri-Culture, will host the luncheon in the Heritage Hall at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
One of the highlights of the National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon will be the presentation of the Al Smith Friend of Agriculture Award. Smith was the founder of Orchard Supply Hardware and donated 3,000 acres (Swanton Pacific Ranch) in the north coast to Cal Poly. This year’s award will be presented by last year’s honoree, Santa Cruz County Bank, represented by Fred Caiocca.
Farm Bureau and Agri-Culture co-sponsor a poster contest (grades K-6) and poetry contest (grades 7-12) in Santa Cruz County and Pajaro Valley schools. The winning entries will be displayed during the luncheon and a placemat featuring the 2018 poster contest winner, Balam Landaverry, a second-grader from Holy Cross School in Santa Cruz, will be used on the tables.
Also on the placemat will be the 2018 poetry contest winning entry by Kayley Batt, seventh-grader from Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville. About 20,000 placemats will be distributed to restaurants throughout Santa Cruz County. This year’s contest winners will be introduced at the luncheon.
Another feature of the National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon is the presentation of the Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship. American AgCredit has again teamed up with the Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship to create a $4,000 scholarship for a student entering or currently enrolled in college and majoring in agriculture.
Tickets to the luncheon are $50 per person. Reservations and sponsorships for the luncheon are available at scfb.com or by calling 724-1356.
