FARMS – Central Valley NORTH: Madera and North Fresno Counties

Cotton: From Field to Grading

FARMS Leadership – Central Valley – October 20, 2020 Location of Field Day: Cardoza Brothers Company – Tulare, CA Mid-Valley Cotton – Tulare, CA USDA Grading – Visalia, CA On October 20th the Central Valley FARMS students got an inside look at how cotton is harvested, processed, and graded. The virtual tour started out in Tulare, CA, with Cardoza Brothers Company. They harvest fields of cotton in Tulare county and then send their product to Mid-Valley Cotton, also in Tulare. The cotton gin at Mid-Valley takes in the cotton from the field and removes the seed and other debris from the cotton boll, leaving you with a clean product to be sold. Of course, there is some grading to be done over at the USDA facility in Visalia, CA. This is where the virtual tour ended and students were able to see the process cotton goes through in order to be graded. Students were sent Kits that included cotton seed, bolls, lint, and an information booklet. Thank you to our hosts at Cardoza Brothers, Mid-Valley Cotton, and USDA Cotton.

Red, Green, or Yellow, which flavor is for you?

Check out the kiwi kits that went home with the students to try. The kit include the three varieties of kiwi; golden red, golden yellow and traditional green.

Location of Field Day:
Phillips Farms – Visalia, CA

Field Day Hosts:
Doug Phillips – CEO
Dave Phillips – Field Manager

October 20, 2020 was a very exciting day as the FARMS Leadership students from the Central Valley Region attended their first virtual field day of the year! They had the opportunity to see Phillips Farms in Visalia where they witnessed kiwi fruit harvesting and packing. Not many knew that kiwis actually grow on vines and come in some beautiful varieties; golden red, traditional green, and golden yellow. After watching the harvesting crew go through the vines the group then saw the packing house process and Phillips Farms was kind enough to send home the three varieties of kiwis they pack with each student to taste. It was a great experience to start off the virtual field day tours.

Agriculture the Bulldog Way

FARMS Leadership | Central Valley North | Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Location of Field Day:
California State University, Fresno
5241 N Maple Ave, Fresno, CA 93740

Field Day Host(s) and Mentors:
Dr. Susan Pheasant – Director of Institute for Food and Agriculture at Jordan College of Agriculture Sciences and Technology
Michelle Perez, Recruitment Counselor & Social Media Coordinator Liaison to Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
Rick Chacon, Assistant Director of Admissions & Recruitment
Dr. Sherri Freeman, Teacher Educator Jordan College of Agriculture Sciences and Technology
Kate Norum, Project Manager Center for Irrigation Technology Water, Energy and Technology Center

Theme: Agriculture in College

On Wednesday, February 5, 2019, the Central Valley North Field Day group that consisted of LeGrand High School, Firebaugh High School, and Madera South High School gathered at Fresno State Institute for Food and Agriculture meeting room.
Here we were welcomed by Dr. Susan Pheasant, Director, Institute for Food and Agriculture at Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
Students worked on their soft skills by introducing and thanking our speakers. Students also practiced writing thank you and learned how to address an envelope.
Next, we were joined by Michelle Perez, Recruitment Counselor & Social Media Coordinator Liaison to Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology for a walking tour of the Farm. Next, Rick Chacon, Assistant Director of Admissions & Recruitment lead a True Colors leadership activity on Leadership qualities. At lunch, Dr. Freeman visited us and welcomed us to Fresno State. Then we visited Fresno State Water and Energy Technology (WET) Center. Here students learned about their independent testing facility. We also learned about the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT), the independent testing laboratory and applied research facility for the irrigation industry. Finally, students were treated with Fresno State Ice Cream from the Gibson Farm Market. We had a wonderful day full of different experiences and opportunities at Fresno State. Go Dogs!