Oxnard Leadership Plows Forward After Agriculture Day

The 2024 Oxnard Leadership Program (OLP) headed to farms, fields and storehouses last month to see first-hand the rich agriculture economy of Oxnard and Ventura County for Agriculture Day. The day was coordinated by Jordan Cruz of Bayer Crop Science and member of the 2023 OLP class.

Ag Day kicked off at Petty Ranch in Ventura where Ranch Manager Chris Sayer talked about growing and harvesting avocados as well as their involvement as the host farm for SEEAG, which brings hundreds of third graders to the ranch every year for hands-on agricultural education.

The group continued on to Mission Produce in Oxnard where they saw how an avocado goes from the farm to grocery stores, restaurants, or guacamole and avocado oil producers. General Manager Brock Nunez led a tour through the facilities showing how avocados are received, cleaned, processed, sorted, stored and then shipped throughout the region.

To see where it all begins, the cohort went across the street to Bayer Crop Science where Jordan led a tour of how a wide variety of fruit and vegetable seeds are processed and shipped around the world to be planted. The tour ended at the greenhouse where some of the seeds are sprouted before being sent to farmers.

In one of Bayer’s conference rooms, Israel Vasquez-Nicolas from Ventura County Farmworker Resource Program presented from the viewpoint of a field worker, especially one that comes the Oaxaca region of Mexico and speaks an indigenous language. He went into detail about the materials and programs the program has for farmers to make sure they are supported.

The day finished up in a field of red bell peppers at Swift Ranches at Southland Sod Farms where John Swift shared about being a fourth-generation farmer and the changes he has seen in his industry, both in technological advancements and challenges like water shortage.

The next session of the Oxnard Leadership Program will be held on Friday, August 23, and include tours of the Port Hueneme Naval Base, Port of Hueneme and Channel Islands Harbor. 

The application window for the 2025 program will open in early September. Sign up for updates here>>