Krista (Anderson) McCoon has taken over as the San Joaquin County AgVenture coordinator. McCoon and the AgVenture committee subsequently set the event dates for the coming school year.
An Escalon native, McCoon was an active member of the Escalon FFA Chapter where she served as a chapter and sectional officer and raised and showed breeding and market swine.
After attending Modesto Junior College, she obtained both her bachelors’ and masters’ degrees in agricultural communications from Oklahoma State University.
“The AgVenture program has a long-standing, positive reputation that I can only hope to build on,” McCoon said. “It is an honor to be a part of the agricultural industry and do my part in educating consumers about the importance and value of the industry.”
AgVenture is a county-sponsored program comprised of three free, educational field trips in San Joaquin County to educate and engage third grade students about agriculture. In total, over 11,000 students, parents and teachers partake in the AgVenture program annually.
The field trip for schools in the southern county area will take place at the Manteca Unified School District farm on Nov. 6, 2014.
The San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton will serve as the location for central county schools on Jan. 21, 2015.
Northern county schools will attend the AgVenture program on March 3, 2015 at the Lodi Grape and Wine Festival Grounds.
During each four-hour field trip, every third grade class spends just over two hours experiencing agriculture. Students listen to presentations about proper nutrition, soil and water, and learn about agricultural commodities.
Students then visit numerous displays created by farmers, ranchers, and agricultural organizations.
In total, nearly 1,000 volunteers donate their expertise and time to bring presentations, displays, animals and equipment to educate students.
“AgVenture really is made possible by the volunteers and sponsors who generously give of their time and resources,” McCoon said.
The program is a collaborative effort of the county Board of Supervisors, the county Office of Education, San Joaquin County Farm Bureau, San Joaquin California Women for Agriculture, University of California Cooperative Extension Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
To become a sponsor or volunteer for this program, contact McCoon at sjcagventure@yahoo.com or 209-402-5734.
