Title
Supervisor Thomas recommending the Board:
1) Find that a public benefit is derived from sponsoring “Ag in the Classroom’s Farm Day Event” at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds on May 9, 2023; and
2) Approve and authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to sign a Funding Agreement, consistent with the County’s standard form and upon the approval of County Counsel, with Ag in the Classroom authorizing payment of a $5,000.00 community funding contribution.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
For the last 20 years, El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom has hosted thousands of our local third graders from Lake Tahoe to El Dorado Hills for a day of hands-on, place-based, agricultural education. We hold two annual Farm Days to increase our reach with our county’s youth: spring at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville and fall at Camp Richardson Historic Resort in South Lake Tahoe.
Farm Day is a fun, hands-on field trip where students and teachers across our county experience the sights, sounds, smells and feels of agriculture and its role in our everyday lives, our county, and its economy. Registration is open to all third grade classes in El Dorado County.
Throughout the day, students and their teachers rotate to 6-8 different learning stations taught in the context of local farms, ranches, forests, and watersheds to learn about farms, natural resources, food, nutrition and animals. Learning Stations are presented by organizations, businesses, and persons who are experts in their field.
Examples of the topics include: Nutrition; Local Produce & Food Preservation; Composting & Soil; Working Animals; Ag Animals; Fiber Animals; Invasive & Beneficial Insects; Milk & Dairy; Healthy Forests & Resources; Watershed & Irrigation; Land Stewardship; Career Tech Education and much more teaching the students where their food, fiber and shelter comes from.
Whether listening to a goat’s heartbeat, witnessing milk being processed from a live cow, searching for the queen in a hive while wearing beekeeping gear, tasting and preserving local jam or watching huge forestry equipment load logs, Farm Day brings to life, for thousands of 3rd graders, the extensive contribution agriculture has in our lives, families, communities and economy.
A funding agreement is required in order for the County to process the payment to Ag in the Classroom. Approval by the Board provides the finding that a public benefit is derived from supporting this endeavor by becoming an event sponsor at the $5,000 level.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to approve the funding request, an no funding would be provided in support of these efforts.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
N/A
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Board of Supervisors allocated $75,000 in Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget in General Fund - Other Operations (Department 15) to be available for community funding requests supported by the Board. Approval of this item would allocate $5,000.00 from this amount. There is no additional impact to the General Fund due to the approval of this agreement.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Good Governance
CONTACT
Supervisor Wendy Thomas, District 3