The program has been expanded through two grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to include sites in Orange, Riverside, and Sonoma counties. Through an application process, the 30 students are chosen from five different high schools in the region. It's a chance for students to see what farming is all about, and to learn about different efforts to save and sustain the environment. Over nine months, students attend monthly field days that provide this exposure through the use of hands-on, interactive workshops. At Sierra Orchards in Winters, students participate in activities such as the walnut harvest, cover crop planting, soil testing, and owl-box building.
Students spend a night with a farm family as part of the project.
He notes that one of the requirements of the program is to develop a research project dealing with sustainable agricultural practices. By having the students implement a research project, they can see that agriculture is an industry based on science and they are better able to understand the decisions that farmers must make on a daily basis. Finally, the students learn the communication skills necessary to present their projects at a closing seminar. They've turned out to be very interesting projects. By working closely with a professor or professional in the agricultural and environmental sciences, students not only discover the variety of fulfilling careers choices available, but learn that college professors are people, too.