Ag Venture is coming.

The free San Joaquin County-sponsored field trip educating third-grade students is scheduled for Nov. 4 at the Manteca Unified school farm.

That’s one of several Ag Venture field trips planned for this school year, with the other two scheduled at the San Joaquin Fairgrouds (Jan. 20) and Lodi Grape Festival (March 10).

All told, an estimated 11,000 from those three events will have a chance to learn about locally grown crops, machinery, farm animals, and water and soil, to name a few, according to Ag Venture coordinator Janet Dyk.

She indicated that some 4,000 third-grade students from Banta, Escalon, Tracy, Jefferson, New Jerusalem, Ripon and Manteca school districts coupled with several private schools – Ripon Christian, St. Anthony’s, and St. Bernard’s – are expected to attend the November event at the Manteca Unified school farm.

San Joaquin County is the seventh most productive county in the state and eighth nationwide while generating more than $2 billion in sales annually.

In fact, volunteer guides will help youngsters gain a better understanding of how vital agriculture is to the local and state economy.

For more information, call Janet Dyk at (209) 823-5013 or (209) 480-6104.