SEEAG Expands to Northern Santa Barbara County: A New Home for Agricultural Education

Third grade students participating in SEEAG’s Farm Lab field trip at Petty Ranch.

Exciting news for Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG)—we have officially opened an office in Orcutt! This milestone marks a major step forward in our mission to educate students about the farm-to-table journey and inspire the next generation of agricultural leaders. With this new location, we are deepening our impact in Northern Santa Barbara County, ensuring that more students than ever have access to hands-on, immersive agricultural education.

SEEAG has been growing rapidly, thanks to the unwavering support of our donors, community partners, and passionate educators. The new Orcutt office enables us to expand our signature programs—“Farm-To-Food Lab” for third graders and “STEM Career Pathways in Ag” for high school students—into schools across the Santa Maria Valley.

Our educators, Moises Novoa and Olivia Gutierrez, are already hard at work bringing these programs to life. Farm-to-Food Lab takes third-grade students through a three-part learning experience, including an in-class session, a field trip to Allan Hancock College’s Agricultural Program, and a classroom nutrition presentation. Meanwhile, STEM Career Pathways in Ag introduces high schoolers to real-world careers in agriculture, combining classroom labs with field experiences in agronomy, technology, and engineering.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this expansion is the capacity it creates. For the first time in SEEAG’s history, we can run programs simultaneously in both Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. This means more students, more hands-on learning, and more opportunities to connect young minds with the agricultural industry. And the best part? Our programs remain 100% free for students, teachers, and schools, removing barriers and ensuring equitable access to agricultural education.

The opening of our Orcutt office wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of our incredible supporters, with special thanks to the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation and the Edwin and Jeanne Woods Family Foundation. Their belief in our mission allows us to continue growing and serving communities where agricultural education is needed most.

Looking ahead, we are eager to forge new partnerships, strengthen our programs, and inspire even more students to explore the rich agricultural landscape of California’s Central Coast. With all program dates for the 2024-25 school year already booked, it’s clear that the demand for SEEAG’s hands-on, STEM-based agricultural education is stronger than ever.

If you’d like to learn more about our programs or join our waitlist, reach out to Seth Wilmoth, SEEAG’s director of education operations, at seth@seeag.org.

Visit us at our new Orcutt office: 145 S Gray Street, Suite 103. For more information about SEEAG, go to www.seeag.org or contact our Executive Director, Caitlin Paulus-Case, at 805-585-5872 or caitlin@seeag.org.

We can’t wait to see what’s next for SEEAG in Northern Santa Barbara County. Here’s to a future of learning, growing, and cultivating the next generation of agricultural leaders!