The Farm at Fairplex
The Farm at Fairplex is an innovative agricultural business and educational resource that serves our diverse communities. Through sustainable, locally focused programs, The Farm builds awareness of healthy food possibilities and offers learning in a wide range of culinary and agriculture disciplines. As FLDC’s largest living classroom, it provides hands-on experiences that bring farm, food, and science education to life.
About The Farm at Fairplex
In the 1940s and ‘50s the public had the opportunity to enjoy what was then Storybook Farms: a cottage garden, root cellar, smoke house, school house, fire pole and antique house where people demonstrated the ways of the pioneers in full costume. Forty years later, examples of adobe block construction was developed and displayed as a three-room adobe home, then hands-on activities for children and adults began in the early 2000s.
In 2004-2005 a new farm was built consisting of a small garden where 10 California crops were grown and a citrus grove and apple orchard were planted. New buildings and a kitchen were added for demonstrating farm cooking and canning. Four years later, the first Farm to Table dinners were held at the farm. At the time, the farm to table dinners were mainly for in-house functions or visiting dignitaries and hosted by the Sheraton’s McKinley’s Grill. The dinners were so popular, they were opened up to the general public and our hotel business. The hotel chef uses fresh produce from The Farm to create gourmet meals served at these dinners and on the menu at McKinley’s Grill.
The Farm grew in 2014 thanks to a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and matching funds from Fairplex to expand the farm from a half-acre to a five-acre organic farm. The Farm is used as an outdoor classroom, offering fieldtrips to schools and classes for the community. It also serves as a real-life exhibit during the LA County Fair, promoting agriculture and healthy living.
Volunteer at The Farm
Farm Ambassadors – ranging from college students and senior citizens to corporate partners – support the educational programs that take place at The Farm. As a volunteer at The Farm volunteers are involved in special projects, serve as Field Trip Docents, and are engaged in farm support operations such as planting, propagation, pruning, harvesting, composting, and other vital aspects of farm operations. As a Field Trip Docent, volunteers lead small student groups on a tour of The Farm that educates them on California’s specialty crops, urban agriculture, and land stewardship. Volunteering is a fun way to learn about sustainable agricultural practices while contributing to our yearlong educational outreach events.
If you’re ready to volunteer, learn more about becoming a Fairplex Ambassador.
Field Trips at The Farm
A school field trip to a local farm is a great way to expose students to local agriculture, learn and have fun at the same time. Field trips to The Farm at Fairplex help students identify nutritious, wholesome food and encourage them to connect with local farms and farmers. Plus, field trips have an added advantage of being interactive and fun!
- The hands-on experiential learning environment a farm provides is invaluable to a student’s educational growth.
- Not only does the student learn about farm practices, chores, animals, plants, the farm lifestyle, the product and farm economics, but they also learn about history, math, science and health topics which are relevant to their classroom curriculum.
- Fun and educational hands-on activities that utilize The Farm and are aligned with California Common Core Standards.
- The Fairplex Learning and Development Center offers educational programs at The Farm that reconnect students to the agricultural heritage of the Inland Valley and opens doors to future generations who care about food and farming.
- School field trips are available to grades K-12 year-round.
- Field trips are also available to clubs, home-school, and church groups with a 20 attendee minimum and a maximum of 75 attendees.
- Farm field trips are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 am, 10 am or 11 am time slots.
- Cost of $10 per student. Teachers and chaperones are free. We require a 1:10 ratio (1 chaperone for every 10 students).
What is Urban Farming?
Urban Farming is an innovative solution to increase access to fresh food while at the same time revitalizing the economic and social health of communities. It is also nurturing a new generation of young leaders through the operation of an urban farming enterprise. CTEC’s Urban Farming program prepares students to:
- Gain expertise in cultivation, landscape design, nursery work and urban growing, as well as sales and marketing
- Acquire knowledge of growing and sustaining a business
- Positively engage with their community through the operation of a socially responsible urban farming enterprise
Fairplex is a nonprofit, 501(c)5 organization that leads a 500-acre campus proudly located in the City of Pomona. Fairplex exists in a public-private partnership with the County of Los Angeles and is home of the LA County Fair and more than 500 year-round events.
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