CATCH THE “CAPITOL COOK-OFF” AT THE 2005 CALIFORNIA AG DAY CELEBRATION

Event scheduled for Tuesday, March 15 at State Capitol

WHAT: California Women for Agriculture (CWA) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) present a celebration of California Agriculture Day, featuring a “Capitol Cook-Off” event.  Four teams of California high school students will compete using CA Grown agricultural products and the skills they learned in their schools’ Home Economics Careers and Technology (HECT) programs.  Their curriculum includes instruction in food science, dietetics, nutrition and food service.  Participating schools are Cesar Chavez High School (Delano), Wilcox High School (Santa Clara), Mt. Diablo High School (Concord) and Pleasant Valley High School (Chico). The celebration also features 35 booths distributing samples of California commodities and information about the many challenges facing agriculture.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 15 at 11:30 a.m.

WHO: CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura
 California Secretary of Education Richard Riordan
 California Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman
 State Public Health Officer Dr. Richard Joseph Jackson
 Senator Jeff Denham, Chair, Committee on Agriculture
 Assembly Member Barbara Matthews, Chair, Committee on Agriculture
 State Board of Food and Agriculture Member A. Charles Crabb, Ph.D.
 CWA President Jeri Hansen
 Buy California Marketing Agreement CEO Scott Horsfall

WHERE: California State Capitol, West Steps

WHY: To demonstrate the importance of eating healthy foods, learning about agriculture, providing food safety, and shaping the future of agriculture.

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