Find out why agriculture is the second leading economic driver in the Coachella Valley by taking a farm tour adventure with Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) Nov. 6.
Discover the bounty of fall row crops such as bell peppers, carrots, onions, eggplant, artichokes and tomatoes, and some of the tree crops such as dates, lemons, oranges and grapefruit – crops that have made the Coachella Valley famous.
See Burrtec’s expanded compost recycling facility and learn how compost is made from commercial and residential green waste. Next, watch how compost is used to promote water conservation and provide soil nutrients on such crops as table grapes, citrus and date trees at Blair Farms.
Learn how the Coachella Valley Water District brings water from the All American Canal to farms and urban areas from the control room at the district headquarters in Coachella. See the pump stations, canals and drip irrigation that puts the Coachella Valley on the cutting edge with high-tech water conservation methods used in farming.
Watch a harvest in progress and learn what it takes to grow, harvest and ship major crops like bell peppers, artichokes, and carrots at one of the valley’s larger growers, Desert Mist General Manager Adrian Zendejas, out in the fields.
Professional Coachella Valley tour guide Nancy Cohee provides the valley’s history, some Indian lore, geography and geo-thermal points of interest, as well as farming practices.
At the end of the tour, enjoy a farm-to-table buffet at the Café at Shields that will include many of the vegetables and fruits from the valley.
Cost for the luxury bus, narrated tour and farm-to-table buffet lunch at Shields Date Garden is $80 per person.
For reservations and information, call (760) 219-3000. Advance paid reservations are required.
