Two events will benefit MJC ag students

Ag students at Modesto Junior College will benefit from two events next month. One features eggs, a most delicate farm product. Another involves really loud trucks.

The 53rd annual Good Egg Breakfast, on Oct. 22 in downtown Modesto, will raise scholarship money. It will feature custom-made omelets and presentation of the Good Egg Award to a leader or supporter of the state’s egg industry.

Guest speaker Richard Matteis, administrator of the California Farm Bureau Federation, will talk about water issues.

The breakfast will be at 7 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, 1150 Ninth St. Tickets are $22 in advance or $25 at the door. They can be reserved at the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, 209-522-7278. It is sponsoring the event with the Pacific Egg and Poultry Association, the California Poultry Federation and the Modesto Chamber of Commerce.

MJC’s seventh annual Truck and Tractor Pull will be Oct. 10 in the Agriculture Center for Education Pavilion on the west campus. It’s the big building just northwest of the Highway 99/Carpenter Road interchange.

Gates will open at 4:30 p.m., and the pulling will start at 6. Seats are $15 or $12, and the standing-room-only section is $10. Tickets can be purchased by calling 209-575-6776 or visiting www.mjc.tix.com or the auditorium box office on the east campus.

The proceeds will go to the Pulling Pirates Truck Pull Club, part of the MJC ag mechanics program.

Tom Smith, vice president for winegrowing at E.&J. Gallo Winery in Modesto, will be honored Oct. 2 at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

He and six other people will receive the Award of Distinction at the 27th annual College Celebration.

The college cited Smith’s success in winemaking and support of Davis research and education, including chairmanship of the Executive Leadership Board of the Department of Viticulture and Enology.

Smith earned a master’s degree in food science and technology, with an emphasis in wine, in 1984. Before joining Gallo, he was chief winemaker at Delicato Family Vineyards, winemaker and production manager for Hess Collection Winery, and assistant winemaker at Callaway Vineyards & Winery and Freemark Abbey Winery.

Smith also serves on the Stanislaus County Water Advisory Committee and was a visiting editor at The Modesto Bee earlier this year.

Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Vicky Banaga and Kimber Rogina to the Merced County Fair board and reappointed Mark Erreca and Flip Hassett to new terms.

Banaga is the chief business official at the Le Grand Union Elementary School District. Rogina is an agent at Century 21 Salvadori Realty and co-owner of Rogina Inc.

Erreca, a board member since 2003, is the principal at Erreca Cattle Co. and an agent at PMZ Real Estate. Hassett, on the board since 2010, was executive director of the United Way of Merced County and a member of the Merced City Council.

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Two events will benefit MJC ag students."