Ag Science Center has new fundraiser

The National Ag Science Center has a new fundraiser, a May 1 golf tournament in Oakdale.

The Modesto-based center, best known for a mobile laboratory for junior high school students, will hold the event from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club.

The entry fee – $160 per golfer or $640 per foursome – includes lunch, dinner, a clinic with LGPA pro Dana Arnold-Ebster, and more. The cost is $45 for the cocktail party and dinner. Tickets can be ordered at www.agsciencecenter.org.

The center also is taking nominations for this year’s Stanislaus County Agricultural Hall of Fame. The induction will take place at a Nov. 3 dinner that is another fundraiser for the center. More information on this event is on the same website.

The center was launched about 20 years ago with the idea of building a museum at Modesto Junior College about the science behind farming and food processing. That has not happened, but the center does have the Ag in Motion trailer, where junior high schoolers get a taste of possible careers.

The center also is working with MJC to provide summer camps for second- through sixth-graders. And it has launched a program where third- and fourth-graders learn with the help of teachers in training at California State University, Stanislaus.

Elsewhere on the Farm Beat:

Another fine Italian winemaker has chosen E.&J. Gallo Winery to distribute its products in the United States.

The Modesto-based company is the exclusive handler of Jermann wines from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, which borders Austria and Slovenia. The announcement came about a week after news that Gallo will distribute Argiano wines from Tuscany.

These are among several Italian brands Gallo spreads to the U.S. market. It produces most of its volume in the San Joaquin Valley and also operates near the California coast, in Washington state and in several other nations.

This story was originally published March 3, 2017 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Ag Science Center has new fundraiser."