Agritourism Connections

As a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems student at UC Davis, I love having the opportunity to visit farms and ranches that are putting what I am learning in my classes into real practice. Pacific Star Gardens exceeded my expectations.

I have been an Airbnb host for nearly four years now, meeting people from all over the world and sharing my rural way of life. I currently own a 3 bedroom/2 bath house on 10 acres in Modoc County, CA. Modoc County is in the northeast corner of California bordering Nevada and Oregon.

Tony Azevedo's father moved the family from Watsonville, where he operated a small dairy, to Stevenson in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley in 1958. Azevedo rented 15 acres of land that had become alkaline through irrigation with no drainage for many years.

Nevada County, with gold country foothills and Sierra Nevada mountains, has almost 100,000 residents and many visitors. Nevada County Grown, dedicated to promoting, empowering and connecting local farmers, ranchers and food makers, is twelve years old and ready for new adventures.

California agritourism operators report regularly that navigating the permitting and regulatory process is a major challenge for farmers trying to invite the public onto their land for festivals, tours, dinners, classes, lodging or other activities.