Current High School and College Students Recognized For Their Completion of the 6 Week Harvesting and Education Program

August 10, 2018 – (Oxnard, California) – Reiter Affiliated Companies (RAC) announces the completion of Harvest Academy, their first-ever summer harvest employment and hands-on educational program developed for students throughout California.

More than fifty students who were currently enrolled in a high school, junior college or university, spent a minimum of 6 weeks of their summer with RAC receiving on-the-job training in raspberry harvesting. Students were also taught a curriculum learning about plant genetics, organics, vermicology, substrate farming, water conservation systems and more. For some, this was a first-time work experience while for others this was an opportunity to sharpen their academic skills with real-life applications.

“It was very exciting to see the level of interest in our Harvest Academy from students across California,” said Courtney Catalano, Director of Communications and Community Engagement. “For RAC, it was important to create a program that would invite a diverse group of students from within the community and combine a hands-on agricultural curriculum with flexible summer employment. We wanted to inspire the next generation of students to think of agricultural as they pursue their future careers. With guidance from experts both in and outside our organization, we utilized industry experiences and insights to help us co-create a program that was stimulating, relevant and industry-trending. ”

The highlight of the Harvest Academy program in Southern California was the opportunity for qualified students to apply for Reiter’s Harvest Academy Scholarship funds while students in the Central Coast and Northern California received opportunity drawings for educational supplies and awards.

As a family-owned farming company, RAC believes in the importance of ensuring that the next generation of children in their community have an opportunity to learn, to develop a career path, and to explore ways they can be good stewards of the land and environment.

RAC hopes to inspire the young minds of today to see their future on our farms.

To learn more about Harvest Academy, please visit: www.berry.net/careers/harvest-academy