Butte County's biggest agritourism celebration is heading back to Chico State's University Farm on Sunday, October 11, with a lineup of farm tours, tastings and a sunset dinner meant to showcase the region's growers, ranchers and winemakers. The Sierra Oro Farm-to-Fork Experience opens its gates at 2 p.m. at 311 Nicholas C. Shouten Lane, giving guests an afternoon to wander the farm before the evening's main event.
According to Action News Now, guests can sample local products from farms and artisan vendors while browsing artisan shopping stalls set up on the grounds. Guided farm tours run three times during the afternoon, at 2:15, 3:15 and 4:15 p.m., with trolley rides that include stops at the university's new education building and its farm store. A charcuterie spread and wine tasting kicks off at 4:30 p.m. in the Harvest Marketplace, featuring local meats, cheeses and seasonal accompaniments, ahead of dinner seating that begins at 5 p.m.
The Farm-to-Fork dinner itself starts at 5:15 p.m., pairing locally sourced food with live music and a no-host bar. Craft beer for that bar comes from Farmer's Brewing Co., a regional operation run by fifth-generation Sacramento Valley farmers who grow their own grain for brewing and operate a taproom in nearby Meriam Park, according to the Sierra Oro Farm Trail.
A Teaching Farm With Deep Roots
The venue itself carries plenty of history. Chico State's University Farm was established in 1960 through state funding secured by California State Senator Paul L. Byrne, and it now spans 800 acres as one of only four agricultural teaching farms in the entire California State University system, per Chico State Today. It's officially named the Paul L. Byrne Agricultural Teaching and Research Center in his honor.
The working farm operates an organic dairy, dedicated livestock units for beef, sheep and swine, nut and fruit orchards, row crops, an organic vegetable project and a USDA-inspected Meats Laboratory, according to ChicoSol News. That same reporting notes the farm provides hands-on outdoor instruction for roughly 250 agriculture students each year, making the October event as much a showcase of student training grounds as it is a food festival.
Closing Out a Weekend of Campus Homecoming
Scheduling the dinner for October 11 isn't incidental. The date closes out Chico State's Wildcat Weekend, which brings alumni, families and prospective students to campus for athletic games, reunions and campus tours, according to the Chico State Alumni Association. Organizers appear to be counting on that built-in crowd of out-of-town visitors to help fill seats at the farm.
The Sierra Oro Farm Trail wasn't always built around a single evening event. In previous years, the trail hosted a month-long October Farm & Wine Pass featuring self-guided tasting tours across more than 30 participating farms and wineries, before shifting toward a concentrated single-day event, per the Sierra Oro Farm Trail. The nonprofit trail association itself dates back to 2005, when it was founded by local Butte County farmers and winemakers to build a formal agritourism program and expand direct-to-consumer marketing, according to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Why the Fuss Over Farm Tourism
The stakes for local agriculture are sizable. Butte County generated $514.1 million in total market value of agricultural products sold across 1,654 local farms spanning more than 388,000 acres, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service's 2022 Census of Agriculture. Crop sales accounted for 95% of the county's total agricultural receipts that year.
The crop rankings have shifted recently, too. In 2024, walnuts surpassed rice and almonds as Butte County's top-valued agricultural commodity, surging 75% to exceed $150 million in value despite lighter overall harvest yields, per Farm Progress. Agriculture remains Butte County's top economic sector overall, directly or indirectly supporting roughly one out of every seven local jobs and contributing $4.1 billion in total value added to the region's economy, according to the Butte County Department of Agriculture.
Proceeds Support Youth Agriculture Programs
Money raised through sponsorships at the Farm-to-Fork Experience feeds into broader philanthropic work. The Butte Agricultural Foundation administers The Big Harvest, an annual community fundraising campaign that coordinates matching funds and financial support for local youth agricultural programs, FFA and 4-H projects, and farm education, according to Golden State Farm Credit. Sponsorship opportunities remain available for supporters of local agriculture ahead of the October event.
Event tickets are expected to sell out, per the Butte Ag Foundation, and the event has sold out in previous years. The Butte County Farm Bureau provides ticket and sponsorship information and can be reached at 530-533-1472, while additional details are posted on the Butte Ag Foundation website.
