Farm Tour Policy Letter

Dear Educator:

For the past many years, the Department of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education has provided guided tours of the Animal Science Units on the University Farm Laboratory at Fresno State. Every year we conduct tours for thousands of elementary school students, providing them with a safe and educational experience. This letter is to provide you with the information necessary for visiting the University Farm. Please share this information with your students and all parents/chaperones attending.

The usual tour lasts about an hour and a half to two hours; this does not include lunch in the park. There are sinks, picnic benches, and tables if you choose to have lunch on the farm. We must reserve the park with the University, so please let us know in advance if you would like to request lunch at O'Neill Park. 
 
We require a copy of your school district's insurance policy on hand and that all groups visiting the farm bring some type of hand sanitizer to disinfect all hands prior to leaving the farm. Soap or sanitizers will not be provided by the guides or Fresno State; it is your responsibility to bring them. The alcohol based sanitizers have been proven to be more effective than hand washing at destroying any bacteria that visitors may come in contact with. This is a working farm that contains physical and biological dangers and with that visitors must acknowledge that visiting the Fresno State University farm is a risk. By receiving this letter and coming to the farm for your tour, you are accepting this risk.

No Children under the age of five years can attend a farm tour! The university has determined that children under the age of five pose a safety risk! No strollers are allowed on property!

The cost of the tour is $8.00 per child. If parents are bringing siblings, notify the tour coordinator before the date of the tour AND parents must pay for the siblings. The minimum cost for a tour is $96.00, in order to cover our costs. Even if your group consists of less than 12 students, the cost would still be $96.00. No fees are collected for teachers or parent chaperones. We try our best to have one tour guide assigned to each class or a maximum of thirty students, however this is not a guarantee; our guides are students first and at times we may not have the availability to give a tour.

Payment for the tour is to be made on your scheduled tour date, by your school district or personal check. We cannot accept cash. 

 

Please make checks payable to: 
 
 Fresno State or California State University, Fresno 
(Absolutely no cash accepted in payment for the tour.)

 

If parents are to accompany the bus in private vehicles, they will be required to: park only in the designated farm parking with the bus as is indicated on the map (attached) AND purchase parking permits to park on campus. Parking permits can be obtained at dispensers or at the Police Department on campus for $5.00 for a one-day pass. The tour coordinator will make parking arrangements for the bus, which will be in the gravel lot next to the pavilion where the tour guides will meet you for the tour (see attached map).

Students are asked to adhere to the following rules:

• No climbing on or putting heads through fences
• No feeding animals
• No running
• Absolutely No petting
• No throwing anything at any time
• No sandals, visitors must wear closed-toe shoes.

The tour guide is instructed to ensure that these rules are followed by all in attendance, and reserve the right to ask that any child not following the rules be returned to the bus or O'Neill Park by a chaperone. Our tour guides are knowledgeable of the farm and the animals. They will allow your students to have fun and experience the farm. The tour guides know which areas of the farm are open to visitors. They have been instructed by the professors managing the units on the farm and MUST honor these requests. No one is allowed to visit our farm without a tour guide. Please honor this request.

Should any changes arise between the time of scheduling and the tour date, please email  fresnostatefarmtours@mail.fresnostate.edu OR, in an emergency call the Department of Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education at 559.278.2971 (please email before calling). The tour coordinator will return your call/email as soon as possible. Any changes MUST BE CONFIRMED.

All cancellations must be provided 24 hours in advance or a minimum $96.00 service charge will be billed to the group and you will be denied visitation rights until the balance is paid. If you are aware you will be more than 15 minutes late for your tour, you are asked to call the farm tour coordinator at 559.278.2971 to inform them. If no call is made, the guide will leave 30 minutes after the start of the tour and the school will incur any charges.

These policies are to ensure an enjoyable, safe, and educational tour.
We look forward to you and your students visiting the animal units at the University Farm and encourage you to contact us at fresnostatefarmtours@mail.fresnostate.edu should you have any questions or wish to receive further information.

Sincerely, 
  
Farm Tour Coordinator