WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers JOHN DEERE CROSSING—A tractor full of tourists rumbles along at the Underwood Family Farms' Easter on the Farm 2009 last Saturday. Farm employees say Underwood offers an educational experience as well as fresh vegetables and fruits for sale. Spring was in full bloom at the Moorpark Underwood Family Farm last week as families visited new hatchlings at the animal center and school children visited the fields to harvest their own strawberries.

In addition to growing and selling fruits and vegetables, the farm offers family entertainment and educational programs to introduce city dwellers to the farming lifestyle.

"The goal is to get kids out here and get them back in touch with where their food comes from," said Russell Blades, manager of the Moorpark farm. "Many parents aren't preparing or growing their own food because it's all about convenience these days," he said.

Underwood, which operates agrientertainment farms in Moorpark and Somis, also hosts seasonal activities to coincide with spring and fall holidays.

"People come here several times over the course of a season to pick fruits and vegetables and enjoy the entertainment, so they create family traditions here," Blades said while preparing to speak to a group of children from Kay's Kids Club in Granada Hills last week.

Blades, who wore a straw hat and overalls, commanded respect from the youngsters. He kept them engaged in the short lesson, using a pointer to show where the roots, stems, flowers and seeds of fresh foods are.

"I like to try and get the authority right out the gate. I have a little advantage because I sound different," said Blades, who grew up on a farm in England.

He's been working at the Moorpark farm for 15 years.

While describing the difference between fruits and vegetables, Blades asked questions to make sure his young audience left the farm with a better understanding of what they eat.

He and his wife, Tiffany, live and work on the farm, which employs about 25 people this time of year.

Most workers, like Shaina Cox of Simi Valley, are part-timers who enjoy the work environment. "I like this job because it's outdoors. I'm not in an office, and I deal with kids and animals," she said.

Cox, who is being trained to become a tour guide, took notes as Blades gave his educational talk. She then hopped onto a tractor to drive a wagon full of children to the fields to pick strawberries.

When people patronize the farms in the Tierra Rejada Valley and Somis, they help to preserve dwindling open spaces in Ventura County, said Blades. "We're really supported by our community. The farm could not survive without visitors."

He said Underwood uses sustainable agricultural practices to protect the land.

"We don't use harsh chemical pesticides to grow food," he said.

Underwood is also developing a Community Supported Agriculture program to sponsor local cultivation. In exchange for a monthly fee, participants receive a weekly shipment of seasonal produce. Subscribers also get a season pass and a tour of the farm, said Craig Underwood, owner of the family farm business.

"The program was created to invite the public to become supporters of a local farm by paying in advance to help with the financing of the crops," Underwood said.

The family has leased the Tierra Rejada Valley land from Rick and Linnea Brecunier since 1994. They purchased 50 acres of the farm about three years ago.

"Our family, which is Underwood and Mahan on one side and Kelsey and Duval on the other, have been farming in the county since the late 1800s," Underwood said.

Brecunier, who has had a pumpkin patch in Moorpark for many years, began to offer informal tours in the early 1970s because people requested them. The Underwood family expanded on the idea when it took over the site.

The Moorpark farm is at 3370 Sunset Valley Road.