Located 12 miles North of Santa Cruz, Swanton Pacific Ranch consists of 3200 acres of mixed rangelands, farmlands, and forests. The vision of Al Smith, a Cal Poly graduate, Swanton Pacific Ranch provides Cal Poly students, faculty, staff, and the public with a unique interdisciplinary environment. Since Cal Poly acquired the Ranch in 1993, faculty and graduate students have played an active role in shaping the forest, agriculture, and livestock operations at Swanton.

The philosophy of “Learn by doing” truly comes alive at Swanton. Here, many student-assisted and student-run projects provide valuable experience in effective use of the Ranch’s resources while ensuring its future integrity. It was the dream of Al Smith that Swanton “be maintained as a working ranch and used exclusively for agriculture, recreational, and educational purposes.” Thus far, the College of Agriculture has done just that. Soon, other departments at Cal Poly will help further Al Smith’s dream in their own unique ways.

This website is a compilation of the knowledge and experience gained by the four groups of Honors Students that went to Swanton. Don't worry, they still found plenty of time for fun!