As the Cowboy Capital of the World prepares for the annual Oakdale Saddle Club PRCA Rodeo in less than weeks, agriculture is also taking center stage.

The 44th annual Ag Scholarship Luncheon, hosted by the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce, is set for Thursday, March 30 at the Bianchi Community Center, 110 S. Second Ave.

Guest speaker will be newly elected Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors representative Kristin Olsen, whose topic will be: “How Can We Keep Ag in California?” Oakdale Joint Unified School District Superintendent Marc Malone is also scheduled to provide an update on the school farm.

Olsen is expected to address several areas in her keynote speech, including unimpaired water flows, water bond/storage, advocacy and relationships, including the relationship between local, state and federal governments.

The ag luncheon runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on March 30 and in addition to the lunch and guest speaker, there will be ag displays, product giveaways and raffle opportunities. Tickets are $25. Sponsors of the event include American AgCredit, Mid Valley Agricultural Services, Inc., W.H. Breshears, Inc., Basi Insurance Services Inc., OID, Yosemite Farm Credit and the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce. For information or tickets, call the chamber at 209-847-2244.

The annual ag lunch sets the stage for the following week’s festivities, when all things rodeo, cowboy and ag-related come to the forefront.

Activities for Rodeo Week will start on Tuesday, April 4 with Local Team Roping at 6:30 p.m. at the rodeo grounds; admission is free. The sold out Cowgirl Luncheon is Wednesday, April 5; Oakdale Chamber of Commerce Arrest Your Boss daytime event at H-B Saloon and evening mixer at the Cowboy Museum are both on Thursday, April 6; timed slack events at the rodeo grounds on Friday, April 7; rodeo parade and day one of rodeo competition on Saturday, April 8; Cowboy Church and day two of rodeo competition, on Sunday, April 9.