DUFFERIN COUNTY – For one day each fall, a few Dufferin County farms open their doors to the public.
This year’s Dufferin Farm Tour will take place on Sept. 28 from 9am to 4pm in central Dufferin – rain or shine.
For 19 years Dufferin farmers have invited the public onto their farms to see agricultural production in action, participate in educational activities, talk with farmers and learn how food is grown/raised, harvested and marketed.
Rain or shine, it’s always a great day for the family to meet local farmers on their own farms, officials state.
The Farm Tour provides an opportunity to see farming as it happens and understand more about how food gets to the dinner plate.
“This is one of my favourite days of the year. I always learn so much about our local farmers and come away with such respect and appreciation for them,” commented a past Farm Tour visitor.
With this year’s host farms, visitors will get to see a market garden and greenhouse; a Christmas tree farm; a horse stable and training facility; a robotic milking dairy operation; and a beef cattle farm.
There will be additional activities at each farm, including the opportunity to purchase fresh produce and fresh food, so bringing cash and a cooler is encouraged.
Dufferin is home to over 500 farms covering almost 50 per cent of the land in Dufferin County.
Agriculture is the largest economic contributor in Dufferin.
In 2013, Dufferin County farms produced $27.7 million of beef, $17.4 million of dairy and $16.5 million worth of potatoes, among many other products.
The tour is self-guided and is free with a donation to local food banks. Tour registration (to receive a passport and map) opens this month on dufferinfarmtour.com.
Interested attendees are encouraged to sign up for news updates or follow the farm tour on social media.
For those without online access, passports can be picked up at the Orangeville Visitor Information Centre one week prior to the tour.
On Sept. 28 bring the whole family and spend a day visiting local farmers on their farms.
Tour registration is available at www.dufferinfarmtour.com to sign up for tour updates.
For more information contact learn@dufferinfarmtour.com or Trevor Pugh, chair, at 519-939-7486.
