Alberta ag businesses gear up for Open Farm Days

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Strathmore and Wheatland County agriculture-related businesses are pulling out all the stops this year to educate Albertans about the origin and production of food.
For the sixth year in a row, Alberta Open Farm Days – Aug. 18 and 19 – is providing people the opportunity to visit participating farms and ranches to see where their food comes from.
Community Futures Wild Rose, which takes an active part in encouraging local farms and ranches to open their doors during Alberta Open Farm Days, has seen an increase from last year’s 14 local ag businesses.
“We are starting to see a growing demand and an increased supply to these markets and these people, so that to me is what’s really exciting,” said Wendy Gerbrandt, community economic development coordinator with Community Futures Wild Rose.
“The whole goal of Open Farm Days is for consumers and visitors to first learn where their food comes from… second, make that connection with the producer so that they can further tie in a loyalty to them and also have a better understanding and gain the correct knowledge… and third, reconnect to nature.”
Alberta Open Farm Days was introduced in the province in 2013 by the provincial government. Four years ago, the Strathmore and District Agricultural Society and Community Futures Wild Rose got involved by encouraging and assisting local farms and ranches to take part.
Among the 17 local businesses taking part this year are Carseland’s Poplar Bluff Organics and Winter’s Turkeys, Strathmore’s Origin Malting & Brewing Co. and Country Lane Farms, and Mossleigh’s Aspen Crossing and Livlifelivery Farm.
Winter’s Turkeys will provide visitors the opportunity to hold a baby turkey and Livlifelivery Farm will feature an egg hunt. Meanwhile, Origin Malting & Brewing is one of the stops in the Alberta Barley to Beer Tour, a part of Alberta Open Farm Days. The tour goes both days, Aug. 18 and 19, and starts at Tool Shed Brewing Company with a tour and tasting. Then, tour-goers will hop on a bus and journey to Hilton Ventures Farm for a field tour, followed by a visit to Origin Malting for a tour of the brewery. After the tour, participants will enjoy a “farm to table” meal catered by a local food truck and enjoy a beer tasting.
Wholesale organic vegetable farm, Poplar Bluff Organics, is also expanding its involvement to both days. The esteemed establishment will offer wagon rides to the vegetable fields for a taste test of this year’s crops. Activities geared towards children, food vendors, live music, photo opportunities and several local booths will also be on site. The farm is also hosting an open-air country church service on Sunday, Aug. 19 with Carseland’s Bow River Alliance Church, and collecting non-perishable food items to be donated to the local food bank – new approaches the farm hadn’t offered in previous years.
“It’s fun to organize and it’s nice to have face-to-face contact with clients and to have the exposure in the area,” said Darlene Hooge, event coordinator and farm worker with Poplar Bluff Organics.
Last year, Poplar Bluff Organics only participated on the Saturday, yet attracted a whopping 350 people. Strathmore’s Country Lane Farms, one of the first poultry farms in North America to eliminate the use of antibiotics in their chickens, also noticed an increase in patrons over the past four years. When the program initially launched in the area, owner of Country Lane Farms, Jerry Kamphuis, welcomed 80 people onto his property. That number more than tripled last year.
“I believe the consumer is far too disconnected from where their food comes from and that’s why we like doing it because we like to show where people’s food originates from,” he said. “We’re looking forward to a good turnout.”
Alberta Open Farm Days, Aug. 18 and 19, goes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. For more information and to see other farms and ranches involved, visit albertafarmdays.ca.