See event listings and more articles in this edition of Agri-News: March 11, 2024 issue
Registration is now open for farms and ranches to be part of the next edition of Alberta Open Farm Days.
Alberta Open Farms Days is an incubator for agri-tourism and rural sustainability, bringing Albertans together through educational and experiential agricultural-based initiatives to learn about where their food comes from. As well, rural communities and some of Alberta's most talented chefs will be hosting a memorable series of farm to table culinary events that will be held around the province using Alberta farm products.
In 2023, 133 host farms were part of Open Farm Days, welcoming over 35,000 Albertans to their farms and ranches.
Host farms have included traditional farms, livestock (bison, cattle, alpaca, sheep, llama, goat, poultry) farms and ranches, organic operations, corn mazes, wineries, craft distilleries, meaderies, craft breweries, stables, petting zoos, along with honey, fruit, vegetable, grain and u-pick farms.
Since 2013, Open Farm Days has seen over 183,000 person visits, injecting almost $1.5 million into the rural economy through on-farm sales. In 2023, almost $300,000 in on-farm sales were generated from Open Farm Days.
Since its launch, the public has enjoyed over 1000 Alberta farms. The number of culinary events has also increased over the years, from just 12 in 2013 to 74 in 2023.
Participating farms and ranches have had very positive experiences being part of Alberta Open Farm Days:
- “The important factor was having people learn first hand about bison and having a First Nations representative to speak to the importance of the bison to their culture.” – Glengary Bison Ltd.
- “Visitors were genuinely interested and engaged with what was being shared. Many visitors had never heard of flower farming or alpaca raising in Alberta, so it was a new experience for many.” – Blooms on 7 Flower Farm
- “Many people were exposed to animals and the rural way of life. They were able to interact with producers and find that they were educated, responsible, articulate and caring people with regard to the welfare of their animals and the environment.” – Big Country Agricultural Society
Register to become a host farm. Registration is open until April 30, 2024.
For more information, see:
Contact
For questions concerning Open Farm Days, connect with:
Nicola Doherty, marketing coordinator
Email: [email protected]
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