COLUMBUS — A series of free public tours will be hosted this summer on some of Ohio’s top sustainable and organic farms.
The tours are sponsored by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, Innovative Farmers of Ohio and the Ohio State University Sustainable Agriculture Team.
Educating Ohio
Consumers interested in local foods, farmers and market gardeners wanting to learn from each other’s successes and mistakes, aspiring and beginning farmers, and anyone interested in learning more about the production and marketing techniques of sustainable farmers in Ohio, are invited to attend.
“The food production system is a mystery for many consumers. This series of free tours shows that some farmers are eager to open their doors to share their experiences with other farmers and with the general public,” said Mike Anderson, organic education program coordinator at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association.
“The more consumers know about how their food is grown, the better prepared they are to make informed choices about who to support with their food dollars,” added Anderson.
Tour series
Eleven tours will be held between June and October, featuring livestock producers; a poultry processing facility; certified organic farmers; farms that incorporate renewable energy and green building techniques; and farmers using a wide range of direct-to-consumer marketing strategies, including farmers’ markets, restaurants, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).
The tours are:
• June 10: Muddy Fork Farm, Wooster, Ohio (Wayne County);
• June 16: Blue Rock Station, Philo, Ohio (Muskingum County);
• June 27: Starline Organics, Athens, Ohio (Athens County);
• July 17: Mapleside Farm, Hiram, Ohio (Portage County);
• July 18: Sandy Rock Acres, Rockbridge, Ohio (Hocking County);
• Aug. 7: Mockingbird Meadows, Marysville, Ohio (Union County);
• Aug. 14: Crown Point Ecology Center, Bath, Ohio (Summit County);
• Sept. 18: Bluebird Farm, Cadiz, Ohio (Harrison County);
• Sept. 25: Central Ohio Poultry Processing, Bellville, Ohio (Richland County);
• Oct. 2: Clearview Farm, Pataskala, Ohio (Licking County);
• Oct. 16: Carriage House Farms, LLC, N. Bend, Ohio (Hamilton County).
Information
For a complete list of farm tours, and for more information about OEFFA’s farm tours, download the tour brochure at www.oeffa.us/oeffa/pdfs/OEFFA_2010farmtoursSMALL.pdf.
