Virtual Open Farms event connects consumers to working farms

Open Farms in Frontenac has created a four-week virtual event to connect consumers with local producers. This online event will take the place of the in-person farm visits Open Farms has hosted for the past two years.

The virtual event begins Monday, Sept. 14, and runs through Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Eaters interested in learning more about local food and the people who produce it in our region are invited to check out www.OpenFarms.ca, the central hub for this year’s virtual event.

“The pandemic has sparked a renewed interest in eating local food,” says Alison Vandervelde, Community Development Officer for Frontenac County. “While an in-person event is not possible this year, the virtual event is a great opportunity for connection and education. In the event’s third year, those continue to be our main goals.”

The types of content available on the website, and shared via social media throughout the event, will include farm tour videos, farm profiles, educational resources, listings of where and how to buy from local producers, and tips for preparing food, read a media release dated Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Follow @FrontenacCounty on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the full experience. At least one producer will invite in-person visitors to their farm for small-scale, ticketed tours.

Six live Q&A sessions will be held with farmers, for those interested in participating. The three morning sessions are designed for children, and teachers are encouraged to register their classes and submit questions in advance.

• Growing fruits and vegetables
  Date: Thursday, September 17
  Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
• Raising animals
  Date: Tuesday, September 22
  Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
• Impacts of eating locally
  Date: Thursday, September 24
  Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
• What COVID 19 has taught us about local food
  Date: Tuesday, September 29
  Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
• Ask me anything
  Date: Thursday, October 1
  Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
• Abattoirs, what are they and what’s at stake?
  Date: Tuesday, October 6
  Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Register to participate in these sessions on the Open Farms website: https://www.infrontenac.ca/en/visit-frontenac/open-farms-live-q-a-sessions.aspx

Fourteen participants are confirmed for the 2020 virtual event:

• de Ruiter Beef
• Double Jay Farms
• Fat Chance Farmstead
• Freedom Farm
• Frontenac County Plowmen’s Association
• Kitchen Table Seed House
• Long Road Ecological Farm
• Maple Ridge Farm
• New Leaf Farm
• Patchwork Gardens
• Perry Farm
• Root Radical
• Sonset Farm
• The Rise Farm

Open Farms was first held in 2018. The County of Frontenac collaborated with seven farms to allow consumers to visit real working farms in the area. In 2019 the number of participating farms grew to 10 and thousands of visitors spent the day getting a behind-the scenes look at small-scale agriculture in our region, read the release. The 2019 event also received the Economic Developers Association of Canada’s Marketing Canada Award for Best Event.

Visit the Open Farms in Frontenac website to stay up-to-date on this event: https://www.infrontenac.ca/en/visit-frontenac/open-farms-in-frontenac.aspx