City slickers will get a chance for some country living this weekend as two local farmers throw open their doors to the public.
St. Albert’s Horse Sense Training and Petting Zoo and Bon Accord’s Prairie Gardens and Adventure Farm are having an open house this Sunday as part of the first-ever Alberta Open Farm Days. The two-day event, based on a similar event from Manitoba, is meant to promote agri-tourism.
About 30 per cent of Alberta’s tourism dollars get spent outside of Edmonton, Calgary, and the Rockies, says Alberta Tourism’s Erin Larson, and about 86 per cent of Alberta’s tourists are from Alberta. Open Farm Days is meant to encourage Albertans to take more of these “stay-cations” and explore their back yards.
This year’s event runs Aug. 24 and 25 and features about 41 Alberta farms and agri-businesses, Larson said, all of which have open houses with free activities this weekend. “There’s quite a bit of variety, depending on what you’re interested in.”
Some farms will also have paid gourmet meals using local food prepared by pro chefs.
Prairie Gardens owner Tam Andersen says she’ll have Blair Lebsack of the Range Road Restaurant on site this Sunday to cook a five-course meal made with Bon Accord beef, Sturgeon County berries and vegetables from her backyard. “Forget the 100-mile diet – it’s the 25-step diet!” Lebsack will also offer a running commentary about his techniques and ingredients for his guests as he makes their meal.
Guests who aren’t interested in the meal can run a corn maze, eat roasted potatoes and hug a bunny, Andersen says.
You can also come to Horse Sense Sunday for pony rides, llamas, emus and goats, says owner Sonya Steiner. “It’s so amazing to see all the different varieties of animals and see how they really make our lives a lot brighter.”
Open Farm Days are meant to help urban Albertans connect with farmers and understand how food gets to their plate, Larson says.
Farm life has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, Andersen says. “When I was a kid, a section (640 acres) would have been a big farm, but now an average farm is 3,000 acres.” They also have huge start-up costs, making it tough for young farmers to get into the business.
At the same time, Steiner says, urbanites have become distanced from the farm life. “Ask a person how you get milk from a cow, what has to happen, and a lot of them would have a hard time answering that question.”
Others have misconceptions about animals. “Most people assume every llama is going to spit at a human,” she says as an example. “That’s not their goal in life.” (They actually spit at other llamas to protect food.) She’s also seen kids terrified by chickens in her petting zoo, despite the fact that the birds are harmless.
Events like Open Farm Days can help bridge this gap, Steiner says. Visitors to her farm will be able to get up close and personal with farm animals and learn about them from farmers.
The local food movement offers other ways for the city to learn about the country and for farmers to make a living. Andersen’s farm has a community-supported agriculture project, for example, where customers help raise the vegetables they buy. Many bring their kids along to help. “They really want their children to experience first-hand what it is to grow food on the farm.”
Open Farm Days runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Prairie Gardens and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Horse Sense this Aug. 25. Admission is free, but tickets for the Prairie Gardens dinner are $126.
Visit albertafarmdays.com for the full list of events.
