(Alberta Open Farm Days/Liz Buller Page)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

keystone animal

Alberta Open Farm Days celebrates the bison this weekend

Aug 17, 2023 | 10:50 AM

Alberta Open Farm Days is Aug. 19 & 20, with 130+ locations across the province for you to go and learn about how farms and other agricultural businesses operate.

The theme of this year’s event, now in its eleventh year, is the Year of the Bison.

There are more than 470 bison ranches in Alberta, which make up nearly half of all in Canada, says Tim Carson, CEO, Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies and Open Farm Days.

“We are a huge producer. Bison are a tremendously majestic animal, a keystone animal in fact, as they’ve been here longer than most of us,” he says. “This is a strategic opportunity for Open Farm Days to provide the public some information about how dynamic and diverse our agriculture industry is.”

This year’s signature recipe is for a bison pâté.

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It also includes a special bison logo, created by Liz Buller Page, an Indigenous artist who lives in Calgary, and is from the Treaty 6 Mistawasis Nehiyawak Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan.

“The bison is a piece of our history and our future, so we felt it was important to link all of that together,” says Carson.

“What’s really great this year is of the 130+ locations taking part, more than 50 a brand new. Regardless if you’ve been out in previous years, there’s always something new to see with Alberta Open Farm Days. The program itself is meant to be an agri-tourism incubator as we provide assistance, education and information for host farms to grow and improve their customer experience.”

Carson says in doing so, farms can be better hosts for the event, but also increase their ability to positively impact and drive the rural economy.

To find a local farm or other venue taking part near you, visit AlbertaOpenFarmDays.ca.

READ MORE: Local producers say Open Farm Days critical for teaching about ‘farm to table’