Alberta Open Farm Days returns August 15-16

“What’s really interesting here in Alberta is we do have rangelands, and that would be Crown land that farmers can use to graze their animals. If you’ve ever gone into a provincial park and suddenly there’s a herd of cows there and you wonder, are these supposed to be here? The reality is, yeah, they will have paid for some rights to be able to use that land to graze their animals.”

Baker says highlighting rangelands and pastoralists is something Albertans can relate to by considering the provincial beef industry and how integral it is to the economy.

At the same time, it allows for discussion around the environment — specifically rangelands and wetlands where cattle, sheep, bison and migratory birds roam.

“These are important things that are impacting our farmers and ranchers,” she adds.

“There’s opportunity with this program for people from the city to actually make contact with farmers. The more time passes, people are getting more and more disconnected from the farm, so Open Farm Days can open the door to farmers that have farm-direct meat programs, and that’s a wonderful thing for people who may want to cut out the middleman a bit. And a lot of times, there’s a price advantage.”

Not every participating site in Alberta Open Farm Days is an actual or traditional farm; you may end up at a brewery, long-table dinner, dam, museum, or even an apiary.

You can reserve a spot at certain sites via the event website and plan a trip around your region ahead of time.

Most sites are free, but may include additional experiences that can be paid for.

by Josh Hall

Alberta Open Farm Days returns August 15-16

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