The annual Centre County Farm Tour, now in its 12th year, is under new leadership, as the Centre County Farmland Trust takes over from the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. As the PASA realigned its priorities, it reached out to the CCFT.
“They asked us if we wanted to do the event, and we jumped at the opportunity,” says Sarah Walter, executive director, CCFT. “We think it’s a great fit for the Centre County Farmland Trust. We’re really excited to use this opportunity to really shine the spotlight on local farms and local farmers.”
The Centre County Farm Tour, which will be held on Saturday, is a daylong, self-guided tour of 11 farms through the county.. While specific activities are dependent upon each individual farm, most offer a behind-the-scenes look at their operations, as well as children’s activities, workshops, tastings and opportunities to interact with the animals. There’s no obligation to visit the farms in any certain order, to visit all the farms or to visit at certain times, giving the event a high amount of flexibility, for a great price.
“It’s really a free for all,” Walter says. “Basically, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., people can go to any of the featured farms and just show up and buy a pass if they don’t have one yet, or show their pass if they do have one, and they’ll get access to whatever is going on at that farm… One farm tour pass (the pre-sale online price is $15 or the day-of price is $20), covers an entire car, for the whole day, for every farm.”
Which farms you visit, depends on your interests. Most have something fun for the youngest visitors in your group, but others, like Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery and Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery, cater more to the adult crowd. The Student Farm at Penn State is also hosting two adult-appropriate workshops on season extension in the home garden, covering more complex topics like biointensive plant spacing, hand-scale cultivation and drip irrigation.
While Walter says she and her team are keeping the tour quite similar to tours of years prior, there is one addition to the farm lineup. Way Fruit Farm is participating for its first time ever, offering a look at its storage and packing facilities.
Once on the tour, mostly every workshop and other activity is free, but an emphasis is placed on the purchase of local products and supporting local farms. Many of the farms will have seasonal produce available, but others are offering more specialized wares, like 13 kinds of pork sausage at Over the Moon Farm, kombucha at Penns Valley Youth Center Food Centre and homemade ice cream at Spring Bank Acres.
Walter says the CCFT’s main goal isn’t necessarily to see a certain number of participants, but rather “we want as many people as possible to get out and get to know their local farms and local farmers. At the same time, we want them to know who we are and what we do in the community. We’ve not had a big, major event like this to interact with the community before; most of our work is with private landowners, preserving farms. We see this as a great opportunity to preserve farms by keeping them as viable, profitable operations and lifting them up and really promoting them… All of these farms really rely on their customers to be able to survive, so the more they can support them, the more the farmland will be preserved around that by default, because it’s a viable farm. It’s not just a roadside attraction or a gimmick; it’s peoples’ livelihood and we want [visitors] to know where their food is grown and how it’s grown and who is growing it.”
Her tips to anyone planning to attend? “Bring a cooler, so you can purchase products and keep everything cool throughout the day. Plan your route ahead of time and make sure you know where you’re going. Wash your hands after coming into contact with animals. Don’t bring any cats or dogs with you on the tour, but do bring your kids, family and friends! The farm pass covers the whole car.”
For more information on what you can expect at each participating farm, as well as directions and locations, download the Farm Tour Guide at centrecountyfarmtour.com.
If You Go:
What: Centre County Farm Tour
When: Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: 11 Farms in Centre County. See the guide here.
