Summer activities for the green at heart: sustainable agriculture tours
Got a big trip planned to the beach, mountains, or lake this summer? Maybe not: with our current economic doldrums, you may well have cut back on summer travel plans. If you’re looking for activities closer to home this year that won’t cost big bucks, it just so happens that summer is also the season for sustainable farm tours… and there’s likely one near you coming up. Here are just a few upcoming events that will allow you to see more sustainable agriculture in action, as well as provide you with an education on where your food comes from:
- Kansas City’s “Food From the City…For the City” urban farm and garden tour takes place on June 28th. For a mere $5 ($12 for a family of three or more), you can get a look at some great examples of Midwestern urban agriculture.
- That same weekend, western North Carolina’s Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project will host its Family Farms tour. Visit 38 very diverse farms, with a number of certified organic farms in the mix.
- And if you’re in the Northwest that weekend (obviously, a popular one for these activities), Seattle Green Drinks will host a tour of 21 Acres organic farm in Woodinville.
- Back in the Midwest, the University of Illinois Extension offers a summer-long series of farm tours. You’ve still got time to see a strawberry farm, a grass-fed beef and pastured chickens operation, and an elk farm.
- The Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association also offers a range of tours over the summer, including trips to an organic vineyard, and a dairy grazing farm.
If none of these meet your needs, check with a state university extension service, or a local sustainable agriculture organization for nearby events. If you know of an event like this, feel free to share in the comments…
Image source: chailey at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
