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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Dozens of farmers and growers around the state will kick off summer by opening their gates and sharing their agricultural know-how with Ohioans.
Thirty-two farm tours and 10 workshops will be featured between June and November during the 2016 Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series.
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is sponsoring 21 of the events, and communications coordinator Lauren Ketchem says it's a chance to see, taste and experience life on a farm and learn about where food comes from.
"Consumers gain a greater understanding of how food gets from the field to the dinner table," says Ketchem. "Seeing can be a more powerful experience than reading something in a book or on a website."
The tours include opportunities to see sustainable beekeeping, as well as operations that produce grass-fed beef, poultry, vegetables and herbs. And Ketchum notes they are free and family-friendly.
Ketchum says consumer interest in sustainable, local foods continues to grow, and those who attend the tours will get an inside look at organic practices at some of the farms.
"Operations that are using chemical-free production methods, who are raising heritage-breed livestock and pasturing those animals rather than raising them in confinement," says Ketchum. "Implementing sustainable production practices like cover crops and crop rotation."
The tour series has been offered by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association for more than 40 years, and Ketchum notes the farmers and growers have developed a support network.
"They've made life-long connections," she says. "So it's a great chance for farmers and gardeners to share that production and marketing know-how; to share the wisdom that they've developed through their hands-on experiences."
A tour guide is available online at oeffa.org.
