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Join the High Country Farm Tour in Watauga on Saturday and Learn About Local Agriculture

 

2015 Farm Tour LogoWatauga Farm Tour Map

What’s better than fresh, local food? Find out where it comes from and who makes it available in the area on Saturday on the second component of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s annual High Country Farm Tour.

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High Country Farm Tour

This weekend’s tour will focus on community gardens and farms in Watauga County in two sessions: a morning tour from 9 a.m. to noon and an afternoon tour from 2-6 p.m.

Gather your friends and family on Saturday morning, look at the map depicting participating locations and plan your own trip through the area. Pay $20 per carload at the first farm you visit to receive your pass to all farms that day.

If you’d rather dig right in, volunteer to work at one of the farms on the day of the tour to receive a free pass.

New this year, the morning tour will focus on gardens throughout Boone. The BRWIA has partnered with Lettuce Learn, BLANK, to offer kid-friendly activities at five different community gardens.

Remember that the Watauga farmers’ market will also be open at Horn in the West during the morning tour!

Morning stops will include:

  • The permaculture garden for the Bread for Life Soup Kitchen at the Hospitality House in Boone
  • The education garden at Mountain Pathways Montessori School
  • The church 4-H education garden at Mary Boyer Memorial Garden at St. Luke’s
  • The Edible School Yard Education Garden at Appalachian State University
  • The Learning Garden at the Early Childhood Development Center
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Nelson Family Farm

In the afternoon, 12 Watauga County farms invite you to join them for an ‘open house’ and will provide tours. For many of the farms, it’s the only time of the year that they are open to the public!

There are a variety of learning experiences, activities, and products at the farms that offer fun for the whole family throughout the afternoon. The Watauga County Tour will feature opportunities to learn about the largest berry farm in the tri-county area, learn about the challenges of young farmers at Waxing and F.I.G. Farms, and meet the 103 year old proprietor of Shipley Farm to learn about the history of farming in our region.

The afternoon farm tour will include:

  • Bethel Valley Farm in Banner Elk (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
  • Against the Grain in Zionville (vegetables, meat/livestock products, sorghum molasses)
  • Horse Helpers of the High Country in Zionville (giving abandoned, abused, neglected or unwanted horses a second chance)
  • Springhouse Farms in Vilas (certified organic vegetables, pastured pork and honey)
  • Shiply Farms in Vilas (Century farm with pasture raised beef)
  • A.R.M. Café’s “The Garden Spot” in Valle Crucis (vegetables, herbs, cut flowers)
  • Waxwing Farm in Banner Elk (produce, herbs, cut flowers, original artwork)
  • FIG Farm in Valle Crucis (farm incubator and grower project, low-cost land leases for agricultural ventures)
  • Lively Up Farm in Banner Elk (heirloom vegetables)
  • Apple Hill Farm in Banner Elk (animals, yarn, eggs and vegetables)

Click here to read more about each stop.

About Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is proud to organize the 2015 High Country Farm Tour and to celebrate sustainable agriculture in the High Country.

BRWIA is an organization of farmers, gardeners and individuals in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee who are committed to helping create a sustainable food and farming system that protects the environment, builds the local economy, alleviates hunger and poverty and improves community health.

Along with creating opportunities to meet farmers during the farm tour, BRWIA programs include a farmer grant program, seasonal growing workshops, community educational programs and networking opportunities for farmers.

The best way to learn more about our work or to get involved is to get involved! Visit www.brwia.org or contact the group at info@brwia.org.

We hope you are inspired and educated by this tour and that you will support BRWIA in its efforts to create a sustainable future.

Questions? Contact Suzanne Fleishman at Suzanne@brwia.org or call 828-386-1537.

 

Proceeds from the 2015 High Country Farm Tour benefit Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, a 501c(3) organization dedicated to strengthening the High Country’s local food system by supporting women and their families with resources, education, and skills related to sustainable food and agriculture. BRWIA organizes the Farm Tour with generous support from several local businesses and organizations, including: High Country Local First, Heifer USA, and High Country Press.

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The Farm at Mollie’s Branch
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Fog Likely Farm