A Taste Of The High Country – Aug 2022

The vast majority of us, older adults, are lucky. We either grew up on a farm or visited an uncle or an aunt, a neighbour or a friend of the family who owned and lived on the farm. We experienced open skies and fresh air, though sometimes with interesting wiffs of manure or other odours associated with animals, grain growing or farm activities.

If we worked on a farm we quickly learned about the long hours of seemingly mundane, uninspiring tasks such as cleaning barns or stooking (yup, did that and I’ll let you look up that word in the dictionary). But, then again, at day’s end and after a wholesome homemade meal, the evening was sweet and rewarding with the promises of a season’s bounty. Promises that remain fragile since harvests can be destroyed in minutes by a hail storm or suffer a slow death by a drought nullifying a year’s work.

Being a farmer is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard work. It requires courage, perseverance and faith that all will be OK in the end. Nowadays, it also requires skills in engineering, finance and business acumen, unimaginable a few short decades ago. Sadly, the stress of world events and changing economies is such that many can not make ends meet and reluctantly leave the land.

According to Statistic Canada in 2021 there were 57,200 farmers in Alberta, 19,000 less than in 2001.

Meanwhile, we take for granted that the shelves of our grocery store are filled with food. Our urban way of life is separating us from farmers and the land. Many of us do not know where food comes from. In a 2020 study commissioned by Arla Food, 21% of UK children did not know where milk came from, and 10% believed it came from the supermarket. Meanwhile, in 2017, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy found out that 7% of the people surveyed believed chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Unsurprisingly, this lack of awareness is especially bad when it creeps into public policies. Currently, in many European countries, it is so bad that farmers are now reluctantly engaged in sustained protests against agricultural policies that are disassociated from the realities of the land, threatening food supplies in the process.

To counter these trends, the Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies organises an annual, province-wide initiative. Seemingly innocuous, Alberta Open Farm Days is an attempt at keeping people connected to the land while also being an homage to our farming heritage. This year marks the 10th anniversary of this event.

On August 13th and 14th farmers from across the province will open their farms to the public. Everyone is welcome to visit and meet farmers, observe or in some instances take part in farming activities. All kinds of farms participate in the event – fruit and vegetable growers, honey producers, cattle, sheep, chicken producers, grain growers, beer hop growers, and many more. In addition to producing the raw material, many transform it into flours, cheeses, preserves, wools and meat. Some farms even go so far as partnering with culinary chefs to host special events such as long table dinners bringing in the ultimate meaning of the expression “farm to table”. The goal of the Association is to be an incubator for agri-tourism and rural sustainability. It is also about bringing Albertans together to experience first hand where your food comes from.

So – wondering what farms are open in your area? Visit albertaopenfarmdays.ca click on “Plan”, enter your location and a list will pop up. Here’s what caught my eyes.

Permaculture farming – Farm Two53 – MD of Foothills
Family Agriculture Centre – Granary Road Active Learning Park & Farmer’s Market – MD of Foothills
Long Table Dinner – Hartell Homestead – Turner Valley area
Meatshop ranch – Your Local Ranch – Airdrie
Hops Farm – Water Valley Hops – Water Valley
Cattle – OH Ranch Calgary Stampede – Long View area
Honey wines – Spirit Hills Flower Winery – Millarville area

Happy Farm Days!