The Rocky Mountain House Agricultural Society along with Open Farm Days will once again be holding a ‘caravan’ type event where participants will visit four area farms.

Beginning the morning of Saturday, Aug. 16, participants will meet at Rival Trade Brewing Co. at 9:30 a.m. before piling into cars to ‘caravan’ to four different West County farms to learn about their operations.

Participating farms for 2025 include:

• Mathey Farms. Located near Caroline, this farm focusses on regenerative grazing practices and raises pigs, sheep, cattle, turkeys and ducks.
• Hamingja Heritage Farm and Nature Preserve. Located just north of Leslieville. The farm features a variety of heritage animals including ducks, sheep and goats. The farm operates with sustainable practices, especially when it comes to water.
• Little Farm on Wall Street. Located east of Rocky Mountain House, this farm has a focus on growing flowers. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about the Krook family’s growing practices.
• Van der Gun Dairy. Located 25 km west of Innisfail on Hwy. 54, is a local family-run dairy farm with 120 milking cows. Started in 2001, the cows live in a free stall barn and the cows are milked in a herringbone milk parlor.

Following the farm tour, a farm-to-table dinner catered by John Dough’s Wood Fired Pizza will be served at Rival Trade. The dinner is $40 for adults, $15 for children, and kids under 5 are free.

Brewery tours will also be made available at Rival Trade for those 18+, say organizers.

For this year, Lori Sunde-Cooper, secretary of the Rocky Ag Society says a focus of this year’s Open Farm Days will be water conservation.

“Farmers will be teaching visitors how they utilize water and how they work to preserve it,” says Sunde-Cooper.

Once again, over 30 central Alberta farms will be participating over the weekend.

The event, now in its 13th year, continues to grow in popularity. Some participants get on board purely for the fun and educational aspect, while others hope to learn more about agri-tourism.

Baker notes all of the the farm tours are free, although, as is the case with the Rocky event, there are adject events where participants can spend money.

Overall, over 160 farms across the entire province are participating.

Email rockyagsocietyinfo@gmail.com for more information or to register.

(Rocky Mountain House Agricultural Society)