See, Taste, and Experience Life on the Farm: 2017 Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series Guide Available

Columbus, OH—The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 2017 farm tour, workshop, and event line up offers a multitude of experiences, including: strolling through organic fields and pastures, acquiring basic homesteading skills, learning from early career growers following their farm dreams, hearing stories from Ohio’s founding sustainable farmers, grasping the ins and outs of growing food in the city and on reclaimed urban lots, scaling up vegetable production, choosing the right farm equipment, and processing poultry.

OEFFA’s 27 summer farm tours, workshops, and other special events are part of the 2017 Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series. Five of these events focus on urban agriculture and are presented by Central State University Cooperative Extension.

• Saturday, June 17: Renewable Energy Farm Tour—Woodland Ridge Farm and Learning Center, Athens Co.
• Tuesday, June 20: On-Farm Research and Organic Vegetable Farm Tour—Artisan Acres, Wayne Co.
• Sunday, June 25: Diversified Beginning Farm Tour—Homecoming Farm, Athens Co.
• Saturday, July 29: Youth Urban Farming Tour—Green Corps Midtown Learning Farm, Cuyahoga Co.
• Friday, August 11: Organic Grain Seed Breeding Farm Tour—Valley View Farm, Logan Co.
• Sunday, August 13: Vegetable Equipment Systems Farm Tour—Mile Creek Farm, Montgomery Co.
• Tuesday, August 22: Grass-Fed Livestock Farm Tour—Grassroots Farm, Pike Co.
• Sunday, September 10: Healthy Soil Farm Tour—Margraf Family Farm, Seneca Co.
• Saturday, September 23: Cheesemaking and Homestead Tour—Blackstone Farm, Monroe Co.
• Saturday, October 21: Pasture-Raised Livestock Beginning Farm Tour—Moores Heritage Farm, Ashtabula Co.

Develop production skills, explore a dream to farm, tour the countryside, network with beginning farmers, and taste summer’s bounty during these workshops and special events:

• Tuesday, August 8: Young and Beginning Farmers Q&A and Networking Session—Rambling House Soda, Franklin Co.
• Sunday, August 20: The Farmers’ Table—Maplestar Farm, Geauga Co.
• Sunday, September 10: Poultry Processing for the Small Farm and Homestead Workshop—Tea Hills Farms, Ashland Co.
• Sunday, September 24: Harvest Bicycle Ride—Fairfield Co.
• Sunday, October 15: Farm Vision Workshop—OEFFA, Franklin Co.
• October 2017-February 2018: Heartland Farm Beginnings^® Training Course—OEFFA, Franklin Co.
• Friday, November 3-Saturday, November 4: Grow More Vegetables, Make More Money Workshop—Procter Center, Madison Co.

Learn how to farm in the city and achieve food security, and tour thriving urban agriculture projects that are reclaiming vacant properties, during these urban agriculture farm tours and workshops presented by Central State University Cooperative Extension:

• Saturday, June 24: Urban CSA Farm Tour—Urban Greens, Hamilton Co.
• Friday, July 28: Diversified Urban Development Farm Tour—New Harvest Cafe and Urban Arts Center, Franklin Co.
• Saturday, August 12: Personal Food Security Workshop—CSU Dayton Auditorium, Montgomery Co.
• Saturday, September 2: Urban Livestock Farm Tour—Glass City Goat Gals, Lucas Co.
• Wednesday, September 20: Farm the City on Solid Legal Ground Workshop—Cuyahoga County CSU Extension, Cuyahoga Co.

Explore audio excerpts, photography, multimedia pieces, and print materials from OEFFA’s Growing Right Oral History project during one of 15 stops on its tour of central Ohio farmers’ markets and groceries June-August. Get the full schedule here.

Visit with OEFFA member farms during four annual open houses held at Snowville Creamery on June 10, Foraged & Sown on July 16, Carriage House Farm on September 17, and Pastured Providence Farmstead on October 21.

This series is also promoted in cooperation with The Ohio State University Extension Sustainable Agriculture Team and the Clintonville Farmers’ Market, who are sponsoring additional tours.

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise indicated in the series brochure.