As summer rolls along and fall starts to creep closer, many of us a looking to find the perfect way to spend some quality time with our families before the busyness of back-to-school starts again.

What better way than to celebrate Alberta’s deep farming history and tradition than visiting a working farm to learn about where our food comes from and interact with the people at the heart of it all. Through the past couple of years of pandemic times, the important of shopping local was highlighted more than ever before and now is the time to continue support businesses and farms close to home! Plus, visiting local farms is a great way to support local and enjoy great food all while reducing your environmental impact and food transport kilometres.

So, where can you get started in finding a great farm experience for your family?

Alberta Open Farm Days is a province-wide open house on August 13 & 14, 2022 designed to bring together Albertans through educational and educational agricultural-based initiatives. Events span from interactive and educational farm tours to delicious farm-to-table culinary events, so you’re bound to find something for everyone in your family.

Whether your interests lie in fields of lavender, picking fruit from an orchard, or giving some loving pets to our favourite furry farm friends, there’s no doubt that everyone in your family can have a great time at a participating farm. Click here to find all participating farms and farm experiences over the two days.

If you’ve always been interested in knowing the inner workings of a dairy farm or want to know more about what goes into operating an apiary, this is the time to discover it all! Farm visits are great for the entire family providing a fun and educational experience to help connect the dots when it comes to understanding where your food comes from and how it gets to your dinner table.

If you’re looking for the perfect date-night or adult-only outing, there are some great options to visit a local winery, brewery, or distillery this weekend. Alberta is now the proud home of nearly 50 distilleries and over 130 breweries showing a marked increased in the liquor and beer industry in the province over the part 5+ years. Be sure to check out the closest winery, brewery, or distillery to you and make a plan to head out for a tour or tasting (just make sure you’ve planned ahead for a safe way to make it back home!)

Want someone else to take care of planning for the day so you can just sit back and enjoy? No problem – there are two amazing options for Bus Tours during this year’s Alberta Open Farm Days. Visit four great farms in the Mountain View County or enjoy a Hops/Mead Tour on the Re-Connect with the Farm Tour or enjoy a VIP Bus Tour and Long Table Dinner at Taste of the Heartland.

Need another reason to visit a local farm this weekend? Alberta Open Farm Days is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary this year, which means there’s bound to be some extra farm-fun events planned throughout the province. In the past 10 years, over 800 farms have participated in the event, amounting to nearly 150,000 farm visits!

To celebrate this important milestone, Alberta Open Farm Days is focused on recognizing how farming is dependent on one another. The best demonstration of this is the work of a fan favourite pollinator, the honeybee who works hard to pollinate the fruits, vegetables, and legumes that we consume on a daily basis.

At Indeygo, we are committed to sourcing over 70% of our ingredients locally and from Canadian suppliers so we know how important our local farming community is.

For this reason, we can’t forget to mention our great farm partner, Erdmann’s Garden & Greenhouses who will be providing farm-fresh veggies for our Fall Harvest Bundle Fundraisers! This is perfect for schools and groups fundraising during the last two weeks of September with the Harvest Bundles being delivered in the first half of October (dependent on harvest time).

Can’t make it to Alberta Open Farms Days this weekend, or looking for even more farm fun to enjoy with your family as we ease into harvesting season? Check out Farmzy, an online platform that makes finding and booking farm tours, events, and experience easy! Search by location or by farm to find the perfect activity for your family that suits your schedule and price range. 

Want to find out more about the fundraising opportunities we can support, be sure to check out our website and download our free e-book with all the details! Our team is always on hand to answer your questions about how our fundraisers work, provide a handy coordinators checklist, and even provide tips on fundraising during the pandemic. Once you’re ready to fundraise, get in touch and our Indeygo team will reach out to get started!

Not fundraising right now? No problem – keep us in mind for next time and check out some of our past blog posts in the meantime for some great tips and tricks!