KINGWOOD – Twelve farms and businesses have signed up to participate in this years Preston County Farm Crawl.
The event will take place July 11-July 12 and will feature High Ground Brewing, Round Right Farm, Possum Tail Farm and Riffle Farm American Bison all located in Terra Alta; Broken Tractor Farm & Winery in Hazelton; Red Sky Farm in Independence; Allegheny Treeware in Thornton; Arthurdale Heritage Inc. (AHI) and Taylor Grown in Arthurdale; Crimson Shamrock Alpaca & Sheep Ranch in Eglon; and Hopping Acres in Bruceton Mills.
Earlier, Darlene Bolyard, director of (AHI), said its facility may not participate in the 2020 Preston County Farm Crawl because of a conflict over requiring face coverings. She said the facility will be open for both guided and drive through tours.
AHI charges $10 per person for their guided tours and require participants to wear masks. The drive through tours at AHI are free. There is no charge to tour the other 11 farms.
Susan Riddle, President and CEO of Visit Mountaineer Country CVB, said the Farm Crawl event team will assure that all tours are hosted in groups of 10 people or less, and six-feet distances are kept between individuals and families, sanitizing stations are offered, and PPE is worn when appropriate.
To help kick off the crawl, Riffle Farms will be hosting a farm-to-table dinner at 7 p.m. July 10. Marion Ohlinger, owner chef of Hill & Hollow in Morgantown, is going to slow roast a bison on a giant spit. Tickets are $60 per person and are available on both Riffle Farms and The Preston County Farm Crawl websites.
Riffle Farms is a small bison farm raising grass-fed and finished animals, tucked away in the hills of Preston County.
Owner and Operator Liz Riffle is a U.S. Navy Nurse Corps veteran and her husband, Jimmie Riffle, is currently serving on active duty as a Navy Nurse Corps nurse practitioner.
“The Riffles believe in progressive sustainability and humane animal practices. The bison farm is planning to become humane certified later this year with their recent approval for field harvesting,” Liz Riffle said.
She said the bison farm will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 11 and 12 so folks can check out the herd, get a tour of the robust handling facilities, taste test bison meat, purchase frozen meat and farm merchandise, and enjoy the panoramic county views.
Riffle said the farm is located up a steep, winding gravel drive so guests are encouraged to drive a 4 x 4 vehicle in anything other than perfect weather conditions. Riffle Farms is part of the South Loop (See the crawl website for more directions.).
Jennie Kahly, from Possum Tail Farm commented on the Preston County Farm Crawl Facebook page: “We are coordinating our tours with Round Right Farm so that crawlers can hit our farms and BBQ Beast at High Ground Brewing. Possum Tail Farm tours will be at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“Round Right Farm Tours will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Both of our organic farms will be ready for visitors anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to answer questions and have goods for sale. BBQ Beast will be featuring Possum Tail Farm Beef and rhubarb in their menu on Saturday. “
Pike Mountain Farm is owned and operated by Tyler and Tiffany Rice. Located 10 miles from downtown Morgantown, Pike Mountain Farm provides pasture raised chicken and pork to the local community.
“Using rotational grazing, this young farm is producing nutrient dense protein and healing the land. Pike Mountain Farm’s location, online ordering and curbside pickup make putting a healthy dinner on the table easy,” Tyler Rice said.
He said farm tours and bluegrass music will be the highlights at this crawl stop.
For more information about the farm crawl go to https://www.facebook.com/prestoncofarmcrawl/ or VisitMountaineerCountry.com/Events. or call 603-325-8460.
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