Driving through the rolling mountains of Preston County, it is not unusual to pass pastures of cattle, sheep, or even South American native alpacas.
In the autumn, fields of corn, beans, sunflowers and other flowers and vegetables wave in the breeze at passersby.
Tucked away, often not visible from country roads, are other interesting farmland sites, such as fruit and vegetable production and even roaming (although fenced-in) bison.
Local farmers are trying to share their livelihoods with the public on a more comprehensive level than just a glance from a car. And the public is interested.
“We are farm business folks, and agri-tourism is a way for us to promote our businesses. Especially when some of those businesses aren’t necessarily set up to be open Monday through Friday with business hours,” Elizabeth Riffle, owner of Riffle Farms and organizer of the Preston County Farm Crawl, said.
Six Preston County farms participated in the first Preston County Farm Crawl last year, and Riffle said over 70 people visited her bison farm during the event. This year, 10 farms have already signed up to open and give tours during this year’s farm crawl, scheduled for July 11-12. On July 10, Riffle Farms will host a farm dinner featuring its own bison meat.
Red Sky Farm, Arthurdale Heritage, Hopping Acres, Allegheny Treenware LLC, Taylor Grow, High Ground Brewing, Crimson Shamrock Farm, Possum Tail Farm, Broken Tractor Farm & Winery, Pike Mountain Farm and Riffle Farms are signed up to participate.
Sharing agriculture
David Moran, of Crimson Shamrock Farm in Eglon, said, “we welcome any visitors to our farm,” adding, “we do it entirely as an educational program.”
Crimson Shamrock farm was a stop at last year’s Farm Crawl. Visitors met the farm’s Suri alpacas and Wensleydale sheep. Moran said the Farm Crawl brought about 25-30 families to his farm, and estimated that between Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H clubs, school groups and other groups, the farm hosts 200-250 visitors per year, about half of whom are local and the other half travel from outside the county.
Moran particularly likes to see how children react to the animals and to share information about them. He said most people are surprised when he tells them, “alpacas originally came from the United States.” He said they migrated north, then through Asia and evolved into camels, while others migrated south to their current homes in South America.
“For us, agri-tourism is an educational program,” Moran said, explaining that agri-tourism is important because many members of the public “don’t have a very good idea of where their food comes from, especially protein.”
Understanding food and farming benefits not only individuals, but also Preston County farmers as a group. Lack of knowledge of local food shopping has led certain farming sectors — Moran mentioned dairy farming in particular — to dwindle significantly.
Preston County Commission President Samantha Stone said, “it’s a way of life that is special, and it’s unique” of Preston County farms, noting that there is a diversity among farm specialties in the county, which piques interests and attracts tourism.
“Tourism is what’s truly going to put Preston County back on the map,” Stone said. She said the Farm Crawl represents a wonderful way to share Preston County agriculture but said public involvement doesn’t stop there.
Stone pointed to the you-pick strawberry patches in the spring, including Vested Heirs Farm in Aurora, and pumpkin patches in the fall around the county.
“You see a lot of families coming together to go do that type of activity,” Stone said.
Riffle said enthusiasm for agri-tourism has grown so much now that she had to be mindful when scheduling the Preston County Farm Crawl and Riffle Farms farm dinner, so as not to conflict with other farm dinners and events.
“More people are willing to open their farms to the public,” Riffle said.
When the public visits local farms, she said, “I hope folks can reconnect with where their food comes from, and understand how hard it is to get, and how hard it is to make, and appreciate the work that goes into it, and then truly appreciate what it means to put it on the table in front of your family and friends.”
By Aldona Bird
TWEET @DominionPostWV
