This year’s Sandhills Farm Tour will include more farms than ever.
The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Sandhills Farm Tour will be held June 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and costs $15 per carload, or $18 the day of the event.
The tour starts at the Sandhills Research Station at 2148 Windblow Road, Jackson Springs, and will begin with a kick-off event that will include live music.
“This year we will be starting the Farm Tour at the Sandhills Research Station,” said Montgomery County Cooperative Extension Agent Danelle McKnight. “At the Station visitors will hear Celtic/bluegrass music by local Seagrove potter Will McCanless. The Research Station will also provide guided hayride tours of their Peach Orchards, Ornamental plots, and berry patches. Honey Love Apiary will also be at the Research Station teaching visitors about beekeeping and selling local honey.”
This tour has grown from a handful of farms across Moore, Montgomery and Richmond counties and now extends as far east as Jackson Springs and as far west as Polkton, including Anson County with several farms.
“I think I can speak for everyone that helped with this tour, that when we received the 17th farm we were blown away,” said McKnight. “We knew this tour would be something great and the increase of farms showed us how remarkable it will be.”
“We are excited about the Farm Tour this year,” said Richmond County’s Cooperative Extension Agent Paige Burns. “It’s grown in both the number of farms and counties that are participating, and we think it showcases well the varied farms we have in our region. We hope many people will take advantage of the opportunity to get to know their local farmers by joining the tour this year, and then going back to support them throughout the remainder of the year at their farm stands or the local farmers markets.
“Not only does buying local food bring the freshest food to your table, it supports the local economy as a whole when you spend with a local business, whether that’s a farmer, a locally owned restaurant, or any other locally owned business,” Burns said.
“Each farm has a specialty whether it is with local food or history of times past,” said the announcement from the Cooperative Extension. “Some of the farms will have cooking demonstrations and family fun activities. You can purchase tickets from Montgomery Cooperative Extension located at 203 W. Main St., Troy.”
“This year we are really excited to showcase all the different facets of farming,” said McKnight. “Visitors can learn of times past, farms off dirt roads, rainwater harvesting, peach orchards, growing and harvesting tobacco, dog agility trials from Survivor Contestant Jane Bright, beef cattle farm owned by Kerry Collins, berry patches, heritage breeds of livestock and much more. I can’t honestly say one item I am more excited about, I think we are just thrilled at how many farms we have on the tour this year.”
For more information on the tour or to purchase tickets, contact Montgomery County Cooperative Extension at 910-576-6011 or visit http://montgomery.ces.ncsu.edu/.
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@heartlandpublications.com.
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