Some Mountain View County farms participated in the provincewide Alberta Open Farm Days on August 23 and 24, showing visitors a day in the life of their operations.
Rick Gelowitz, owner of the Solstice Berry Farm, said he saw between 50 and 100 guests, to whom he and his staff demonstrated how a saskatoon berry farm employs high-tech equipment in the harvest and sorting of their crop.
“We took folks to the orchard, explained to them how we started and planted our orchard, and what varieties of saskatoons we have,” said Gelowitz.
The guests got to see how he employs a tractor and harvester to pick the berries en masse.
“It was developed in Poland for black currants, but it works well on saskatoons too,” he noted.
After that, he took visitors down to the berry building where the berries are cleaned and sorted.
“A lot of people found that very fascinating, because we employ some high-tech optical equipment.”
The equipment sorts out the soft and discoloured berries, and the good berries that are left are then packaged for sale to both businesses and farmers markets.
He said he enjoyed showing people what is involved, although his voice was going hoarse by the end of the day because he was doing so much talking on the tours.
“A lot of people really had no idea how berries are picked by machines…(and) really don't know how much work is involved in putting together those bags they see in the farmers markets.”
The program, orchestrated by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, is a good one, he added.
“A lot of people from the city enjoy the chance to come out and see how food is grown and harvested…It's a win-win for everybody – a good program for sure, and we'll definitely be participating next year,” he said, adding that he received some very positive feedback from visitors.
Open Farm Days encourages Albertans to go to the source of their food and experience it first-hand, say officials.
“From farm visits for the whole family, to one-of-a-kind culinary experience for foodies, Open Farm Days is a great reason for a summer road trip,” said Richard Starke, minister of tourism, parks and recreation.
“There's no better way for Albertans to experience our agricultural heritage and immense rural landscapes. This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the farm as a whole new tourism destination.”
Verlyn Olson, minister of agriculture and rural development, said he hoped Albertans took the opportunity to meet some of the “extraordinary producers” in their province.
“What better time of year to explore the country and see Alberta farms at their very best?”
Along with Solstice Berry Farm, The Blooming Fields, Reese Cattle Company, Fisher Farms, and Fallentimber Meadery also opened up their doors to visitors for the weekend.
