Granby Agricultural Commission hosts Open Farm Day

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The Granby Agricultural Commission is sponsoring a free Open Farm Day on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farms will open their gates to host demonstrations, tours, offer samples and more. Farmers will be onsite to greet visitors and answer any questions. Returning Farm Day attendees will be pleased to find old favorites such as the Hay Bale Toss at Maple View Farm and tractor rides at Lost Acres Orchard, and will also discover some new additions to the annual festivities. For the first time, visitors can watch cows milked by two state-of-the-art robotic milking units at Sweet Pea Farm/House of Hayes, and say hello to two new pigs at Holcomb Farm CSA. New to Open Farm Day, Valkyrie Equestrian Center will join the fun this year with beginner and advanced riding demos. The complete schedule of events is at GranbyAg.org, the Granby Agricultural Commission’s website.
Beginning at 10 a.m. on Sept. 9, start at any one of the participating farms and grab your passport. Spend the day visiting any or all of the open farms and learn where your food comes from, how animals are cared for and trained, and how plants are grown. Collect a new stamp in your passport at each farm you visit. At the last farm you visit, turn in your passport and be entered in a drawing for prizes donated by participating farms and businesses. Visitors who collect six or more stamps will be entered into a special drawing for a $100 gift certificate to spend at the Nov. 20 Farmers Market at Lost Acres Vineyard!
Among the participating farms are: The Garlic Farm, famous for its German White garlic and other pesticide-free veggies; Hidden Acres Farm, an art and yoga studio as well as a farm with a medicinal herb garden, alpacas, mini donkeys and chickens; O’Brien Nurserymen, well known in the region for its extensive hosta collection and acres of inspiring landscaped paths; Clark Farm at Bushy Hill Orchard, a fruit orchard and veggie farm popular for fresh apple cider donuts; and Lost Acres Vineyard, a farm winery producing hand crafted wines and offering wine tastings, wine by the glass and bottle, art and more.
“Our local farms are such an important part of Granby’s community, and we want to share this special part of our town. Open Farm Day gives people a chance to interact with Granby’s farmers and have fun doing it,” said Michelle Niedermeyer, chair of the Agricultural Commission. The Agricultural Commission is responsible for advising town boards on the impact to agriculture of any proposed regulations or issues that arise. The commission is also charged with furthering the connection between Granby’s farmers and consumers, which prompted the Open Farm Day event.
Admission to Open Farm Day is free.  For more information, visit www.GranbyAg.org .