Thousands of people are expected at farms across Prince Edward Island for Open Farm Day 2015 on September 20th, as farmers open their doors to the public.
At 28 participating farms across the province, families will be able to get close to farm animals, watch cows being milked, dig up some potatoes, taste new grape varieties, pick apples and other fruit and take wagon rides through fields. Visitors will also get to see parts of agriculture that wouldn’t immediately come to mind when they think about agriculture, including alpacas and Christmas trees.
Quick Facts
• The Prince Edward Island event is developed by the PEI Agriculture Awareness Committee, which represents more than a dozen agriculture and rural organizations and associations. It has funding support from the provincial and federal governments and various agriculture businesses and organizations located on PEI.
• Last year, a total of 15,000 visitors participated in Open Farm Day to support local producers across the province. Visitors will get to experience unique areas of Island agriculture that typically only farmers would get to experience.
• The objective of Open Farm Day is to showcase hard-working Island family farms while providing the general public with an opportunity to see the first-hand advancements being made in agriculture across the province.
• The agriculture and agri-food industry is Prince Edward Island’s leading industry, with farm cash receipts totally $488 million.
Quotes
"Open Farm Day is a great way for Islanders to experience life on a farm and to learn more about where our high-quality food comes from and the importance of agriculture to our Island way of life. I encourage everyone to get out and visit a participating farm."
- Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Alan McIsaac
“Open Farm Day showcases hard working family farms from across the Island and provides the general public with fun and interactive ways to experience life on a farm.”
-Jesse MacIntyre, Open Farm Day Coordinator for Prince Edward Island
A list of Open Farm Day locations in Prince Edward Island is available at:
www.peiagsc.ca/openfarmday
Open Farm Day promotional maps, handouts and postcards are also available to the public at the following locations across the Island:
Murphy’s Pharmacies
Access PEI Locations
Charlottetown Farmer’s Market (Wednesday, Saturday)