MADISON CO., N.Y. — After a rainy summer, a beautiful day welcomed thousands of visitors to a wide array of local Madison County farms. The Open Farm Day showcase event has become an annual tradition made possible through the Agriculture Economic Development offerings at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Madison County. It is widely supported and enthusiastically embraced by participating Farms, sponsors, community members and volunteers.
Always a fun time for all, the focus of Open Farm Day is helping to boost agricultural enterprises in Madison County by providing farmers with opportunities to market their business and expand their customer base. It also gives farmers a chance to educate the public about farming and what they do. “The best part was watching my little boy play with the animals!” said Andrea Burback. “We love learning about all the local products we could be providing to our family!” said another participant. 2017 was a repeat hit both in terms of visitor delight and farmer impact. Farmers reported high sales numbers and record amounts of visitors. New to Open Farm Day, Silly Goats Soap Company, saw 916 visitors. “This was a really great day for us. We got a chance to show the local people what it is we do and what goes into our products.”
This year 33 farms participated. Among the many attractions, visitors had the chance to watch butter being made at Red Gate Farms, have a private tour of the brewery at Critz Farms and pet a baby angora goat at Hermit Pond. There were certainly some fun adventures to be had, including some new farms participating such as Many Maples Sugar House, Great Northern Farms, and Whispering Hill Equestrian. “It was so cool to see all the things we could eat that are made in our own county”, said a Cazenovia resident. To see a full list of the farms that participated, visit the website at www.OpenFarmDayMadisonCounty.com.
Open Farm Day is important to the Madison County agricultural community, and this was the ninth annual year that Cornell Cooperative Extension has put this program on. Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, Bill Magee said “ It was a beautiful day, and everyone enjoyed the sharing and sampling of our local farm raised products for sale while experiencing activities such as barn and field tours, wagon rides, nature trails, live animals, and beautiful scenery.”
Thank you for making Open Farm Day Madison County great and be sure to “Like” us on Facebook for pictures and details for future years!
—Cornell Cooperative Extension in Madison County
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