Our Stories

The Eastern Irrigation District – A Lifeline Through Water The Eastern Irrigation District (EID) serves as an agricultural and environmental cornerstone in southern Alberta, where water management shapes not only the land but also the lives of farmers, industries, and wildlife. Located along the Bow River and spanning more than 1.5 million acres, the EID manages a complex network of

Farm to Front Page: How Alberta Open Farm Days Made Headlines in 2024 We are thrilled to share that Alberta Open Farm Days received an incredible amount of media attention this year, with coverage spanning across the province! From local newspapers and radio stations to major TV broadcasts, the enthusiasm and support from our Alberta news outlets have been overwhelming.

Thank You for Making 2024 Alberta Open Farm Days a Remarkable Success! We wanted to issue a heart-felt thank you to every single visitor, Host farm, or supporting member for making the 2024 Alberta Open Farm Days an unforgettable experience. Whether you visited one farm or many, your enthusiasm and curiosity helped bring Alberta agriculture to life. This year, we

Tasting Tradition and Innovation in Lethbridge’s Food Corridor Nestled in the heart of Southern Alberta, the Lethbridge area is renowned as the “breadbasket of Canada.” It’s not just a hub of agricultural productivity; it’s a vibrant community where tradition meets innovation.  From sugar beets to beans, and cattle to pork, the region is a cornerstone of Canada’s food production. Lethbridge

Celebrating Kneehill County & Area at Trochu Arboretum & Gardens As we gear up for this year’s Alberta Open Farm Days, we are especially excited to talk about the cluster region of Kneehill County, and the special festival that will be taking place there on August 17th.  This event will run throughout the town of Trochu, with hotspots being the

Discover the Flavours of the Lakeland with our Specialty Curated Local Food Boxes! This year, Open Farm Days is highlighting Cluster Regions that are hotspots for agriculture and activity as we prepare for the 2024 O pen Farm Days, starting with the stunning Lakeland Region. Lakeland boasts a rich farming and cultural history that has flourished over generations. Spanning a

Discover the Wooly Wonders of Custom Woolen Mills at Alberta Open Farm Days Nestled between the Alberta towns of Carstairs and Linden, Custom Woolen Mills Ltd. is a living testament to the rich history and enduring craftsmanship of wool processing. As we prepare for Alberta Open Farm Days, we invite you to explore this unique mill that has been a

Unravel the Charm of Sunnyhill Alpacas and Twisted Sisters Mill at Alberta Open Farm Days Nestled in the picturesque landscapes of Leduc County, Alberta, Sunnyhill Alpacas and the Twisted Sisters Mill is a testament to the dedication and passion of its owners. As we gear up for Alberta Open Farm Days, we invite you to explore this unique farm that

Alberta Open Farm Days AGLC Training Session 2024   Toni Hazelwood from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) joins us to discuss liquor licensing required for Open Farm Days participants who are interested in serving alcohol at the event. Toni, a supervisor with the compliance branch in Edmonton, shared essential information on special event licensing and artisan markets,

This year we are shining a spotlight on one of agricultures fluffiest animals and an important part of Albertas fibre industry – the alpaca.   Did you know? Alpacas are a relatively new species to Alberta farms, and while there were alpacas in Alberta in the 1980’s the largest importation of alpacas into Canada happened in 1992. At this time

This year our featured artist, Kaylee Wray, created a colouring sheet for us to use as we to continue to celebrate the year of the alpaca! Please feel free to download and colour your own alpaca rainbow! How to download: Click on the alpaca image below. This will open a new screen on your mobile or a new tab on

This year, Alberta Open Farm Days is excited to announce our partnership with  artist Kaylee Wray to celebrate our agricultural theme this year, Alpacas! This fun and whimsical image was created to celebrate the alpacas prized soft durable wool and their gentle temperament and social personalities.   About Kaylee       Kaylee Wray is an Edmonton based artist and the

Open Farm Days is back in full gear for the 2024 season, including our training sessions for our host farms! Training sessions are FREE and are open for anyone that is interested for any farms or organizations interested in participating in an Open Farm Days event.   OFD 2024 What’s New & From the Trenches Date: December 4, 2023 Time:

Did you know that MANY of your local farms are happy to take your used pumpkins after Halloween to feed to their animals? Lots of animals love to eat a delicious pumpkins even though they’ve been carved! If the pumpkin have paint, glitter, toothpicks or any other material that may be harmful to the animals, they will not be accepted.

We are excited for another year of Alberta Open Farm Days and to have you join us to celebrate agriculture in Alberta and rural tourism. Registration is now closed for Open Farm Days on August 17 & 18, 2024. Those who have already registered should have received information from us, including details on training and updating your Open Farm Days

Open Farm Days is a great opportunity to get out of the city, or town and visit your neighbouring communities, eat delicious food and meet your farmers! Here are some things you should keep in mind while planning your Open Farm Days adventures. Planning your trip Step #1: Choose Your Host Farms Visit the host farms page to start adding

As an incubator for Ag Tourism, Open Farm Days provides an opportunity for farms to explore Agritourism.  Our food incubator program is designed to explore recipes and processing in an accessible format for our farms to encourage local food processing on a micro scale.  The program has created and nourished new product development from local craft sour Cherry juice to

This year our featured artist, Liz Buller Page,  has created two colouring sheets for us to use as we to continue to celebrate the year of the bison! Please feel free to download and colour as you like. As Liz says, as her buffalo is blue, please colour your buffalo as you like! How to download: Click on either the

Thank you for joining us for the 11th annual Alberta Open Farm Days Launch Event Speakers Lilly Rose, Métis Crossing Juanita Marois, CEO, Métis Crossing Dale Kirkland, Superintendent, Elk Island National Park Tim Carson, CEO, Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies Nizar Abouchami, Servus Credit Union Tannis Baker, Food Tourism Strategies Chef Liana Robberecht Liz Buller Page, artist Nicola Doherty, Marketing

This year we are shining a spotlight on one of Alberta’s keystone species, Bison, which has been a historically important part, not just of the eco-system in Alberta, but also a keystone ingredient for people that have lived on this land. The buffalo was an incredibly important part of Indigenous people of the plains. The buffalo hunt was a part

This year, Open Farm Days is excited to announce our partnership with artist Liz Buller Page to celebrate our agricultural theme this year, Bison. You’ll be able to see Liz’s image of a buffalo incorporating native plants within the body of this female buffalo including wild flowers, grasses, and berries. About Liz Liz is a member of the Treaty 6

Open Farm Days is back in full gear for the 2023 event, including our training sessions for our host farms! Training sessions are FREE and are open for anyone that is interested for any farms or organizations interested in participating in an Open Farm Days event. Early Registration Open Farm Days will be taking place August 19 & 20, 2023

There are many ways to shop farm fresh in Alberta, from a farmers market to subscription boxes, but did you know that many farms have a store onsite, will deliver or ship food to you? We’ve created a list of how to shop straight from a farm in Alberta! There are two ways to search this information, by food type

For Alberta Open Farm Days 10th anniversary this year, we wanted to recognize that farming is dependent on many things, such as community, family, and on other farm products. What better way to symbolize that than with one of our favourite pollinators, the honey bee. The bee and its hive demonstrates how much farming is interdependent. Bees pollinate the fruits,

Farming in Alberta, doesn’t happen insularly. It takes community, family, friends, colleagues, hard work, research, early mornings but also, farmers helping farmers. It takes working together, supporting each other (farmers, producers and consumers) and realizing we’re all part of a complex interconnected system. What better way to symbolize that than with one of our favourite pollinators, the honey bee, to

Did you know that Alberta is the largest honey producer in Canada and the third largest in North America? Alberta’s commercial beekeepers manage 25 billion bees; around 300,000 colonies and produce 40 million pounds of honey every year! Beekeeping in our province is a substantial contributor to the agricultural industry. Honey bees pollinate crops which increase yields and production. One third of the food

There are plenty of opportunities to participate in “Christmas on the Farm” events around Alberta this December. From hayrides, smores, and eating locally made products, it’s a whole different experience than farm visits in the summer, and something you’ll definitely want to check out! We’ve compiled a list of farm events around the province for you to attend. Hartell Homestead

There are few things more quintessential when you think of fall than the pumpkin, and its versatility has made it into our lattes, pancakes, and decor. If you’re planning on using your pumpkins as decor this fall, here are some tips on preserving them (before you carve them) for the perfect porch display or for storing them for cooking throughout

Alberta’s brewery, distillery, and winery industry is a growing industry in Alberta. From 7 in 2016 to 47 in 2021, the license for liquor has grown. Alongside the craft scene which in the last five years has seen a growth from 33 E licensed breweries and this year there are 133 in the province. Brewers Journal You can experience the

The Open Farm Days Incubator Program started in 2020 in collaboration with Alberta Open Farm Days and Open Farm Days participating farm. The program gives local farms the opportunity to develop their own product from scratch. While using home-grown ingredients, participants then have the opportunity to sell that product as an addition to their business.  The Incubator Program’s goal is

As the weather warms we’re thinking about cleaning up our own yards and perhaps growing our own gardens for the summer. Many of our farmers are starting their registration for CSA’s or Community Supported Agriculture. For those new to CSA’s, it’s a way for consumers farmers to connect with in-season locally grown products. The consumer buys a share of the

Did you shop from a farm this year? Whether it was direct from a farm, through local business, the Open Farm Days and Organic Box collaboration during the lockdown in the spring of 2020, or during the Open Farm Days event there are always lots of opportunities to shop from a farm. This holiday season is no different, and we’re

In 2020 we embarked on a small incubator program for Open Farm Days as an extension of the Open Farm Days collaborative beer program launched in 2019.  The group decided to explore a juice option utilizing fruit from a local U-Pick Farm. DNA Gardens, a fruit tree nursery orchard in Elnora, was selected given the abundance of juice from the

How we move about our days has been challenged by COVID-19 and, it’s also impacted how Open Farm Days may be experienced this year. Many of the things that we have grown to love such as donning bee suits and packing onto a wagon ride will look different. What won’t be different will be the thrill of visiting a farm

If you’re heading on the road for Open Farm Days this year there are many culinary adventures you can embark on from food trucks selling local food to BBQs at the farms. One culinary tradition we’re excited is continuing into 2020 is the picnic at the farm. There are two farm created picnics you can order for your Open Farm

Planning to plant and planting trees and shrubs with Paulette Sparks with Wild Country Gardens   Planting trees and shrubs is a big deal.  They last a long time and each tree and shrub has its own life style.  Make sure the trees and shrubs you plan to plant are what you really want in your yard before you plant.  

We often think of food as single entities and not as part of a bigger regional story, thus we wanted to showcase food that is grown in Alberta with a regional twist with Wheatland County. Wheatland County is a municipal district in south-central Alberta, Canada, east of Calgary. To make this pie we used the following: Ingredients: One pound of

Welcome to Chef Inspired Open Farm Days! In collaboration with our farmers, The Organic Box, and chefs from around the province, we bring you a series of meals and videos that bring together Albertan farm-fresh food, inspiration from local chefs, groceries delivered to your home, and delicious meals. For 8 weeks in the spring of 2020 we curated bi-weekly meals

If there is a silver lining that can be seen through the pandemic currently sweeping the globe, it is that many people are looking towards trying their hand at gardening. While I will admit I am somewhat biased to the subject, I couldn’t be more thrilled to see the greater population looking towards local food sources. Gardening is a wonderful