Organizers say an upcoming series of farm tours will be all about innovation. Starting in August, the Sustainable Agriculture Team at The Ohio State University will present 10 visits at Ohio farms to spotlight new crops and methods.
“It’s an opportunity for participants to kick the tires on other farm operations and see how other folks are addressing sustainability issues,” said Mike Hogan, who’s a co-organizer of the series and a member of the team.
The free tours will feature topics including hops, grapes, high tunnels, organic farming, direct selling to consumers and farm to school programs. Urban farming will be a special focus. The lineup is part of the wider Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series, which the team is co-presenting with five other organizations.
The missions of both the team and its tours are to help farm families become more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable, said Hogan, who’s an agriculture and natural resources educator with Ohio State University Extension. OSU Extension is the statewide outreach arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
“We teach workshops and utilize other teaching tools throughout the year, but these tours really provide an opportunity for farm families to see and feel how some farms are utilizing the concepts we teach,” he said. “The tours are also used frequently as a way to learn how to start a new farm by individuals wishing to start a farm.”