Locally Grown, Farm to Plate

On August 17th, you can discover the local area farms, ranches and u-picks that contribute to our local food sources, on the ASB Tour. Janice Boden, Assistant Agricultural Fieldman, with the Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville, says everyone is welcome to make a day of it on the bus tour. On the tour you’ll also receive lunch and a BBQ steak dinner.

“There’s such a bridge between town people and farm people; and how your food comes to your plate,” Janice says the tour will be a lot of fun and educational in teaching people that food doesn’t just come from a grocery store. “We really want people to have the opportunity to see what farms in the MD of Bonnyville has to offer.”

“We are not only catering to our farmers; we want our local people to come out and see how our farmers contribute to the food on your plate.,” says Janice. “We’ve set up a bus tour to go around to the local farms.” The tour will feature farms in the area, as well as make stops at the Rural Beautification winner’s to present their awards. “It’s people taking pride in their properties.”

Janice wouldn’t disclose too much about the award winners, as it is a surprise until the tour, but says one property have beautiful landscaping and has made great use of the MD’s shelter belt program. The other property is a farmstead that has been in the same family for nearly 100 years. People on the tour will be able to get a look at these two properties, as well.

“Our tour starts in Fort Kent, we’re going to load the bus and go to Rocky Meadows Saskatoon Farm, then to Lynn Robb Strawberries Market Garden, then to Walkuchyk sawmill. We’ll have lunch in LaCorey and onto a mixed farming operation.” Janice explains the group will stop at the Kalinsky grain and cattle farm, where a lot of the food sold locally comes from, “they’re awesome farmers here in Bonnyville. It’s where we get our grain and a lot of our steaks.”

After touring the Kalinsky farm, the group will head to LARA, the research farm, “you’ll get to see some lentils and they’re growing a few different grains, that you’ll get to see.” The tour ends in Fort Kent with a BBQ steak dinner.

The tour is $20 with all ages welcome to come discover the local region. The tour starts at 9:30 am in Fort Kent and returns to Fort Kent for a BBQ steak dinner that will finish at 7:00 pm. To register call 780-826-3951.