COLUMBUS, Ohio – Specialty crops, fruits, pasture quality and alternative livestock will be among the topics covered during the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) summer farm tours and workshops. These are part of the 2023 Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series.

OEFFA tours and workshops allow farmers and gardeners to share production and market know-how with each other. They help consumers gain a greater understanding of how food gets from the field to the dinner table.

“The tours and workshops are open to everyone,” said Milo Petruziello, OEFFA events director. “The tours give farmers a chance to learn from each other and see what other farmers are doing on their operations. The tours give farmers a chance to get off the farm and meet with their fellow farmers and trade ideas. They give the public a chance to see where their food comes from and how farms operate.”

He added that some farmers on the tours also participate in their local farmers markets and the tours give their customers a chance to meet the farmers on their farms.

Every farm is different, according to Petruziello, so the tours give farmers a chance to see how other producers set up their operations.

The tours include visits to an organic grain and livestock farm, a vegetable farm, a chestnut orchard and processing facility, and a yak farm.

Seventh generation farmers Edward and Rebecca Dalton will open their farm Aug. 5 for a tour of their farming operation. The Daltons have transitioned a portion of their farm to organic crop production, while continuing to produce conventional crops, beef and do custom weed zapping. They also work with other local farms to supply customers with fresh pork and poultry.

About five years ago, Edward Dalton said they transitioned about half of their farming operation to organic, raising corn, wheat, soybeans, rye, clover and field peas. They also have a 400-head feeder to finish beef operation which they market through their on-farm market.

“We transitioned part of the farm to organic because it gives us more profit per acre,” he said.

This is their first time on the OEFFA summer tour series, but they regularly host a tour on their farm each September. More information on the tour can be found on their website or Facebook page.

He said the tours are a great way for farmers to network and learn from other farmers.

“Consumers want to know where their food comes from,” he said. “There is a huge disconnect between consumers and their food supply. We want to show that the United States can produce a safe, healthy food supply and family farms still exist.”

On Aug. 12, Route 9 Cooperative – consisting of five orchards, harvesting, processing and packing chestnuts for sale to customers – will be open for visitors to see the chestnut harvesting process from start to finish.

Blaney Family Farm raises vegetable and flowers in a sustainable and organic system. They will be open for tours on Sept. 30.

Covered Bridge Yaks will open their doors for a tour on Oct. 7. Smaller than beef cattle, yaks are cold-hardy and easy keepers. Covered Bridge Yaks maintains a small herd for meat and replacement animals.

The OEFFA series also includes workshops and special events, ranging from pasture management to the farm bill to a picnic with a farmer, navigating the beginning farmer tax credit process, or how to transition land to the next generation, learning safe canning techniques, finding a job in agriculture or finding good employees for your farm.

Workshops include a visit to Settlage Dairy Farm on Oct. 13 for a pasture walk to learn more about a technology called Paddock Trac, developed by the University of Missouri. It will include a demonstration and review of the data collected over the seasons.

Glass Rooster Cannery will open its kitchen in July  for a lesson on water bath canning and making jam. The registration deadline is July 12. To register, visit bit.ly oeffa.can.

For beginning farmers, OEFFA is sponsoring a virtual workshop on Sept. 8 on how the Ohio Beginning Farmer Tax Credit works. To register, visit bit.ly oeffa-tax-credit.

Finding a Farm Job 101 on Oct. 8, will give people interested in finding a job or internship in agriculture, tips on where to find farm jobs or internships, employee rights and safety pointers. To register for the free workshop, go to bit.ly oeffa-farm-job-101. Resources are included with the registration.

Employment on Your Farm 101 on Nov. 9, is a virtual workshop designed to help producers find key employees for their operations and train them using industry standards. The workshop is free and registrations may be made at bit.ly oeffa-employment-1 and includes a packet of resources.

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise indicated in the series brochure. For more information and complete details for all workshops and farm tours, go to www.oeffa.org.