Join us every other Monday in August for farm tours, lunch, networking, and an educational session.
No cost to participate! Aspiring, beginning and veteran farmers encouraged to attend.

MORNING FARM TOURS

For those wishing to ride in a van, we will meet at the Ag Hall of Fame. The vans will depart at 8:15 a.m., go to all stops, and return to Ag Hall of Fame at approximately 12:30 p.m.
If you prefer to drive on your own, meet us at the Ag Hall of Fame by 8:15 a.m. or Green Dirt Farm at 9:00 a.m.

Green Dirt Farm 1099 Welt St Weston, MO 64098
Green Dirt Farm makes award-winning sheep’s milk cheeses and yogurt. They give rigorous attention to managing the grazing of the flocks in order to build healthy soil and grow nutritious pasture grasses. Raising sheep on carefully tended pastures not only produces happy sheep and high-quality, flavorful milk; it also prevents soil erosion and helps to build top soil. They raise their animals humanely, outdoors on pasture, and enable them to behave naturally and socialize freely and are audited yearly to ensure that they are maintaing Animal Welfare Approved’s strict standards. Learn more about Green Dirt Farm here.

Oregon Trail Farm 18962 Santa Fe Trail Leavenworth, KS 66048
Having served 28 years in the Army with numerous deployments, 11 duty stations, and three combat tours, Ken and Cindy DeVan settled near Fort Leavenworth, Ks.  With two daughters growing up as Army brats, they had sampled u-pick farms from the east coast to the southwest and throughout Europe.  Upon retirement from the Army, they decided to start their own berry farm in Kansas on a quaint piece of property on Santa Fe Trail. They have enjoyed fresh fruit and vegetables from local markets and farms from around the world and wanted to bring that great experience to others here in Kansas. Learn more about Oregon Trail Farm here.

Hillside Honey Apiary 531 Dawson St Easton, Kansas 66020
Hillside Honey Apiary is a veteran family-owned and operated business offering unpasteurized, raw honey, creamed honey, infused honey, honey stix and a variety of all-natural, preservative-free and synthetic-free beeswax and honey skin care products. They started with three bee hives in 2006. A few years passed and with a transition from the Army the family found themselves revitalizing an old rural high school, built in 1920, in Easton, Kansas.  About the time they were thinking about the type of business they wanted to open in the building, Beth Ward contacted them about continuing on the legacy of their honey business and they found themselves venturing into the life of  beekeepers. They went from 3 to 40 hives overnight and have started the transformation of the old High School into an educational Apiary and beekeeping experience for all to enjoy. They are now at approximately 80 hives and have hopes of growing to 200 hives in a few years. Learn more about Hillside Honey Apiary here.

LOCAL FOODS LUNCH

By 12:30 PM, we return to the National Ag Hall of Fame for lunch and networking. Our local foods lunch is generously sponsored by Frontier Farm Credit.
Following our meal, Dawn Gabel shares the story behind the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame and we’ll learn about opportunities with Farm Fresh HQ, a food hub recently launched in NE Kansas.

WORKSHOP

The day’s educational session focuses on solid record keeping practices for your farm and developing a business plan.
Business Planning 101 For Farmers TBD
Workshop description coming soon.

REGISTRATION

Thanks to Farm Aid and Frontier Farm Credit, there is no cost to attend the Summer Fun Farm Tour Series!
We do need you to RSVP by August 25 to ensure lunch will be available for you.
To reserve your spot for the August 29 event, use the RSVP box in the sidebar or call Mary Howell at 785.562.8726.
August 1 event information/RSVP available here.
August 15 event information/RSVP available here.

SPONSORS

Kansas Farmers Union, Farmer Veteran Coalition of Kansas,Kansas Beginning Farmers Coalition, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, and Kansas AgrAbility are partnering to present the Summer Fun Farm Tour Series.
The series is made possible through funding from Farm Aid. Learn more about the important work of Farm Aid here!
The local foods lunch is generously sponsored by Frontier Farm Credit. Learn more about Farm Credit’s beginning farmer opportunities here.