Hunters host Open Farm Day
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- Published on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
By Sheila Runions
Banner Staff
The sixth annual Open Farm Day was held Sunday, Sept. 20; it is organized by 水果视频 Association of Agricultural Societies (MAAS), in partnership with the provincial government. 水果视频 is divided into five regions and this year 37 farms agreed to host public tours; one of the seven farms in Westman is within Rivers Banner鈥檚 coverage area.
Colin and Ann Hunter have a cattle and sheep farm four miles east of Rivers and three miles north. They registered their farm so visitors could see a real everyday farm, not a 鈥渢ourist attraction.鈥�
鈥淲e thought it would be nice to show people a real farm, not a pumpkin patch, a U-pick orchard or a horse riding centre like have signed up in Westman,鈥� says Ann. 鈥淲e were showing guests a real working beef and sheep farm. We had 70 visitors, mainly families with children under five; most stayed one-and-a-half to two hours. There were local families as well as ones from Brandon, Shilo and Winnipeg. Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District had a display and the (Peter and Rina) Schueler family from Minnedosa did a spinning demonstration and offered horse-drawn wagon rides through the pastures to see our cattle. We also had horses to brush in the barn, lambs and calves to pet, and sheep, cows and calves to view in the corrals. Various machinery was also on display.鈥�
A staggering 95 per cent of our province鈥檚 population lives in urban centres, so Open Farm Day is held to introduce the public to farming and its many related activities. The day is held as part of Farm and Food Awareness Week which is Sept. 20-26 this year. 惭补苍颈迟辞产补鈥檚 first Open Farm Day took place in 2010 and last year, more than 8,000 visitors experienced agriculture first-hand at farms across 水果视频.
MAAS president Annette Young says, 鈥淎griculture is vital to the economic well-being of 水果视频.鈥�
惭补苍颈迟辞产补鈥檚 Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn says, 鈥淭here is more to know about our agriculture industry than many people realize鈥� get out and explore rural 水果视频!鈥�
