Laura Young
news@greenepublishing.com
The 14th Annual Farm Tour, on Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10, includes 46 sites this year, 14 of which are in Jefferson and Madison counties. This year’s tour focuses on thanking the area’s farmers, ranchers and growers — large and small — for being there with the basics during a time that has been full of uncertainty and unforeseen challenges.
“It’s a great opportunity,” says event organizer Majken Peterzen, director of Millstone Institute of Preservation. “The tour allows visitors to buy directly from local farms, promotes networking among farmers, and allows new people interested in farming to see many operations not normally open to the public.”
There is no charge for visiting the farms, ranches and gardens, although many have products or food to sell. Because the tour is self-guided, people can choose sites that interest them and visit them in any order they like during the tour times.
Tips and Guidelines for the Tour:
• Bring the map (shown above)
• Have a camera ready for great photo ops
• Bring a cooler, in case you buy perishable products
• Carry a tote bag
• Have cash on hand in case a site does not take credit cards
• Wear closed-toed shoes and sun protection
• Leave your pet at home
• Gas up before heading into the countryside
Local Sites on the Map:
#2 Allison Acres (allison-acres.com), located at 4076 N.W. CR 150, in Pinetta, has 51 acres of blueberry plants, a small herd of Boer goats, and two varieties of lavender. They use and provide instruction in organic farming practices. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
#7 Boyd Farms Fresh (boydfarmsfresh.com) is partnering for the Farm Tour with #39 Schmoe Farms (schmoefarm.com), both located at Blackwater, 1548 Greenville Hwy. in Quitman, Ga. Enjoy live music, food, drinks and a hay ride. They also will be serving up beef and pork burgers and have a market of vendors with handmade and organic products.
#9 Deep Roots Meat (deeprootsmeat.com), located at 11061 W. US Hwy. 90, in Greenville, sells a vast array of beef cuts from their all grass-fed foraging cows. Tour hours are Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with hayrides each day at 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m.
#11 Florida-Georgia Citrus (floridageorgiacitrus.com), located at 5314 Boston Hwy., in Monticello, offers juice that tastes like “sweet sunshine” as well as tours of cold-hardy citrus fields on the family farm.” At this site, you can also taste satsuma-flavored slushies and ice cream from Southern Craft Creamery and visit the Monticello BBQ Food Truck. Tour hours are Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
#14 Glendower Farms (glendowerfarms.com), located at 12617 Ashville Hwy., in Greenville, sustainably raises Iberian pigs and is one of only seven Iberico herds in the U.S. Enter the multi-generational farm via an avenue lined with 180-year-old oaks and enjoy cooking demonstrations, meat tastings and walking tours. Bring your cooler in case you decide to buy some dry-cured bacon, sausages, brined chops, pork pastrami or Glendower’s specialty, the Bacon Cheddar Burger. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
#16 Granny Kats Apiary Supply & Bee Learning Center (grannykats.square.site), located at 407 Industrial Park Dr. in Monticello, allows you to learn all about the life of bees. You can view bee anatomy through microscopes, study bee activity at the indoor observation hive, visit the outdoor hives and see where Granny Kats spins and extracts honey. Honey and products made from beeswax will be available for purchase. Tour hours are Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
#19 Johnston’s Old Fashioned Meat Market (johnstonsmeatmarket.com), located at 1480 W. Washington St. in Monticello, established in 1926, specializes in hickory-smoked meats as well as fresh sausage. Johnston’s is the patron sponsor of the 2021 Farm Tour. Listen to live music while you visit the locker plant, sample some fantastic food, peek behind the scenes, decorate donut holes, shop in the country store and enjoy kids’ activities. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sausage-making workshops are offered on both days from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
#26 Madison County Seed Library, located at 378 NW College Loop in Madison, has open-pollinated and heirloom seeds available free for the public to check out. Tour visitors may check out free seeds, watch seed saving demonstrations, play a hands-on seed ID quiz, participate in a seed starting activity and join Q&A sessions about various seed topics. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
#27 McClellan Family Farm, located at 6153 Waukeenah Hwy. in Monticello, has made syrup from sugar cane for more than 100 years! Visitors can taste the cane, learn how to make cane syrup and get the family’s syrup cookie recipe. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mini Moo Alpaca Too Farm (minimooalpacatoofarm.com), located at 87 Methodist Church Rd. in Monticello, is a sixth-generation farm that raises alpacas, llamas, mini cows, sheep and goats. Workshops will be offered in a covered pavilion on Saturday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monticello Vineyards & Winery (monticellowinery.com and ladybirdorganics.com), located at 1211 Waukeenah Hwy. in Monticello, offers a vineyard tour and tasting of the wines that they have handcrafted in small batches from organic muscadine grapes and other fruits grown in the Red Hills bioregion. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 12 noon to 5 p.m.
#35 Promised Land Homestead (promisedlandhomestead.farm), located at 703 SE Tuten Way in Lee, takes visitors on a hayride around the farm’s 62 acres to see its open pastures, oak hammock bottoms and uncultivated ranch land. You can get a close look at baby rabbits, calves and lambs as well as attend a workshop on “The Anatomy of a Bee Hive.” Their country store will be selling fresh eggs, chicken, lamb, beef and rabbit. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
#38 Rocky Soil Family Farm (rockysoilfamilyfarm.com), located at 3137 Waukeenah Hwy. in Monticello, produces more than 30 varieties of organically grown herbs and vegetables, houses 2.2 million bees and keeps 60+ chickens. Tour hours are Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.
#40 Serenity Acres (serenitygoats.com), located at 438 NE English Ivy Trl. in Pinetta, offers hayrides around the farm with goat, horse and cow encounters, petting opportunities and sneak peeks into the milking room, the dairy kitchen and the soap making room. Tour hours are Saturday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
#44 Timber Bamboo Nursery (timberbamboonursery. com), located at 2181 Government Farm Rd. in Monticello, will have demonstrations/presentations about bamboo propagation, bamboo biochar, bamboo animal feed pellets, bamboo caps, sustainable bamboo farming and landscaping with bamboo. You can also see where they raise peacocks, guineas, Philippine jungle fowl and Ayam Ceamani Black chickens. Tour hours are Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information about these sites and additional tour stops farther afield, consult the complete 64-page Farm Tour 2021 guide. Print copies will be available at various locations around town, and you can download an electronic copy from the event host’s Facebook page: search for Millstone Institute of Preservation.