A dozen farms across Minnesota will open for public tours and clean energy demonstrations and this weekend at part of the state Sustainable Farming Association’s Festival of Farms. The festival aims to educate visitors about sustainable agriculture while helping local farmers foster new connections within the local food community.
Among the participants in the state-wide showcase is an organic farm in Dayton, a cooperative of urban growers that farm crops inside a building in St. Paul and a 10-acre vegetable farm in Northfield.
The South Central SFA Chapter is planning a series of alternative energy presentations. There will be demonstrations on using alcohol and wood as a fuel source and how to produce hydroelectric power from a small creek.
Open Hands Farm in the Cannon region will educate visitors on its organic vegetable farming techniques, including methods of attracting that help with pest management and soil cultivation.
A 1,600-plant blueberry farm in Northfield called Little Hill Berry Farm will teach guests how to grow and tend to their own berry patches.
For more information about festival participants, directions and schedules, visit the Minnesota SFA’s Festival of Farms event page.
Main photo credit: cagrimmett/Flickr