TLT day trip this Friday

A Year in Local Foods summer farm tour visit to Michael Farms and Freshwater Farms

The next daytrip in this year’s Summer Farm Tour, “A Year in Local Foods” held by the Tecumseh Land Trust, will be Friday, July 22 to Michael Farms, Inc. and Freshwater Farms in Urbana, Ohio. Participants will depart from the Bryan Center in Yellow Springs at 9:30 a.m. and will arrive at Michael Farms at 11:00 a.m. Michael Farms has been owned and operated since 1958 by the Michael family. The combination of family tradition and today’s newest agricultural technol gy has allowed them to consistently supply area restaurants and major retail stores, including Meijer, with the highest quality snap beans, potatoes, sweet corn and cabbage. Participants in the Summer Farm Tour will be able to see firsthand the culmination of over fifty years of dedication to local, sustainable agriculture, while also getting the chance to talk with the Michael family and buy freshly harvested produce.

Next stop is Freshwater Farms, founded in 1986 b y Dr. Dave Smith and his father Dick Smith. Freshwater Farms has been at the forefront of the movement to develop interest in aqua culture in Ohio since its creation. Now run by three generations of the Smith family and the largest indoor fish hatchery in Ohio, the farm works to both educate the public in the realities of fish farming and to supply individuals and businesses with fresh, humanely-raised fish. Participants will tour the hatchery and see Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish, Sturgeon, and other species. The farm features a Sturgeon petting zoo and Trout feeding area, as well as a large v ariety of aquatic creatures on display. The farm’s on-site market features not only fresh and smoked fish products, but also specialty foods, Ohio cheeses, locally produced honey, and locally made pottery as well . The Farm Tour will arrive at Freshwater Farms around 1:30 p.m.

Reservations are required. Call Michele at TLT, 767-9490 or email burns@tecumsehlandtrust.org. Please bring a sack lunch and water and dress comfortable for hot, outdoor conditions.