Annual tour educates visitors
There is a growing problem of people not knowing where their food comes from.
The Butler County Farm Tour was created to help correct that.
This past Saturday three farms participated in the 16th year of the event, allowing residents to see what it takes to produce the food they eat.
“It's very beneficial, said Ron Fodor, district manager of the Butler County Conservation District. “People get to see where their food comes from and see how farmers live.”
The farms on tour were Har-Lo Farms on West Jefferson Road, the Dave Jones Farm on Jones Road, and the Thiele Dairy Farm on North Pike Road.
The opportunity to educate the public was one of the main reasons Dave Jones wanted to show his farm.
“I wanted to show people what it takes to get a chick to a freezer,” he said.
Jones focuses on chickens and turkeys at his farm, as well as sweet corn and soy beans. He also raises some beef cattle.
Jones said he wants people to realize the amount of money it takes to be a farmer.
“I've got nearly a million dollars worth of equipment lined up,” he said of a row of farming tractors he had displayed for the tour.
His livestock and produce can be found throughout the county, including at Friedman's Freshmarkets.
“It's an honor to help feed Butler County,” he said. “And it's an honor to work with neighboring farmers.”
Jones said one of the greatest things he gets to do as a farmer is work with the county teens. He said he hires nearly 20 teenagers to help out at the farm.
“Most of these kids buy their first car or truck after working here,” he said. “That's a great feeling.”
Ben Shingleton of Slippery Rock was at Jones' farm with his three boys. His youngest son, Micah, is just three weeks old.
“I figure I'd start him young,” he said.
Shingleton said the tour was a great chance to show his sons where their food comes from.
“I don't hold anything back from them,” he said. “I like to show them everything that goes into farming.”
While the trip was educational, his older sons, Caleb, 5, and Josiah, 4, still had a great time playing with the free range animals. “They're more interested in chasing the chickens,” he said.
The tour was the first time that many visiting children had an opportunity to play on a farm.Edward May, 12, of Pittsburgh visited the Har-Lo farm with his extended family.He and his brother, Brandon, had a blast playing in a corn silo that was available.“I really like climbing in the silo,” he said. “This is very different than where I live.”His father, David May, said his mother has a camp at Moraine State Park, which is what brought him to the area.He added the trip was worth it for the kids.“They're having a lot of fun,” he said.Bringing in outside visitors was one of the goals of the tour.Fodor said while it's a great tour for county residents, it is particularly beneficial for people from the Pittsburgh area to see.“A lot of people from urban areas don't get the opportunity to see things like this often,” he said.While many were participating in the tour for the first time, others make the tour an annual tradition.Such was the case for Butler Fire Chief Nick Ban, who was with his wife, Vicky, and two daughters Lauren, 14, and Katie, 10.“We've been coming out here every year,” he said. “This is the start to our fall season. We never miss a farm tour.”Both of Ban's daughters said their favorite part of the tour was the different animals they saw.Katie said she likes horses while Lauren said she likes the all-black cows.“They remind me of my dog,” she joked, referencing the family's black lab.In addition to the three farms on display, the farm tour featured two wineries, the Rustic Acres Winery on Crisswell Road and the Winfield Winery on Winfield Road.
