Nicolette Fenello, a SRU student who works at Growing Together Aquaponics, picks a couple of herbs at the Slippery Rock business, which employs young people with disabilities at North Country Brewing warehouse.

County residents can participate in three unique tours for free Saturday as part of the annual Butler County Farm Tour.

The event is a drive-it-yourself tour of local farms that gives visitors the opportunity to meet the friendly faces who grow and harvest their food and observe their operations.

The farms can be visited between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and many hands-on activities are planned at the farms.

Families can design their own routes and enjoy a day of learning and experiencing firsthand how local farming operations work and what they produce, according to a news release from the county Tourism and Convention Bureau, which organizes the event each year.

“With agriculture being one of Butler County's top industries, it's really important to educate the community about our local farms,” said Jack Cohen, tourism bureau president. “They provide us with so much, from what we eat to what we wear, and it's a great opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at all that hard work and dedication.”

This year, the farm operations participating in the tour are WestPark Alpacas, 1037 West Park Road, Slippery Rock; Metrick's Harvest View Farm and Market, 143 Eagle Mill Road, Butler; and North Country Brewing Company's Growing Together Aquaponics, 111 Arrowhead Drive, Slippery Rock.

Beth Micco, taproom manager and special events coordinator at North Country Brewing, said five tours of the company's aquaponics operation will be held, each at the top of the hour beginning at 10 a.m., with the last tour offered at 2 p.m.

Brewery tours will be offered each hour beginning at 10:30 a.m., with the last tour given at 2:30 p.m.Live music, the North Country chef cooking up fresh items from the aquaponics operation, fresh aquaponics salads, North Country beers and other items will be available.“Everything's at a discount price,” Micco said.Micco stresses that the North Country tour will be held at the canning facility and taproom at 111 Arrowhead Drive and not the restaurant on Main Street.The aquaponics tour will give visitors a peek at the process of growing lettuce, herbs and other greens year-round in water fortified by the natural plant food created by the waste from tilapias in a tank 6 feet away from the growing racks.The naturally fertilized water is cycled through the plants' roots, which are in tubes, feeding them the water instead of dirt. The aquaponics method allows the plants to grow faster, which means a more frequent harvest.“It's a very unique growing system,” Micco said. “It's something different that no one else is doing around here.”She said the greens and other items grown in the aquaponics system provide salads each Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the taproom inside the canning facility.The harvest is also sent to a restaurant in Harmony.“We're now experimenting with drying herbs,” Micco said.Marena Toth, the operations system manager at North Country, said a second grow system is being installed on top of the bar in the taproom.

Seven racks for growing microgreens will be in action there in the very near future, Toth said.Another new system will include two “auto pots” that will use dirt and the latest technology to allow Toth to grow a lemon tree and a lime tree for the taproom.On Saturday, Toth said those on tour will have an opportunity to feed the tilapia that fertilize the aquaponic system, as well as grow and harvest microgreens.They also will be able to observe the aquaponics grow system and see the structure for the new system that is being built on the bar in the taproom.Micco invites everyone to attend the farm tour and observe the operations and products from the three farms on the tour.“I think it's a great family event,” Micco said. “It's a great way for people in this area to be able to see different types of farming in action and how you can be a part of the farming community even if you don't run or own a farm.”She said North Country Brewing will be set up to welcome families to the canning facility and taproom.“We're really excited to be a part of it and we are proud of our aquaponics,” she said.

Nicolette Fenello, above, left, and Bailey Heaton, above, right, SRU students who work with Growing Together Aquaponics, show the different herbs and lettuces they are growing to Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding when he visited the Slippery Rock business last year. Fenello, at left, picks a couple of herbs during the visit. Tilapia, inset, swim in their tank as North Country Brewing Company uses an aquaponics system to grow herbs and vegetables at the warehouse. The business is one of several participating in the annual Butler County Farm Tour.

Ken Metrick checks apples at his farm, Metrick’s Harvest View Farm. The farm is one of several participating in the annual Butler County Farm Tour.

The Tilapia swim around in their tank as North Country Brewing Company uses a Aquaponics system with tilapia to grow herbs and vegetables at the Warehouse on Monday August 6, 2018.