Event celebrates county farmers
The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau is celebrating farmers Saturday with its annual farm tour.
“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, Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau president.
Visitors can check out any or all of the five different farms from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year's farms are located in southern Butler County and include Asgard Acres Alpaca Farm, 180 Nursery Road, Renfrew; Har-Lo Farms, 505 W. Jefferson Road; Jones Turkey Farm, 240 Jones Road, Cabot; Silver Quest Equestrian, 332 Overbrook Road, Valencia; and Thiele Farm, 753 N. Pike Road, Cabot.
“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,” Cohen said.
Participation will be free, but visitors will drive and plan their routes to the farms, which will have food, equipment and some items for sale.
Cohen said visitors may also be interested in some new uses of technology, like William Thiele's drone.
“It shows how much has changed,” Cohen said. “Their yields are better because of high-tech. It really helps.”
Thiele said he and his brother are the sixth generation to farm their land on which they focus on raising dairy cows. He said they grow a lot of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and oats, most of which is used to feed their cows and the excess is sent to market.
Thiele said this is their fourth time doing the tour. He said he and his family enjoy showing the public what their work looks like.
“There are people that come here that have never seen a cow up close or seen a tractor up close. A lot of the kids get really excited about that,” Thiele said. “Some of them have never been to (a dairy farm.)”Thiele also will show his drone skills.“I'm into using drones for agriculture and I'll be doing demonstrations for that,” he said.He said the drone is a useful tool for him, especially in getting a better look at his crops to see if there are damages.“You can't always get what a field looks like from standing down here,” Thiele said. “You have to see up over top of it to see what the middle of the field looks like.”Cohen said the Thiele Farm offers a look at the future, but they have other farms that show off even more traditional practices. Then there's the unique experiences.Carole Rost of Asgard Acres Alpaca Farm may introduce some children to their first experience with the long-necked animal.Rost and her husband, Joe, have owned their farm since 1990, after she retired from teaching.Joe had some ideas about what animals he wanted on the farm, according to Rost.
“He wanted cows, and I said no,” she said. “We saw the alpacas a long time ago, and they were prohibitively expensive.”But after a few years, Rost said the couple bought their first three alpacas, all of which were pregnant. Today, they have 40.Once a year, usually before May, they shear the animals for their coveted fleece, according to Rost.“When it comes off an alpaca, it's ready to spin,” Rost.Rost said the Butler Spinners and Weavers Guild will be on the farm presenting demonstrations on the crafting of the wool.“They'll be doing a lot of demonstrations on spinning, weaving and felting,” Rost said. “People will have an opportunity for make some things for themselves too.”Rost said her 4-H helpers will also be there.
“The 4-H kids will be here demonstrating how they work with the alpacas,” she said. “We also will be selling snacks and all the proceeds of that will go to the 4-H club.”Rost said children who visit the farm also will have a chance to pet and feed the alpacas themselves. She said it may even inspire future alpaca farmers.“Alpacas are great for kids to work with,” Rost said. “They're shy animals, but they're also gentle.”Tiffany Hernandez, marketing coordinator for the tourism bureau, said the tour also has a sixth stop added, but it's not a farm. She said the Speckled Hen Chocolate Co. on Route 228 brings the tour full circle by giving the visitors a chance to see where those farm products go and snack on a truly locally made product.“They use a lot of local ingredients from the farm in their chocolate,” Hernandez said. “It's a really cool tie-in.”Cohen said 10,000 people participated in the tour last year, and they're keeping their fingers crossed weather forecasts stay nice because the bureau wants people to see what Butler County farms have to offer.“We talk about them a lot because it's our backbone. It's important to talk about our farms because we forget about where our food comes from,” Cohen said. “That's very cool.”
<br />
<br />
<br />
