Event to open 30 local locations for community touring and shopping

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

Thirty participating farms and locations in both Jackson and Josephine counties will open their doors to visitors for the seventh annual Rogue Valley Farm Tour, offering people the chance to experience and taste the produce and products of Southern Oregon. 

The event is organized by the Medford Food Co-op, Ashland Food Co-op and Rogue Valley Food System Network in collaboration with the participating tour locations.

“In a nutshell, the Rogue Valley Farm Tour is an annual, one-day event that offers unique agricultural visits in Jackson and Josephine counties,” said Halle Riddlebarger, marketing and outreach manager for the Medford Food Co-op. “We’ve got livestock, alpacas, sheep, cattle, lavender farms, herb farms, places to see pollinators, fruit and veggie farmers, flower farmers, seed farmers and ranches … It’s an awesome opportunity to go behind the scenes and meet local makers and try local foods.”

The free farm tour is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 20, with 13 of the participating farms and locations staying open later than the 3 p.m. cut off. 

Interested parties are recommended to pick up a physical brochure from one of the growers markets in Southern Oregon or download one on the farm tour’s website.

Organizers recommend visitors bring a water bottle and cooler to store farm-fresh goods, wear comfortable shoes and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty, leave their pets at home, stay on established paths and to not pick produce or flowers without permission from the farms’ staff.

Rogue Creamery Dairy & Farmstand and Lavender Ally Farm are among the Grants Pass and Rogue River locations being showcased; Itty Bitty Acres Farm and Wild Bee Honey Farm are among the Sams Valley representatives; Garden Girl Farm and Southern Oregon Historical Society’s Hanley Farm are among the Central Point, Medford, Phoenix and Ashland farms; and Troon Vineyard and the English Lavender Farm are some of the Applegate Valley’s representatives. 

“New this year, we have Bella Lynn Blueberries; also new in Central Point, Medford and Ashland we have several there like Shooting Star Nursery, Arpeggio Vineyard, Hardy Seeds and Uproot Meats,” Riddlebarger said.  

For the full list of the 30 participating farms and properties with brief descriptions of what they do, where they’re located and what their Farm Tour hours will be, visit roguevalleyfarmtour.com/brochure.

The format for participants is open-ended, allowing visitors to take part in the farm tour at their own pace and visit as many or as few farms as they’d like.

The event averages between 1,000 and 2,000 participants each year, though getting exact calculations of attendance can be difficult considering the difficulty of head counting at 30 different locations, Riddlebarger said. 

The Rogue Valley Farm Tour started in 2018 and evolved from the Ashland Food Co-op doing guided tours of local farms. 

“Years ago, the Ashland Food Co-op used to host guided tours and would take 230 or so folks out on a bus and visit two farms during the day, and I went once when dreaming up this event,” Riddlebarger said. “It was fun and cool, intimate tours at the locations, but also restrictive for families and kids who can’t commit to a full day or lose interest, plus the expense of renting a bus.”

With the intent of connecting locals to the growers and farmers who bring their food to the table, the Farm Tour offers agricultural education and entertainment at the same time. 

“We’re going strong and interest has stayed steady over the years … it’s a really fun way to get people out on agricultural lands and give them a more intimate experience on where their food comes from,” Riddlebarger said. “We’re always dreaming about how to make it bigger, better and more accessible for kids and families.”

For more information on the Rogue Valley Farm Tour, visit roguevalleyfarmtour.com. 

People who are passionate about local agriculture can also volunteer to help guide visitors and take part in a variety of tasks during the Farm Tour by signing up at roguevalleyfarmtour.com/volunteer.

Reach reporter James Sloan at jsloan@rv-times.com. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.