MANITOBA – Nearly 50 farms across the province opened their doors to the public Sunday for the fifth annual Open Farm Day.
At Fenez Follies Farm, hundreds of visitors got to pet hens, pigs, turkeys, cows and goats, learning from the farmer himself along the way.
“People who are from the city, this is new — ‘A chicken, wow, this is where an egg actually comes from,’ and talking to the kids and explaining this is where milk comes from a cow, not a container,” said Philip Fenez, owner of Fenez Follies Farm.
Parents made the drive out of the city with their children to teach them where food comes from.
“I’ve grown up on a farm and for the kids, for the experience, for the people in the city to get out to the country and see where their food’s actually coming from,” said farm visitor Kelly Morissette.
At Aurora Farm, owners said thousands of visitors made the short trip from Winnipeg to visit their alpacas and other livestock.
“I want her to learn to respect the animals and not be afraid of them, and she’s definitely adventurous with all of them, wants to say hi to everyone. It’s been great,” said another farm visitor with her child.
“That’s nice to see, that people are starting to twig in more to different lifestyle options and looking back to nature and farming as a way to be,” said Louise May, owner of Aurora Farm.
The 49 participating farms represent the more than 21,000 Manitoba farm operators contributing to the province’s $5.3-billion agricultural industry.
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