Openfields Spring 2010 Farm Destination registration open to area farmers

By Joe McGehee
Staff Writer

The University of Illinois Extension offices in Winnebago and Stephenson counties recently opened registration for the Openfields Spring 2010 Farm Tour, allowing area farmers to register as a Farm Destination. The Openfields Spring 2010 Farm Tour is scheduled for Sunday, May 16, from noon until 5 p.m.

The second annual event is a rare, one-day opportunity in which participating farms and ranches collectively open their land to the public, and visitors get a glimpse into a rural world unfamiliar to most Americans. The event will also provide greater understanding of our local foods systems and allow the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the craft, history and economics of farming from the men and women producing local foods in our area.

Farm Destination registration is open all farms in North-Central Illinois. Those interested in signing up for this year’s event or those interested in further information can visit http://extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago to complete the online registration form.

The cost of registration is $25. For further information, contact Andrea Hazzard, local foods systems coordinator, U of I Extension-Winnebago County, at (815) 986-4357 or ahazzard@illinois.edu.