FARM TO FOOD
Launched on September 18, 2025, the “Farm to Food” podcast is broadcast on a bi-weekly basis to increase coverage of the Chateauguay Valley’s largest economic sector - agriculture - and, of course, everyone eats everyday (at least we hope so!) so there is always a lot of interest in all things agri-food.
Whether you're a farmer, a foodie, or simply curious about where your meals come from, Farm to Food connects you to the full journey — from soil to supper. Each episode features down-to-earth conversations with local farmers, agri-food innovators, and global experts on everything from organic farming to processing, sustainability, and food security.
Recorded at the historic Ormstown Fairgrounds, the show offers real insights into Quebec’s rural communities and the people who keep us well fed. Plus, stay updated with timely agri-news and local food stories that matter.
For producers, processors, and curious eaters alike — Farm to Food is your guide to understanding how our food systems work, who makes them thrive, and why it all matters. From bumble bees and microdistilleries to the dairy industry, cash cropping, and extreme weather, we’ll explore it all.
Listen, learn, and support local – because farming isn't just for farmers — it's for everyone who eats!
FARM TO FOOD
16. Agritourism
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Welcome to the Farm to Food podcast, the theme of this episode is agritourism, an exploration of the farm, the food it produces and direct interaction with those who buy and consume what’s on offer. It’s also about the experience - connecting with tradition, tasting new delights and learning about farming and food.
Host Hugh Maynard speaks with Lisa Chase, an Extension Professor at the University of Vermont-Montpelier and director of the Director of the Vermont Tourism Research Centre.
The Gleaner’s News Editor Sarah Rennie speaks with:
Fleur Gontard who coordinates the Circuit du Paysan with the MRC des Jardins de Napierville
Cynthia Roy the manager of the Huntingdon County Farmers' Market
Greg Bohemen and Namira Rose, the founders of the Grassroots Music Ranch in Ormstown
Reporter Callan Forrester speaks with:
Marie Daudelin, co-owner of Le Mangeoir, a table champêtre in Saint-Anicet.
As well as some street interviews with consumers on how they view agritourism.
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Farm to Food podcast.
We’d like to thank our sponsors for helping bring this initiative to life: Desjardins, the Livestock Breeders’ Association and Quinn Farm in Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot for their promotional support.
We also wish to thank the Community Media Strategic Support Fund and the Government of Canada for their financial support for this project, as well as the Bourses d’initiatives en entrepreneuriat collectif for their contribution toward equipping the podcast studio.
This program is made possible thanks to the dedicated work of the volunteer directors on the board of Châteauguay Valley Community Information Services (CVCIS), a non-profit social enterprise with qualified donee status. We would love your support to help keep this podcast going.
Donations can be made at farmtofood.ca, and we can issue tax receipts for donations over $25.
Farm to Food Podcast Credits:
Hugh Maynard – Host
Jackie Rourke – Producer
Sarah Rennie – News Editor
Callan Forrester – Reporter
Stacey Pennington – Audio Production
Dianna Chycki, sales & marketing
…and of course, Farmer Phil — who’s farm-tastic!
Hello. Hello, my farmastic friends. Farmer Phil here again. I've got a bit of a story for you guys that'll segue right perfect with this week's edition of the Farm to Food Podcast. I guess it was pre-COVID, so sometime 2018-19. It was late summer, and I was on wagon rides. I guess I was relieving for lunch or something, and we were taking guests out to the cornfield and to the blueberries to do all kinds of picking, small fruit and vegetables, and it was one heck of a good day. Beautiful, perfect weather, and I guess somewhere around 1500, 2,000 peak guests enjoying the place. And we get to the cornfield, and I drop everyone off, and with my typical character there, we had everyone laughing, and and anyways, it was very charismatic on my part for a delivery, anyways. And out of the corner of my eye, I got this guy eyeing me down. He's just staring me down, but in a good way. And I could just tell that he's a farm boy. He's from the country. He's got the stereotypical stance and the hat and the belt buckle and the boots. And we just do the uh mutual nod towards each other there, and finally I get over and say hello. How are you enjoying the the experience here today? And he says with the thickest Southern accent, he says, Son, I couldn't ask for a better day. Now, I looking at you go, either you getting paid the devil's ransom to do this job or or you got a hand in this here this here game. And I said to him, Well, a bit of both, I guess. I'm farmer Phil Quinn. Welcome to Quinn's Farm. And he responds with uh, Well, I I'm Mr. Clayton Montgomery, Southern Alabama. And we went back and forth uh a few times and he was a farm boy, and they used to do melons. And I guess the conversation went on for about 10 minutes or so, and I was getting late, getting back on the wagon, and he took his hat off. And Southern boys, you know, it's one of four things when they take their hat off. They're either going to church, sitting down for supper, opening a door for a fine-looking lady, or they're about to get misty-eyed. And it was the latter for Mr. Clayton. And he said again with his thick Southern accent and a quiver on his voice, he said, Son, I just wish I'd have seen this place twenty years ago. The Mont Montgomery family farm might still be alive. Now what we do here on the farm is quite special. I don't see myself doing anything else on earth. I just love sharing with all these guests my passion of agriculture. And what we do here is attainable. Anyone can do it. If you're selling meat, if you're selling dairy, if you're selling alpaca wool, if you're selling rabbit milk, lavender hand cream, you can do it. And it's it's a perfect way to make what you're doing pay for itself a little bit better than regular agriculture. It's a perfect way to bring on the next generation. It's the perfect way to keep on extra siblings as well, if one sibling is big on the production side while another sibling can do the retailing. The business can just expand in ways and keep more people on the farm and make it more viable and more attractive to the next generation. So without further ado, here is this week's edition of the Farm to Food Podcast all about agro tourism. Please do enjoy, and we'll talk to you again real soon.
SPEAKER_09Welcome to the Farm to Food Podcast. I'm Hugh Maynard, publisher of the Gleener newspaper, the team that brings you this podcast every two weeks. The theme of this episode is agritourism, an exploration of the farm, the food it produces, and of course the direct interaction with those who buy and consume what's on offer. It's also about the experience, connecting with tradition, tasting new delights, and learning about farming and food. Well,
Lisa Chase
SPEAKER_09we'll jump right onto it and take a wagon ride through the different aspects of agritourism, which we're going to delve into with Lisa Chase. Um Vermont Extension Department, based in Montpelier at the university, um, and also running the Vermont Tourism Research Center. So she's been doing a lot of uh background work on agritourism and the impacts in rural communities. She is also an author, Food, Farms, and Community, and is the chair of the Global Agritourism Network, which I just learned is going to come to Bromont, Quebec in 2027. So welcome, Lisa.
SPEAKER_03Thanks so much for having me.
SPEAKER_09And I know uh you've done uh a lot of work, and what we'd like to try and do is set up what is agritourism, because there's UPIC, there's farmers markets, there's uh fairs, vacation stays, there's all kinds of different aspects that are involved in agritourism. Um so just give us a bit of an overview. What is agritourism?
SPEAKER_03As as you mentioned, there's a lot of um activities and farm experiences that fall under the term of agritourism. And what's interesting to note is that as a concept, as a practice, gathering on farms, celebrating harvests, those are not new. Those have been around for probably as long as agriculture has been around. What's new is this term agritourism. And there are not consistent definitions. Here in the U.S., every state has a different definition. Some don't some have no definition. Sometimes within a state, you find multiple definitions depending on, you know, whether it's for legal purposes or or research or, you know, some or regulations. So there can be a lot of confusion about what is agritourism. And basically the core is experiences on a working farm. As a term, agritourismo comes from Italy in the 1980s when the Italian government implemented incentives to encourage people to get back to get back to the working landscape and fix up farm buildings that were falling into disrepair and lands that were being abandoned because rural life was so hard and unprofitable. So, this, you know, this idea of bringing visitors onto a farm and having them pay and calling it agriturismo stems from this legislation in Italy in the 1980s. However, as I mentioned earlier, this concept of gathering on farms has really been around as long as agriculture and different places, especially working with a global agritourism network, different places around the world view agritourism differently. It's really spread um quite quickly, and the term has been adopted and used in different ways. So the I'll go back to the core is agricultural experiences on a working farm.
SPEAKER_09So a fair, for example, which has a lot of interaction between consumers and farmers, you know, the f the dairy show and all the all the food that's produced, isn't really agritourism in your definition, but it's an agritouristic activity. How do we slice that one?
SPEAKER_03Aaron Powell Yeah, that's exactly right. And I will say it's used differently in different places. You know, farmers markets that are not on a farm as well are another example where some places may call it agritourism, others may not. There's sort of these peripheral tiers, so to speak, where which take place off of a farm or which maybe take place on a farm but aren't so closely connected to agriculture, you know, where the farm is sort of more of a backdrop and it's not really uh, you know, immersive, authentic agricultural experience.
SPEAKER_09So on that point, if you went to an agritourism farm on the based on your definition of working, what would you expect as a consumer? What you what would you expect to see or do or be involved with under that definition of working farm?
SPEAKER_03Well, you gave some great examples. Um Pick Your Own, I think is one of the classic ways that people get involved in agricultural production to a small degree and learn about how the apples or the strawberries or you know, whatever it is is grown and you know, get a little bit of that experience themselves. Overnight farm stays are really, if you go to Italy and you experience agriturismo, often it's an overnight farm stay. And, you know, different farms handle it differently, but the hope is that while you're there, you're learning about olive oil or charcuterie or wine or whatever it is that is produced on that farm.
SPEAKER_09And so what are the benefits to farms? What's in it for them?
SPEAKER_03Well, number one, they get to diversify their income sources. But it's been interesting. We've done a lot of research on, especially in the U.S., research on what are the motivations for farmers? Why do they do agritourism? And, you know, number one is additional income, supplement their income, you know, and that's closely followed by creating more jobs and reaching new markets. However, it's important to note that not far behind is connecting with community, educating the public, creating community spaces in their own, in their own region, in their own area, sharing their agricultural heritage. So it's really interesting to see that the farms that are involved in agritourism are not only in it for the money. That's an important part, and that has to work, or doesn't make sense, but there many of them are highly motivated by educating the public and sharing their agricultural heritage.
SPEAKER_09And so then flip to the other side of the coin, the consumers, what's in it for them? For those who go off to Costco or, you know, the biggest supermarket in the area, why would they go off to a farm that's out of their way? Um I know the answer to this, but I'm putting you on the spot, right? Why would they do that?
SPEAKER_03Yes. As a society here in the US and in Canada too, so many people are so disconnected from agriculture, from food production. And people just really know so little about where their food comes from. Yet for so many people there is this pull to a farm. You know, maybe it's something innate or biological or, you know, sort of comes from our like long genetic history of being connected to land. People miss that. People want that.
SPEAKER_09And and so what should consumer well, everybody has a different sort of they want something nice, they want something different. What kinds of things are, I guess, popular? I know you pick people go out to get a a lot of apples all at once with the family and have a nice day in the sunshine, but what are some of the other things that consumers are looking at when they go to an agritourism farm?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, I will say that farmers are the ultimate entrepreneurs and they are always coming up with new and creative ways to share what they do. And, you know, we're Vermont, Quebec, we have to talk about maple syrup, right? Visiting a sugar house, especially when the sap is running and they're boiling in the sugar house, but really any time of year is a phenomenal experience. Part of what's exciting about agritourism is it's it's every kind of farm has some sort of opportunity to bring people in, whether it's a dairy and you want to milk the cows or you want to see how cheese or ice cream is made, you know, fruits and vegetables. We talked about that a little bit with UPIC, fiber. I know your podcasts around food, but you know, the fiber people want to be included too. And there are also, you know, products, sunflower seeds, for example, that are being used for fuel. So really any type of farm, there's all these amazing educational opportunities to share, you know, how we're producing food, fuel, and fiber.
SPEAKER_09So you referenced the b sort of the beginning, the start of the movement, if you will, in Italy in the 1980s. So where is it heading now? I mean, there are associations that uh you know bring all the farmers together to show them the latest things and new ideas and this and that and the other. So where is the agritourism sector moving over the next ten years?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I like that you called it a movement. I think it is, I think it really is a movement. When I started working for UVM Extension almost 25 years ago, agritourism was not a word that people knew and understood. I met um some very entrepreneurial farmers in Vermont, um, Beth Kennett of Liberty Hill in particular, a dairy farmer who had opened up a bed and breakfast on the dairy farm. And she was honestly surprised that people were excited to milk the cows and help with the farm chores. She, you know, this was like her daily life. So she didn't realize it was something that people would be thrilled about. And speaking of Beth Kennett, you know, she she often tells, she tells the most amazing stories and she talks about how initially her farm was like a place for kids. You know, parents would bring their little kids and they would learn how to milk cows. And she said, then the local food movement came, you know, around the 90s, 2000s, and then all of a sudden college kids were like, wait, we want to learn about where local food comes from and we we want to know about food. And I think that this interest in understanding where our food comes from and connecting with our farmers is really a movement that is taking off. And agritourism is at the center of it. And so I think it brings together people's need to for like digital detox to get in nature, get their hands dirty, connect with animals, connect with fruits and vegetables and growing. And I think it taps into, you know, these these deep-seated needs that we have as people, as, you know, as as human beings that are as animals that are part of nature.
SPEAKER_09So for a farmer who's thinking of getting into agritourism, what's the one thing they should really think about that they should consider first and foremost?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I would say agritourism is one of these things that is not one size fits all. You know, there's as many types of agricultural experiences as there are farms. And I think sometimes farms look to other farms and say, oh, what are they doing? Let me do what they're doing. Actually look, look at your own farm. What's unique about it? What's different about it? And I will say it can be hard for you as a farmer on your farm to see that. So sometimes it's really helpful. This is where I come in for University of Vermont Extension and my extension colleagues all over the US. And, you know, I'm sure you have other folks in Canada. I know you don't have the same, you know, extension service there, but it's great to bring in fresh eyes, outside perspective. So bring in neighbors or relatives who live in the city or live somewhere else, friends coming over and share with them what you do and find out from them what's interesting, what's exciting. Because, you know, I'll I'll hear from farms. These people just laid in the field and looked up at the stars all night long. I couldn't believe it. And then I found out, oh, we have this like dark sky thing. Dark skies are like a thing now. And farms have dark skies. And, you know, that's like dark sky tourism is really a thing now. So, like the things that we often on our farms and in our rural areas take for granted, that's really special for other people. And so figuring out what it is that you have on your farm and also what you like to share. Number, number one, I'm gonna say agritourism is not for everyone. If you're someone who wants to like be with your animals, be with your crops, and not talk to people, don't open up your farm.
SPEAKER_09So just to close, you've mentioned maple, and I'm sure that's your favorite agritourism experience. Other than maple, what's your favorite agritourism experience?
SPEAKER_03Well, Vermont is pretty well known for dairy and creamies. So I have to say, if you're coming to Vermont, maple creamies are really a thing here.
SPEAKER_09All right. I'll have to try that out.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Do you have maple cream?
SPEAKER_09Oh, I don't think so. We're we're I think we're much more regulated on the dairy industry. You can't just pop in and get a scoop of milk.
SPEAKER_03Oh, so a creamy is like a saucer of ice cream. You know, in in Vermont, there's a number of farms, Silhouette Maple, um, and other farms that make their own maple creamies with their dairy with you know fresh milk as well as fresh maple.
SPEAKER_09Well, maybe some of you pick up on this idea and run with it here in Quebec. All right, thank you, Lisa. It's been very interesting.
SPEAKER_03It's been a pleasure.
Fleur Gontard - Circuit du Paysan
SPEAKER_09Sarah Rennie, who's our news editor at the Gleaner, spoke with Fleur Gantin, who recently took over as the coordinator for the Circuit du Paysan. It's a 194 kilometer tourism Quebec recognized tourist route in the Monterey region, and it's been running for now twenty eight years in the Au-Saint-Laurent and the Jardin de Nepierville regions. Designed to highlight rural heritage, it winds along the Canada US border in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Now completely managed by the MRC de Jardins de Nepierville, the circuit spans five MRCs and has grown into one of the province's most celebrated gourmet driving trails, bringing together over eighty artisans, producers, wineries, and farm to table businesses. Sarah, what's up with uh with the route des Paysan?
SPEAKER_07Well the Circuit de Paisin is um it's a a fantastic route. It really does actually wind through a lot of the Auce and the Jardin de Napierville, but it extends now into Valleyfield, it extends into Roussillon and it extends into Vaudrey Sunange. So they've really expanded in the last few years. And it's a fantastic mix of all kinds of producers. You've got, you know, and through all seasons, so right now you'd be able to get asparagus on the circuit in a couple of weeks. The strawberries well, the strawberries should be out hopefully by next week, maybe the week after. Everything's a little delayed this year because of the wet, cold spring. And then right through blueberry season to everything else that you might possibly want with a full harvest in the fall. So the circuit is a fantastic way to get your feet wet as far as agrotourism is concerned.
SPEAKER_09Right. And it and uh looking at uh in our previous conversation with uh with Lisa Chase about agritourism being a working farm, of course there are working farms, but there's many other components in the the circuit that involve um, as you've explained, gourmet meals uh and other kinds of uh stores and offerings uh along the route.
SPEAKER_07Most of them have direct connections with farms if they're not actually on working farms, as you say. And the th the the circuit has come up with this new system as well this year where they're allowing people to become members if they don't want people to necessarily visit their farm. So for example, I have a small organic farm, we don't have parking, and we certainly don't have time to have people come and do visits on the farm, but we certainly want to participate in, say, Circuit de Paisan markets, which is something that they've started this year. So the Circuit de Paisan is finding new ways also and innovative um alternatives for producers to get out and meet people if they can't welcome them to their own farms.
SPEAKER_09Right. If you can't make it to the farm, bring the farm to the people.
SPEAKER_07Pretty much. And so you know the circuit started in 1998, and I asked Fleur about the secret to its success because it it that's a long time for any kind of um, you know, tourism. Tourism runs on trends so frequently, so it's a long time for something to have been running. She said it all lies with the members and their dedication to the network. So I'll let her explain a little bit here.
SPEAKER_12Yes, the circuit um the circuit, yes, so he's twenty years uh old now and it was uh you had like first members that we call um a membrane. Um that are almost all of them are still in the circuit. Some of them are are not working anymore, are not in the circuit anymore. But most of them, like Le Lavandon, Gauche View, uh Cesarey Dumino, they're all like they founded it and then yeah, so 28 years and now we have 75 members plus um a group of people that are just for events. They don't have like they cannot they cannot have people on their farm. So they're coming to our markets. So a lot of the original founding members are still there. Yeah, they're still there and they wanted to have like um a route so you can you know, you can go through the
SPEAKER_07countryside and buy you know by some I don't know wine by some lavender some food the longevity is something that's really interesting because a lot of times especially in tourism things pop up they go away they're trendy why do you think the circuit Baison has lasted 28 years?
SPEAKER_12I think it's because the members are very invested. It's not only like me all the members are invested. All of the members of the circuit de Baison are working with each other. So if you need apples they're gonna go see someone from the circuit and they'll work with them. They're all interrelated they're all linked a sense of belonging uh to the circuit du payson the circuit was like had some ups and downs and we changed the image of the circuit this year. So the logo changed uh we're working on the website right now so we're very happy and there's a quality about the work of all the members of the circuit when you when you go there you're sure you're gonna have quality in the food and a lot of people are making wines and ciders and so everything is like not always organic but at least uh sustainable.
SPEAKER_07Flour is quite new to the circuit but she's made a lot of changes in response to changing trends and what visitors are looking for as well as what the members are looking for from the circuit. So I asked her what the main draw is for members but also for people who are coming out and she said it's definitely the producers. So I'll let her take over here.
SPEAKER_12The people from the Circuit du paysan when you when you go meet them they're so warm and they're so dedicated and it's like you're not coming just to buy some I don't know asparagus or meat or wine you're coming to meet someone and to meet their p passion and then you have no choice. You cannot buy stuff like in big source you have to go through the circuit.
SPEAKER_07Yeah so I think maybe that's one of the most interesting things about the circuit too is that it's valuable for tourists who are coming to the area to discover things but it's very important to the local producers.
SPEAKER_12Yes exactly and it's important for for the local people too because it's a great way to know where your food comes from and you know I always say every time I go to the circuit and me all my food comes from the circuit and sometimes it's a little bit a tiny bit more expensive but you know all the people from the Circuit du Baison they work so hard and they're so dedicated that we have to do the same with them.
SPEAKER_07We're seeing a change I think in agrotourism as well right now. So how is agro tourism evolving? How is it changing?
SPEAKER_12I think people especially right now with like what's happening you know all around the world and because of maybe health issues we all want to know where our food is coming from and we all understood that driving through beautiful landscapes it's like buying your groceries while driving through I don't know Cove Hill that is so beautiful or every everywhere you're like in the countryside you're not crushing and you know that what you're eating was made for you to be healthy. So it's kind of it's like you're rec recognizing the the value of all these people all the the agricultural the farmers. Yeah the farmers all the producers and farmers we need to recognize what they're doing for us. If they're not here we're not eating and I think people more and more want to eat like some local food and encourage their friend, their cousin, their neighbor.
SPEAKER_07And then when it comes to agro tourism I mean 25 years ago 28 years ago when the circuit pays now started it was about going and buying apples. Yeah it's about much more now you know people want events they want activities. How is the circuit responding to that with your the the plans for the summer?
SPEAKER_12First you have like a lot of um a lot of the members have events of their own and at the circuit from this year on we have some markets so we have a few of them you can find them on the Facebook du Circuit du Paysan or even Instagram and like the next one is June 13th at the Bush Review in um on Covey Hill in Hemmingford. It's their 75th birthday so it's gonna be like a fiesta and I think people want to um have an experience they don't want to go there and just buy apples they want to take nice pictures they want to be able to eat on on the spot and just um you know spend the day enjoy you know it's an experience and it's like vacations close to you. It's really an amazing concept and I think the circuit is adapting very well with all the events coming on
Cynthia Roy - Huntingdon County Farmers' Market
SPEAKER_12so the Circuit de Baisai has several members in the Shatague Valley including the Huntingdon County Farmers Market.
SPEAKER_09The market has taken place on a weekly basis for over twenty years in Huntingdon during the summers and travels different municipalities for the Christmas and winter markets in the off season. Sarah spoke with market manager Cynthia Roy about its longevity and what keeps people coming back week after week.
SPEAKER_07So I spoke with Cynthia about what makes the market work. She had a lot to say about the people who come to the market and how the perception about the market is starting to change. There's a a long held perception that you know farmers markets are more expensive and people are starting to see a different side of the farmers market now. And so here she is on that note.
SPEAKER_02Aaron Ross Powell I really truly believe it's all because of the community. The community is close knitted with the market and they believe and they see the products and the artisan everything is so close to home. The products that they're getting is quality it's fresh they talk to people they talk to producers they talk to the artisan and they know where their food and their stuff is coming from. So how has it evolved in recent years then? Well if we're talking a little bit um before people were coming to the market but it was more like um to talk to people but not necessarily to buy but as uh time went on and COVID came um people noticed that the shelves were getting empty more at the IGA or the pharmacy or anywhere else. So they knew they could get what they wanted at the market and have good fresh products.
SPEAKER_07So you think people are actually coming and like buying their groceries at the market now as opposed to just coming in like buying one or two things? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02If people take time to compare the head of lettuce at the IGA and the head of lettuce that you can buy in market, they will see the freshness A and the price is very comparable. So they come and they realize that and they they're starting to buy more and there's things that they can buy a pastry that they won't be able to find at the IGA that they'll be able to find at the market. The products are different.
SPEAKER_07It's the quality is different. So do you think people's perceptions of are changing then when it comes to farmers markets and public markets? It's slowly changing.
SPEAKER_02They still have that mindset that it's more expensive but it's not like I said before they just have to take the time and compare it's coming it's coming along especially in now the last few years the economy's going a little bit um it's shifting. The mindset is shifting but it still needs a lot of work to convince people that the market is more accessible to everyone in the in the community.
SPEAKER_07So in terms of agrotourism then and what the farmers market's actually doing to allow people to discover the region and its producers and people do you think the market's actually helping? Does it bring in tourists?
SPEAKER_02I do believe they are coming in a little bit more. We try to attract and expand our communication to them so they come and discover what's there and maybe along the line they they they will discover a farm that they can go visit during the summer. So on top of us promoting the artisan and the brewers over the region we also help them go visit maybe more people in their region and the Wusan Ara and they can invest more there their money also that stays in the region itself.
SPEAKER_07Right. And so that might be one of the reasons why the the farmers market is sort of associated with the Circuit Pays, tourism those kinds of organizations then as well.
SPEAKER_02Correct so we try to show people that we're not just there to exist, we're also there to help producers have a front at the market where they can themselves a lot of the people they might see also advertise through Facebook from a Le Mont Tourism we try to really put them uh front in front of the public so they people get to know them, get to know their products and if they want to see more, if they want to taste more they can go and visit the farms itself.
SPEAKER_09So farmers markets are an interesting aspect of agritourism as mentioned before bringing the farm to the shopping place rather than the other way around to make it more accessible. And it's been a well I wouldn't say recent but uh certainly the last twenty, twenty five years since they became popular and I noticed I work at the Quinn Farm farmers market in Santa Bellevue on a regular basis. COVID people came out in droves because of course they didn't want to go into supermarkets and that's sort of dropped off a bit. But people really do look for the local aspect and there's some some dynamics around that in the the if the farmers market isn't particularly close, then people are not gonna go out of their way necessarily to get there.
SPEAKER_07Yeah one of the interesting things about farmers markets is that they're very, very popular now. The uh Association despite a couple of of statistics um so consumers survey from 2025 found that among consumers who shop through short supply chains 100% say they choose public markets or farmers markets. And according and that's about 41% who shop exclusively at public markets with an average of 8.5 visits per season. So that's a lot of visits to a farmers market when you consider that some places the seasons would be quite short. A little bit more statistics from the AMP they also highlight um the regional routes of markets so nearly half the markets are located in municipalities with fewer than 10,000 people and two-thirds of customers travel less than 10 kilometers to get there. So farmers markets and their role goes well beyond um this idea that they're gathering places they're actually local sourcing hubs or they become local sourcing hubs that are integrated into the economic and food lives of the communities that they're serving.
SPEAKER_09So they serve a much more significant purpose than I think we give them credit for sometimes yeah there's a a multiplicity of roles because people know that markets on Wednesday they're going to go there because they know they'll meet other people whereas that's not the case with the supermarket it's a very specific task you have is to fill the basket and get out of there as quickly as you can. Aaron Ross Powell When you go to farmers markets you often see other kinds of vendors. How do they fit in?
SPEAKER_07Yeah so the Huntington County market for example we have uh rates for artisans if they wanted to come um sometimes they have they're they're coming from farms so we have an alpaca producer for example who comes with her products that are you know wonderful and very warm for the winter. We also sometimes just have people who are coming making jewelry those sorts of things and they're just kind of an added accent if you will to the market. We love having the artisans there because they attract a different kind of people and they really do sort of compliment you know the producers that are there to a certain extent because depending on the artisan they're also meeting people they're getting out there they're seeing you know what the community wants what they don't want.
SPEAKER_09It's local economic development of the purest kind isn't it? Because particularly in rural areas there are you know if you go to Montreal there's the metro and people will put up a table and sell things that they produce whereas in the the rural areas there aren't many opportunities to be able to do that. So farmers markets play that dual role.
SPEAKER_07No they're fantastic. So you know I talked to Cynthia a bit about also food autonomy and food security just because markets do make food accessible to people who um you know are not traveling long distances at this point. We also talked about the local economy and how markets support the producers as well as the local agro tourism industry.
SPEAKER_02So I'll maybe I'll let Cynthia jump in here and explain that a little bit of a food insecurity um is a little bit everywhere now these days and often if there's a breakdown in the chains uh like we saw during the pandemic uh having uh the market there is good for them because they will have the food always available in their region and close to them in proximity. And how important do you think the farmers market is to the local economy? Oh farmer's market is excellent for the economy. So if people just go to the market every dollar they spend has an impact in the community. So a farmer that sells um apples, lettuce anything, that money they spend at that producer will stay in the economy because this producer will buy something else in the community and they will also create jobs. It will create all these benefits around it. So it stays in the USA and the money stays here. It doesn't go to a an outside source it doesn't it stays here where the money should be and the investments just come continues and there's more services if we stay spend in the in our own community.
SPEAKER_07And so as far as trends are concerned I think we sort of saw you know pre-COVID the markets like you said people were coming to the markets but it was sort of a social event it was a social gathering sort of and then post-COVID during COVID the market became a very interesting and a sort of a strange place for a few years there where people were still coming to get their products but there was social distancing and there was all kinds of things. The entertainment was gone all of that how is it coming back now after COVID and what do you think people want when they come to the farmers market? Is that changing now too?
SPEAKER_02The shift a little bit is more that people want to know where their food is coming from, where their product is coming from. So they'll be more interested in in talking to the producers and the artisans to know how they made a product and where they came from and what's the story behind it. And if if they're really like proximity proximity is like I think 15 to 20 kilometers so where that efficiency of also not having the gas to pay that the the environment is also involved. So I think people are just shifting their their mindset to saying buying local is not just buying local to buy encouraging local but it's also like the effect of it behind the the trend of trying to be in more environmental and more integrated in the community.
SPEAKER_07As far as the entertainment is concerned and those sorts of things I mean people are coming they still want to come for the social aspects I imagine to the market.
SPEAKER_02It hasn't completely disappeared but it's changing. We're trying to do new things at the market to try to attract people like we did uh last year. We did our a soup contest that attracted a good sized people. So we're trying to integrate things that people might are interested going back to basics of knowing how to knit or tasting good local soup and having those beautiful flavors. So the engine is just changing. It's not just music anymore. It's trying to get people involved in doing something that they might be interested in.
SPEAKER_07So the only other question that I have then we've sort of talked a little bit about agritourism and the agritourism I think most people think that it has to be people who are coming like long distances or people from Montreal who are coming to try to find the farmers market and that's not really how the farmers markets work. There's markets all over Montreal but do you think local tourism is an important aspect of the market success?
SPEAKER_02It is and this is coming from experience if you talk to anyone a lot of people don't know what's in the region. So if they come to a farmer's market and we have some uh groups sometimes come uh like the jeweler site or even other groups who we invited over the summer they also discover what we have in the region um unfortunately locals don't know everything they might not even know that kayaks of friary are there doing kayaks down the river there's a lot of beautiful things that are in the region that people need to open up instead of thinking oh I'm gonna travel an hour to go see something in Montreal or something in the Houston Township. We have a beautiful region and people should learn to see what we have in our region.
Greg Bohemen & Namira Rose - Grassroots Music Ranch
SPEAKER_09So building on the farmers market um as a dual role um now even sort of a triple role at the local market in Huntington one of the bands that often plays at the is the Bohemian Rose the duo of musicians Greg Boheman and Namira Rose and they are the founders of the grassroots music ranch in Ormstown and many farmers markets have musicians that play and just to have an ambiance and and often a tent that people can sit down have a uh something to drink in the in the heat of the summer sun. So it now in their third season the ranch is community driven homestead venue that blends regenerative farming with live music. It's quickly become a cultural hub for the Shattue Valley for folk bluegrass and acoustic music so it's a real add-on to the the basis of just uh of selling food and other goods at the market.
SPEAKER_07Yeah and certainly music is something that we've always sort of associated with agritourism or often associated with agritourism you know we can think of Blair's um Apple Orchard for example who often have a band on the weekend those sorts of things but music is also something that's really deeply rooted in in rural areas. So I had a chat with Greg and Namira about the history of their ranch, um how it started and what their future plans are become it's becoming a very popular venue. And I have to say I mean it really is located on an oasis of a property in what feels like the middle of nowhere. You know the stage is set up in an old pig barn. It's a pretty magical place. So I'll I'll let them explain a little bit about how they started and where they're going.
SPEAKER_11So I was brought up on a dairy farm across the road actually from here. And um since we're four kids, I always thought like outside the box, how could we uh expand the farm and like add on to it instead of uh compete for the farm. And uh I was at a green thumb like the gardening and um so uh after I went to to Mac at uh the farm management technology program I focused on horticulture and um I decided to go out west to go to BC to uh to study that. And um yeah it was supposed to just be like a little road trip we'll go for six months or whatever. And then um yeah I I loved it out there and um discovered the music scene actually and that's where uh Namir and I met.
SPEAKER_05And uh I came from Toronto, traveled a lot in other parts of the world and ended up on Vancouver Island managing a herd of dairy goats and we met through music.
SPEAKER_11And we had common interests of like agriculture and music.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_11And uh but then we found it more and more became more the music out there and we were starting to miss the ag side of it. The pandemic hit too and we were like Kamikaze gardeners this balcony.
SPEAKER_05We had a wraparound deck around we were like the upper floor of a duplex and I was so addicted to growing food that we just had like pots and pots and pots everywhere of tomatoes and eggplants and cucumbers and whatever. Then we asked a neighbor down the street if we could, you know, can we plant our garlic there. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work though we both had full-time jobs and music but and we had this opportunity to come back here.
SPEAKER_11Yeah my dad bought this property to add on to the dairy farm and um he was going to design the house and just ask if we were interested and came to visit and right away had this feeling of this is the spot. We can do farming and music. And this old barn actually it was an old pig barn. Um I guess at one point they had over three hundred pigs and they were using huskies and foxes and stuff and so anyway uh we just kind of fixed it up and decided like let's start having concerts here. Why not?
SPEAKER_05Yeah but I'll tell you the first time I walked into that barn and he said we're gonna have concerts here I thought there was like no way. And it did. And it helps that we had a lot of experience um out west with hosting jams.
SPEAKER_11Well because it started as just concerts but then we realized a lot of people that were coming were also musicians. So like we can't just host all these bus like let's do open mics and songwriting circles and stuff and let's try to build a community. Yeah. Because I guess like I was a musician too before I went out west but there was not much of a music scene there. Or like I mean it's not bad but like uh it's you know we're close to Montreal and everything but still like when we went out west we saw there's open mics every night of the week and different stuff and they're like well we can't complain about it. Let's just create something and see if the interest is there and it's been there.
SPEAKER_07I also asked Greg and Namira about the different ways music and agriculture fit together and we spoke about the musicians and how they react to playing in such a different kind of venue. So here's a little bit more of what they had to say about that.
SPEAKER_05And I guess our whole idea with the Grassroots music ranch was to bring together the two things that we love most and be able to integrate it. I don't know I don't know much about farming because I'm from the city but you know you hear a lot of people that say like you know music and farming just don't go well together and it's absolutely not true.
SPEAKER_11In fact we have a lot of people from the city coming to watch the shows and they love seeing this set in the barn we're like where did you get these barn boars? And it's like well this is just the barn. Like we didn't actually like we moved the tools to have this concert actually like it's the opposite like this is not a set. Oh it's cool a saw on the side and like a ladder. Yeah but we literally just moved everything like this is it this is like natural and like our goal with this place too would be to have like um to be able to have like um like Meals like a tab shop out like have like meals from the farm and have like our own animals. Like right now we just have chickens, but like we sell the eggs at the concerts and stuff and preserves. But like it would be nice to have an actual meal and also for people around here to be able to provide um music and community.
SPEAKER_05It's also really nice to be able to like the more this has been going on, we're having so many more like integrations between francophones and anglophones, which I think is really important. Um for me as a as an anglophone, someone who's not from Quebec and trying to learn French. It's really nice to see the coming together of people. Um and we're you know, we have two pretty large acts that are coming in the fall and they're francophone bands, so it's nice to to be able to do that. You guys have like a whole summer schedule. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_11Like last I guess this would be like our third year. The first year does already count. We had like a three events just to test it out. Last year was a full programming, but it was like month by month. We'd be like, hey, who you have next month? And then we just okay, ask a few people. Okay, book it. Then ask like and we have this newsletter that we send out every month. That's like our main way of staying in contact with everyone. But then this year we decided because as being musicians ourselves, like we didn't really have time for ourselves last summer. It was just so now it's like let's book everything the whole year. And actually, like uh Nameir did a call out for uh who wants to come play here, and we had over 75 applicants.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_11So it's like uh we're like I guess victims of our own success. I guess like the it's like well, now we have to like narrow down, and then you're more tempted to take people from that are from uh far away, people that are traveling, but then we don't want to be neglecting the local musicians too. So it would be interesting to have like a festival and stuff. We've been talking about that, like a harvest fest in the fall. Because there's so much going on in the summer, have like some kind of to at least get to showcase all the local musicians that we passed on because we you know, just naturally we only have 20 slots, the we have the the choos. It's tough. It's it's it's harder than we thought of it.
SPEAKER_05It's tough, but it's also great, you know. Musicians tell their friends and people are pretty keen on coming here. We're able to bring in bands that normally would never come out here. So mm, what do you think is it that's bringing them here? I think you know, a lot of the feedback that we get from musicians is, you know, I've never played for such a an attentive audience or in such a such a space where I feel so at ease.
SPEAKER_11Or supportive crowds too. Where like uh like it's hard for musicians to sell CDs nowadays, like everyone has to doll streaming. But here people will just they'll buy just to be to support. And like and they even think that I'm just buying it just to support you because it was so amazing, and you can hear a pin drop during the show. It's like it's so everyone's so attentive and uh unless you're dancing or something.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, musicians tend to to really find this place very unique. You know, when you go to the big city, the big city Montreal or Toronto or wherever you are to listen to music, everything's oversaturated out there and here you know, people plan their summers around the shows that are happening here so they can be a part of that music culture that so you know we offer them a place to stay and a meal, so that helps too if you're on tour. But yeah, I think every musician that has come here, I always ask them after, so so what were you expecting and how did it turn out? And they always say, honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I'm driving down the driveway and there's all these weird hippie signs, like am I going to a cult? What's happening here? And you know, they walk into the bar and say, Wow, that's really cool. And and all of a sudden these expectations change into this incredible experience, not only for the people watching, but the musicians too.
SPEAKER_07Greg Namira and I also talked a lot about community and how music actually has a lot of roots in rural areas before touching on their plans for the future and how they see their project continuing to develop.
SPEAKER_05All of a sudden one car pulls up, then another car pulls up, and you can see them going, you know, as more and more people show up, you can see their eyes just getting bigger. They're like, oh, okay, this is a real thing. Okay. And uh it's and it's so cool to see people to see people so gratified at the end of the night.
SPEAKER_11Like I think the best aspect is like multi-generational. You see people of all ages, you see and we encourage, bring your kids for sure. Like uh and it goes all the way to elders and everyone's um their dogs, yeah.
SPEAKER_06It's a lot of fun. So it must be a pretty intimate thing then.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_06I mean well, uh you sort of talked about community before too, and I think that's really like paralleling community and barns and barn raisings and those sorts of things. Like there's so much history of community just you know, probably on this property.
SPEAKER_11We've been talking to the people that used to live here, the children that grew up and and um and as songwriters too, like we're always looking for inspiration and I wrote a song with my grandparents and stuff like that. And um and sometimes like music is like a form of therapy too, sometimes. And like as farmers, I always find it's like uh suppressing that. I was like, oh, it's like a hobby, like no, we gotta work, gotta work, work, work. It was like it's nice to find the balance to to to be able to nourish that side too, and like it would be and it's nice, like they enjoy having the newsletter. Actually, we just got an email this morning, like, oh my god, I'm so happy what you guys are doing here. It's it's cool that you know I was brought up here my whole life, and it's really nice to see that you're continuing like something nice and and they come to see the show sometimes and they all in town, they all see it. And it's and it's it's nice to see that. It would be nice to write a song about that, of their heritage.
SPEAKER_05But on that subject of you know, bringing back this this this old tradition of of coming together in a rural area, there's a lot of folks that come here and say, you know, we don't have this kind of stuff anymore. Um a lot of people are, you know, I don't know if it was COVID or if it was before. I mean, I didn't grow up in the in a rural area, but uh having yeah, just having an opportunity for people to have a reason to go out and be with other people.
SPEAKER_11It reduces the um the social uh isolation of being in rural communities. And it was an elder lady who's like, I Friday night there's not much going on, you know? I'm single, there's nothing going on. And this just makes I can't wait, I have it marked on the calendar and I'll be here every show. And it's nice to hear that. I was like, amazing.
SPEAKER_05So how does this fit in with sort of like n ending newer trends and agroturism too? I don't know if it's a trend. I mean it's i i it very well might be. It's just Greg and I are just doing really the two things that we love. And we're just okay, how how can we make this into a thing and be able to to I can't think of the word, but like uh just feel fulfilled. Um but really I mean we could be a place where you know we're we're getting the the cabana, the we're getting the sugar with ready and stuff.
SPEAKER_11But I think what draws the people in is the music, but then then we get to sell like the produce from here. And then especially I'm setting up like a sugar bush in the back. And I I dream of having like uh like cabanesic nights and like you know, have uh and revive old traditions of Quebec music and all that. And uh but that's it. So the music brings the people in the door, and then the agritourism side is that come here and have like a whole experience. And eventually when we have the Mapback certification, have the meals, it's like come here, pet the animals, have a good show and have a great meal of the food from here, and if we can't produce it all, then team up with local businesses to be able to provide that and and even eventually have like a liquor license and be able to pr help uh Livingstone or Barabous or different local breweries, the the dream to have everything come together and have a whole experience, come here for the day.
SPEAKER_05Imagine if this exists in the middle of uh, you know, commercial agricultural area, how many more places are like this here? You know, there's so many little pockets of things that we don't even know about. I guess it I guess it's part of our job as you know, being stewards of the grassroots music ranch is to show that, you know, this is possible.
SPEAKER_06That well, that definitely goes back to the history too of the area because there's a huge tradition of of music in rural areas.
SPEAKER_05It's it's pretty cool how not cool. It's interesting to see how music has transformed throughout the last hundred years from being a community gathering event to something where you have to l actually leave your area to go.
SPEAKER_11Not even hundred years, I'd say in the last ten years, even how quickly it's changed. And so that's why we're encouraging kids to come too, because we want to continue it. Like, especially at West, a lot of times we'd be doing these jams and we'd be the youngest people by ten years. So we go to a bluegrass festival and we're the youngest, and everyone's so happy to see us. Oh, you're keeping us alive. I mean, we're in our thirties, you know. So we need the next generation, otherwise, because it's gonna get lost if we don't pass it on.
Marie Daudelin - Le Mangeoir
SPEAKER_09So we've talked about agritourism on a working farm, we've talked about farmers' markets, um there's all kinds of different elements to agritourism from um the circuit de paysan to uh the agricultural fairs and other uh events in rural areas in the in the summertime that attract uh food tents and and produce from the local region. But one of them that's well established in Quebec for a long time are the Tab Chompet, which there isn't really an English translation that's suitable, country kitchen, but that sounds more like Tennessee than it does in Quebec. Um but it's uh it's a place where people um go and and have a farm-made meal um with a minimum of 50% of the produce coming from that actual farm. So um let's hear from our reporter Karen Forrester, who spoke with uh co-owners of Le Manjois, Marie Daudelin. They chat about what they've been uh doing this summer along with Le Manjois's recent nomination uh for a prize and new regulations affecting Tab Champettes in Quebec.
SPEAKER_16So I'm here today with Marie Daudelin from Le Manjois. I was wondering if we you could start by just telling me a little bit about Le Manjois and you know the kind of things that you offer at your place.
SPEAKER_14Yeah, so the Mangois is a farm. We grow many animals. We have beef, pork, duck, we have chicken, also hens, we have goose, we have rabbits. Well, it's like it's a big uh there's many animals here, and also we have a garden and all those food, because they're for food, it's for our restaurant. So we have a farm to table restaurant on the farm site, and we also have a bedding breakfast of four bedrooms that is open year year round. And how long have you been? You're the co-owner, I believe, right? Yeah, I am the co-owner. The other one is my boyfriend husband, it's the pen who um yes, it's Guillaume. So we are two owners in that company. And how long have you been running that? So we moved from Montreal six years ago, and so now the tourists and activity it's been five years.
SPEAKER_16I know that recently you were a finalist for Le Laurier de la Gastronomie Québécoise, which is uh a competition. Can you tell me a little bit about that experience and what that is?
SPEAKER_14Yes, so the Laurier have been uh around for eight years. They aim to reward and recognize people in the gastronomy industry. That is a very nice platform to gain visibility and get known. So when we were at the press conference, it was quite exciting and we were very proud because we were around people that we know from social media, TV, that have been there since many, many years. So big, big chef, big personality. And was this your first year being nominated in that? Yes, yes, yes. So we tried two or three years ago to be nominated. You need to be known by the industry. And last year we work with uh public relations and we had many media that came at the farm to have a meal, we show the farm, and then we were in La Cresse, Devoir, in many magazines. So we were a bit everywhere, so now people know us better. Because when we start, we start very small. It was more people from Montreal that came at the farm to eat because we were known Guillaume had a restaurant in Montreal. So our first customer were from the big city, and then we opened more and more and more, and now it's more local, and people also in the industry now start start knowing about us. Yeah.
SPEAKER_16That's amazing that you were able to sort of in a year do so much work to to be so much more known. That's really exciting.
SPEAKER_14Yeah, yeah. Well, we were known, but not in that much. So now the farm was more ready to welcome people. It was more beautiful, more more the excellent we wanted to have five, six years ago.
SPEAKER_16And you know, earlier this year there were some new regulations proposed about farm to table places being able to offer larger, like uh welcome more guests. How is that affecting you? And is that something that you've felt the impacts of?
SPEAKER_14Yeah, well, it's a very nice project and very nice uh news, I would say, because you know, to receive 20 people now uh only at the firm at the same time, it's not efficient. Like financially, it's it's hard just to receive that small group, or otherwise you need to put your price very high because you know, it's a business. So, like that, people are some like that's a part of the population cannot have access at those experiences. And we all like food, uh you know. So so now with the new regulation, it will be easier also for the farm to have their permit to receive more people. Otherwise, you need to um to make a demand to the CPTAQ. So, yes, so it's less work when it's like six now it's 60 guest.
SPEAKER_16That must be nice that these regulations are gonna sort of open up right in time for the summer season, which I'm assuming is probably one of your busier seasons.
SPEAKER_14So this is a good news, but it could be dangerous. So, on one side, it's a new opportunity for farmers to diversify their activities and their incomes. But restoration is not easy. The marge or small lack agriculture. So you need to be very tight on the expenses because it could be dangerous, you know. So people that don't know restoration and start to do farm to table restaurant, well be careful. This is my my advice.
SPEAKER_16Yeah, that's that's a really good point. It's it's uh a tough business. My brother is is a chef, and the way he talks about it sometimes, I'm like, that's it's so crazy how small the profit margins are. Um and that must be really stressful.
SPEAKER_14Oh, yeah, and also also the farm. So yeah, agriculture, it's small margin and restaurant. So you mix both. Be careful.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_14For us, even if the regulation goes to 60 guests for our five to table experience, five courses, we want to keep it small because it's a high experience that we want to give to people. But of course, we do also other experiences like sugar shack, and we do some picnic on Thursday, pizza night. So this will be good for this kind of activity. But when we want to give a high experience, you need to keep keep it small.
SPEAKER_16Yeah. And do you grow pretty much everything that you serve right on your farm, like the meat, the vegetables, everything?
SPEAKER_14All the meat, yes. For the vegetables, we of course in the summer we have a lot of many kinds of vegetables. Uh during winter, spring, we don't have any greenhouses. So here uh there's uh Jardin La Resistance and Arms down La Help Has. There's a Javis Nazar, uh is our neighbor that also help us. So at the beginning of the project, we we wanted to be 100% self um self-sufficient. Yeah, exactly. But we realized that it was very it's another game. Yes. Very hard. And also here when we bought the farm, there were no fruit treats. We put some on the farm, but now you know they're small. So maybe in two, four years, if they're survive, we're gonna have more fruit on the farm. So we're lucky that around we have we have fruit farms.
SPEAKER_16Yeah, I mean, and might as well use the resources of the valley, right? Like there's so much amazing stuff. So, so local and so close by. Is there anything else that you want to add before we sort of wrap up?
SPEAKER_14Farm hospitality is just getting started. It's becoming a more and more popular way to travel, you know, slow tourism, um, travel for food. So, no, I'm very happy for um I re I really look forward for the next years that coming. So uh thank you very much. Yeah, of course. I'm excited for your season.
SPEAKER_16It sounds like it's gonna be a really exciting year.
Street Interviews
SPEAKER_09Agritourism is yes, it's about farms, but it's also about the people who visit the farms, the infamous consumers. Callan was also out and about recently um talking to people on the street and asking them what do they think about agritourism?
SPEAKER_16I just have to know what your experience with farmers markets is like and why you choose to visit them.
SPEAKER_04I mean, I feel like the location of the farmers market determines kind of the vibe. Sure. And I have two young kids, and so that's why we come here. It's just like a nice family-friendly activity. You can eat, you can like chill, the kids can run around. Totally. And that's why we like it.
SPEAKER_16Yeah, and would you ever consider visiting a farm directly or like agro-tourism locations as well for outings?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, definitely. I feel like it's a world that I actually am like so intrigued by. Cool. But I feel like it's daunting. Like I don't know how to get involved. But like seriously, like I actually in my future would be obsessed with like owning land and like doing some farming, but I'm like, I could never do that on my own. Right. So I feel like it'd be better to volunteer. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Like get involved that way. Of course. Or like even to learn that way. Yeah.
SPEAKER_08Well, first first of all, I get I get to really meet the local community. It's a very it's a very um wide range of of uh people, any socioeconomical ranges. I love I love supporting local local vendors, local uh entrepreneurs and farmers.
SPEAKER_16That's fantastic. And would you ever consider visiting farms or going to other agro tourism locations that are um more direct about it?
SPEAKER_15Well, often I'm here to just take in the vibes. So it's just so nice to be here with people. And although I'm here on my own taking like a little break, um sometimes I come with my family or friends. Um, but like right now, I often just end up buying a snack, like something to eat at the market. I see all the organomies, then it would be great. But like I don't use a car and so on. I'm not actually here to get our veggies. It's more for like the experience.
SPEAKER_16Yeah. Um, so I'd just love to know what is it about farmers market that brings you here and why is it that you enjoy coming?
SPEAKER_13I'm here. Um for uh a friend's birthday, like a kid's birthday party. Yeah. So our friend's daughter is having her birthday party here. They went just around the corner. I haven't been to this one specifically, but I did just pick up some strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and uh some beautiful olives, and they were all amazing and delicious. Very cool. Um and the community, yeah. Just the community above it.
SPEAKER_10And I I would say one of the reasons why they had their kids' birthday party here today was because the farmer's market is happy.
SPEAKER_16Right.
SPEAKER_10So it's it's it's uh happy where it's it's a good community space.
SPEAKER_16Exactly. Yeah, space, yeah. Totally. And does it ever make you want to visit farms directly as well or like other agro tourism spots, or are you more I if I I I do, you know, not today, but I have gone to other ones.
SPEAKER_13You know, I have inquired about like where, you know, the produce or if I'm buying meat, where that like where the farms are. Yeah. But they're not often close enough. We don't drive, so totally it's hard to get to. But yeah.
SPEAKER_16Yeah. Thank you for joining us for the latest episode of the Farm to Food Podcast, presented to you by Dejardet. We will have lots more about farming and all things agri-food in the coming weeks, and we'd like to thank our partners for helping bring this initiative to life. The Livestock Breeders Association in Ormstown and Quinn Farm in Notre Dame the Ipeho for promotional support.
SPEAKER_09This program is also made possible by the volunteer directors on the board of the Shatague Valley Community Information Services, non-profit social enterprise with charitable status. So please support these efforts by making a tax-deductible donation at farmtofood.ca.
SPEAKER_16The Farm to Food Podcast has been made possible by the hard work and creative effort of the following people at the Gleener: Hugh Maynor, publisher, Jackie Work, Associate Publisher, Sarah Rennie, news editor, Chantal Hortop, managing editor, Erica Taylor, copy editor, Stacey Pennington, audio production, Diana Chicky, sales and marketing, José Menal, office manager, Gail Elliott, administration, and myself, Callan Forester, reporter.
SPEAKER_09And of course, Farmer Phil. He'll be back in two weeks as part of our bi-weekly farm to food podcast with lots of interesting stories on the journey of food from the land to the kitchen table. Thanks for listening, and we appreciate your support from local journalism at farmtofood.ca.