Visitors to the Finger Lakes who want an authentic agritourism experience are invited to attend 2019 Open Farm Days from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 11. During this FREE two-day event, 20 farms will open their gates, barns and pastures to the public for tours, demonstrations, food tastings, and animal interactions for an afternoon of family-friendly farm fun!
Different farms will be open for tours each day. 2019 is the third year for this event and new farms will join several old favorites in the lineup.
2019 Open Farm Days will feature farms that raise fiber goats and sheep, alpaca, beef and dairy cattle, poultry, mushrooms, flowers, fruits, organic vegetables and hemp. Visitors can tour dairies to see newer technologies like robotic milking and a rotary parlor; visit with pasture-raised livestock of all kinds; tour orchards and pick-your-own blueberry farms; sample local beer, cider, wine and cheese; shop at farm markets; learn about mushroom growing; enjoy colorful nursery plants and cut flowers; buy local produce; see acres of hemp; and visit the TC3 Sustainable Farm that trains new farmers!
Tour, learn, taste and shop, and enjoy the beautiful countryside as you drive from farm to farm.
Farms on the east side of Cayuga Lake will be open for tours on Saturday, August 10 while farms on the west side of the lake will be open on Sunday, August 11. Admission to all farms is FREE. Dogs are not permitted. Visitors are encouraged to bring a cooler as many farms will have products for sale. Read through the farm descriptions and pick the farms you want to visit — it is generally possible to visit about five farms during the four-hour Open Farm Days time period.
Find photos and detailed information on all the tour sites at OpenFarmDays.org, a mobile-friendly website that enables visitors to use their smart phones to plot their tour route in real time. Out-of-town visitors can find overnight lodging assistance from Visit Ithaca.
For other questions about 2019 Open Farm Days, contact Monika Roth at mr55@cornell.edu or call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County at (607) 272-2292.
2019 Open Farm Days is sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and the Tompkins County Convention & Visitor Bureau; funded in part by grants from the Tompkins County Tourism Program and Tompkins County Farm Bureau.
Featured image: Visitors to Underhill Farm in Dryden pet the sheep and speak with owner Rick Ryan during the 2018 Open Farm Days event. (Sandy Repp/Courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension)