19 It’s Farming. And It’s Better. Better Farming | November 2023 local public transit service, to host a Mystery Farm Hop in July. “ e idea was to highlight the transit service and also highlight the agritourism and farms that Perth County has to o er,” says Julie McIntosh, a director on the Perth County Federation of Agriculture board. “It was a mystery, so we kept it a secret where the attendees were going.” e tour was free, but registration was required to manage numbers. Within 12 hours of starting ticket sales, the farm hop was sold out. “We had 150 participants get on a bus in Stratford. ey stopped at four farms, and they had 45 minutes to an hour to tour around,” says McIntosh. “ ey were all agritourism-based farms and all of them had an experience of some form.” ere was a visit to Stonetown Artisan Cheese, with an opportunity to see how cheese is made. e next stop was Kampkreek Dairy, home to a herd of water bu alo. e dairy farm took the visitors on a wagon ride around the property and shared samples of farm products. e third stop was McCully’s Hill Farm, which has an on-farm store, and the fourth stop was at Black Creek Flower Farm. e tour learned about growing owers, and they could do a ‘pick-your-own’ ower activity if they chose to. In addition to the opportunity to share more about the local farms and how food was produced, the tour brought together a diverse group of attendees, largely from urban backgrounds. OFA Revive Fund Farm hoppers visit Stonetown Artisan Cheese in Perth County. Ashley Brockelbank photo
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