By Marianna Spence, CFSA Membership Coordinator | Monday, Apr. 8, 2019 –
Last year, I had the great fortune of running into Cathy Cole and Steve Garfinkel at Braeburn Farm as they were hopping off a UTV tour of the cattle farm. We were chatting about the farm when they told me this was their 23rd year of touring — they hadn’t missed a Piedmont Farm Tour since it started in 1996!
Cathy and Steve will be hitting the road again for the 2019 Piedmont Farm Tour, April 27-28, and shared some stories from past years and advice for new(er) tour-goers.
Braeburn farmer Charles Sydnor and 23-year tour veterans, Cathy Cole and Steve Garfinkel
CFSA Q: How did the Piedmont Farm Tour become a must-do event for you?
Cathy & Steve A: “We were hooked because of what we learned that first year! We were in the process of looking for land in the 90s and weren’t sure what we were going to be doing with it, so we started going on the farm tour. We got so excited at seeing all the innovation the farmers employ and seeing how to take care of your land, environment, plants, and animals.”
Q: Do you have any tour traditions?
A: “We try to check out new farms each year, and build our itinerary around the ones we really want to see. We pick an area and minimize our driving time. We don’t have any specific tour traditions as going on the tour is the tradition itself!”
Touring at Woodcrest Farm
Q: Got any other tips for tourers?
A: “Check out the farms that may not sound too exciting in the booklet. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve gone to a farm because it’s in the area of our main stop and leave thinking ‘Gosh, that’s the best tour we’ve been on because we learned so much!’ Some farmers are better than others at writing an enticing blurb for the tour booklet, but that doesn’t mean the tour won’t be exceptional. Oh, and take your cooler! We buy something at every farm that’s selling products.”
23 years of tour buttons!
Q: What do you do to prepare for the tour?
A: “We educate ourselves about the farm enough to ask some questions. Farmers are so passionate about what they’re doing, and the right question will spark conversations full of excitement and opportunities for you to learn.”
Q: Do you have favorite farms you visit year after year?
A: “We like to see new farms, but we do have some favorites. We’ve been to Braeburn three or four years in a row. If you have a favorite, you get to see it evolve over time. Last year we saw how Braeburn is using a windmill to harvest energy, and a few years before that we watched as they rebuilt a stream; now it looks like it’s been part of the farm forever.”
Q: What have you seen change over the years about the tour?
A: “The changes are driven by the one thing that hasn’t changed – farmer innovation! You might see a chicken tractor one year and huge improvements to its design the next. It’s really remarkable how farmers adapt methods to their own farm and are constantly improving systems. Again, tour descriptions might sound similar, but trust us, the farms are not!”
Q: Any last bits of tour wisdom?
A: “What’s shocked us over the years is that there has never been a tour where we didn’t learn something, see something unique, even if it’s how two farmers are doing the same thing differently. This tour doesn’t disappoint. When someone takes the time to talk to you about their journey…it’s a recipe for learning, which has always been our favorite part.”
Plan your route and buy your pass for the 2019 Piedmont Farm Tour! And if you see Cathy and Steve, be sure to give them a wave!
