SEQUIM — As autumn saturates the surrounding landscapes and the air develops a refreshing chill, seven farms across the Sequim-Dungeness Valley are celebrating the harvest season at the 20th annual Clallam County Farm Tour.
Per tradition, the farm tour is slated from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the first Saturday in October — this Saturday.
The cost of the self-guided tour is $10 per carload or free if biking. The fee will be paid at the first farm visited, and each visitor will receive a ticket to place on the windshield for entry into other farms.
For two decades, the community has enjoyed the tour as an annual opportunity to connect with local farmland, listen to live music, eat farm-fresh food and engage with area farmers.
The event continues to grow, said Tom Sanford, North Olympic Land Trust executive director.
In partnership with WSU Clallam County Extension, the land trust co-sponsors the annual event, which allowed more than 2,000 individuals to visit area farms in 2015.
“Farm Tour is one of my favorite days of the year,” Sanford said. “It is an incredible opportunity for the whole community to reconnect with the area’s agricultural heritage that continues to thrive.”
Just recently, Sarah and Ryan McCarthey, owners of Dungeness Valley Creamery, which is on the tour, received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to expand the farm’s presence within 100 miles and tap into the greater Olympic Peninsula, Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia markets.
For WSU Extension Director Clea Rome, “the farm tour is a great opportunity for residents to experience the beauty and diversity of farms we have in this area, and to see first-hand the important role that farms play in contributing to the quality of life in Clallam County,” she said.
The farms involved in this year’s tour offer diverse agricultural experiences, ranging from a raw-milk dairy to a Christmas tree and compost farm.
On the tour, visitors can:
• Learn how to make yogurt and butter at Dungeness Valley Creamery, 1915 Towne Road.
• Watch a professional sheep-shearer and herding demonstrations with border collies at Lurkalee Gaare, 702 Gunn Road.
• Check out antique tractors and choose from the U-pick pumpkin patch while visiting the 1920s farm store Agnew Grocery &Feed, 2863 Old Olympic Highway.
• Take a hayride through the Christmas trees and apple and pear orchards at Lazy J Tree Farm, 225 Gehrke Road.
• Learn how to distill lavender at Jardin du Soleil, 3932 Sequim-Dungeness Way.
• See elementary agricultural projects in action and take a student-led tour through the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge at Five Acre School, 515 Lotzgesell Road.
• Discover the field of seed production at Nash’s Organic Produce, 4681 Sequim-Dungeness Way.
To wrap up the full day spent on the farms, Nash’s Organic Produce also is hosting a community potluck at 6 p.m. Saturday, followed by a barn dance at 7:30 p.m., with live music by the Bellingham band Polecat.
The cost is $10 for adults. Youths younger than 16 will be admitted free.
Beer and wine will be served to benefit the North Olympic Land Trust.
While exploring the seven farms, visitors can look for opportunities to contribute to the land trust’s fall Friends of the Fields campaign aimed at local farmland conservation, the land trust said.
On the verge of reaching the $125,000 campaign goal, land trust officials said they hope to conclude the campaign alongside the community at this year’s event.
Today, Sanford will lead a public informational tour at the 60-acre Historic Ward Farm, which is targeted for conservation under the campaign.
The free tour will be at 5:30 p.m. RSVP to alana@northolympiclandtrust.org or call 360-417-1815, ext. 3.
For more information about the farm tour and a map, visit www.north olympiclandtrust.org or extension.wsu.edu/clallam.
