| SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 -- Twelve Granby farms braved the unsettled weather Saturday, Sept. 8 to provide area residents with a unique opportunity to tour the agriculture right in their community.
Open Farm Day promoted the variety of agricultural products Granby offers, ranging from fresh-grown produce to using horses for therapy. Visitors got a behind-the-scenes look at how vegetables are grown and how farms operate, with tours led by the farmers themselves.
Granby farms offer several hidden gems not known to many local residents.
In North Granby, the Shinder Farm is a major provider of firewood, in addition to the traditional cows and chickens.
Deanna Shinder, a high school senior, says her family’s farm spends a lot of time grinding branches and trees, and produces firewood as well as hay.
“Some people don’t really know that firewood is a part of farming and agriculture,” said Shinder.
She said her family was enjoying the open farm day, showing their wood business and their animals to the area families.
“The kids just love the animals,” said Shinder.
As a special feature, Shinder was doing wood carving, making seats, benches, and designs using parts of tree trunks.
Nearby, at the Angel Horses Farm on Knollwood Road, Julia Levy was spending time with six-year-old Gabriel Dell.
Dell has developmental balance issues, and horses are used to provide therapy for him.
“We do riding and therapy,” said Levy, who got the opportunity to meet residents in the community through the Open Farm Day.
She said the tour has been very enjoyable for her and her staff.
“It’s great to see so many people here learning about the agriculture we have in town,” said Levy.
And at the Fitzpatrick Farm, nine-year-old Ryan McGrath was showing off his love for farming.
McGrath is a neighbor of the Fitzpatricks, and traded in his video games and television for a pair of boots and a shovel.
“I help keep the stalls clean, feed the animals, and clean up their poop,” said McGrath.
The youngster began visiting the farm recently, and spent part of his summer evenings working there.
Farm owner Dan Fitzpatrick is pleased to see children like McGrath take an interest in agriculture. The Fitzpatrick farm raises show cattle. He allowed McGrath to help lead tours on Open Farm Day, and hopes it encourages more children to get involved with agriculture.
“There are so many great farms out here,” said Fitzpatrick. “Agriculture is still a big thing here in Granby.”
In just a few months, McGrath has already learned much, and plans to continue visiting the farm.
“He comes home and does his homework right after school,” said his father, Brendan McGrath. “Learning about farming has been great for him. It also helps keep him away from the video games.”
Nine other farms throughout Granby, as well as the Granby Grange, were open for six hours, and farm visitors brought maps and passports to mark each farm they visited. Farms allowed children to pet animals and tour stalls. Vegetable stands and other sales had special offers for their products.
Other farms offered demonstrations including horse grooming, braiding and vegetable growing. |
