Open Farm Days 2024: Upcoming Online Meeting & Feedback Opportunity

Good morning,

Thank you for your involvement and interest in Open Farm Days 2024! We appreciate your continued support and enthusiasm for this initiative.

We are pleased to invite you to our online meeting on Wednesday, October 23, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting link will be sent to you that morning.

This online meeting is in place of the previously scheduled in-person meeting on Tuesday, October 22 from 10:30-12.

Meeting Agenda

• Open Farm Days Partners: Sharing key results, data, and insights from 2024.
• Round Table Discussion: A chance to listen, learn, and explore ideas for moving forward.

This was the seventh year of Open Farm Days, and as the initiative evolves, we remain committed to supporting the farming, agriculture, and food community. Each year, our partners dedicate substantial resources, both financial and human, to make this event a success, and we value your input to guide future efforts and decisions that need to be made.

Key Discussion Points

To foster a more meaningful and productive conversation, we’ve prepared a series of questions to guide the meeting. Please take some time to review the questions in advance so that we can have a deeper discussion during the meeting:

1. Does the agricultural community still wish to participate in Open Farm Days?
   • Would you prefer to continue with the 6-week format used in 2024?
   • Would a one-day event, one-weekend event, or year-round programming be more effective?
   • Are there other formats you'd suggest?
   • Please expand with ideas.
2. How can we, collectively increase involvement from farms, businesses, and community organizations?
3. Are the core goals of Open Farm Days still relevant to the region?
   • Does the event still serve these goals effectively?
4. Given the significant resources required for this initiative, should we consider limiting its size and scope or expanding it further?
5. Are there other agricultural or economic development efforts that could benefit from collaboration or individual attention?
   • Examples could include, providing resources or training to help farms create their own events, local farmers' markets, or supporting farm-to-table opportunities/connections.
6. What measures of success do you consider most important for Open Farm Days and for your event/experience?
7. Do you have the capacity and interest to participate in Open Farm Days in 2025 and beyond?

Can’t Make the Meeting? Share Your Feedback via Survey

If you’re unable to attend, we still want to hear from you! We’ve prepared a survey that includes these key questions with a few more and provides space for your thoughts and feedback. The survey link will be shared following the meeting.

Follow-up Opportunities

If you would like to connect with Open Farm Days partners or specific individuals for further discussion, please let us know. We are happy to arrange online or in-person follow-up meetings.

Your input is important. The feedback gathered from this meeting will be shared with our Committees and Council to help guide future decisions.

Thank you for your time and for being a part of the Open Farm Days community.

We look forward to connecting with you and hearing your thoughts!

The Open Farm Days Team,

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley, Amber & Tracey