Open Farms Connecting farming & food in Frontenac & Kingston

Good morning & Happy New Year!

We wanted to share a few updates with the three of you as our advisors in advance of sending the update to the larger group. We will send the email to the larger group tomorrow.

Thank you for being involved in Open Farms over the past 8 years. It is you that has made the initiative what it is.

For the past three years there has been a decrease in involvement in the initiative. It was time to take a hard look at the support for food and agriculture and look at ways to best support the region.

Following Open Farms 2025, after hearing from farms, businesses, community organizations, and visitors the group met to discuss a recommended path forward for Open Farms.

In November, I took a report to the Frontenac County Planning and Economic Development Committee with a recommendation to cease Open Farms and focus efforts on other aspects connected to food and agriculture.

This is the report that I took forward – Open Farms 2025 and Support for Food and Agriculture

Frontenac County Council approved the recommendations.

The recommendations include:

1. Strategic Partnerships – exploring partnerships, including Culinary Tourism Alliance and Agritourism Ontario
2. Increased Support for Farmers Markets, meet with the Farmers Markets to discuss ways we can collaborate and support increased awareness.
3. Continued Support for Plowing Matches, support the Frontenac County Plowing Match and the Wolfe Island Plowing Match to support increased awareness.
4. Improved Farm, Food & Beverage Information on County Websites, add content to the Frontenac County tourism webpages.
5. Farm to Fork Connection Building, explore a connection event with input and involvement from farms, chefs, retailers, and producers to support long term customer relationships.

Work will take place at different times around different initiatives.

Keep an eye on the Frontenac County Business Newsletter (in Frontenac) or Tourism Kingston (in Kingston) for ways to be involved.

While we are sad to see the end of Open Farms, we are grateful for the connections that have been made and the awareness through the initiative since it began, we are also excited for the opportunities that these new recommendations offer for our region.

Thank you for all you do each day in our region!

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley

The Countdown to September is on for Open Farms and we are excited for the opportunities to be involved in 2025!

Open Farms 2025 will be Friday, September 5, Saturday, September 6 & Sunday, September 7.

This initiative is an opportunity for you to get involved raise awareness to your businesses & gain exposure to new customers.

How to be involved?

• There are different ways to be involved. Review the Participation Guidelines.

Featured Farm Event - Sunday

• Open Farms team has partnered with the Frontenac County Plowman's Association to host the 2025 featured event.

This festival-style event will include agricultural education and vendor opportunities, food trucks, live music, and, of course, the plowing match competition.

• For more info and to get involved, email Amanda at apantrey@southfrontenac.net.
• Interested in being a speaker to provide a demonstration?

Please email Debbi (for Frontenac locations) – dmiller@frontenaccounty.ca or Ashley (for Kingston locations) ashley@tourismkingston.com

Content Timelines

Marketing will continue to go to www.OpenFarms.ca

• Content Deadline to be included in the marketing – June 9, 2025
  • Content submitted after this date, will only be added to the website.
• Marketing will begin August 1, 2025
• The website will include locations in the region, even if they are not hosting an event.
• please submit content here.

Advisors

Thank you to the three advisors for 2025. If you have questions for them, please reach out.

• Sarah Hannon, The Rise Farm and Sharbot Lake Farmers Market
• Elisa Corrigan, Rampant Kitchen
• Selena Martin, CRAVIN’

It you have questions, ideas or want to connect – please let us know.

Thank you from the Open Farms team!

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley

& The amazing advisors…..Sarah, Elisa & Selena

Good morning,

We are excited for Open Farms 2025 and wanted to share a few updates with you for ways to be involved and gain exposure.

Open Farms 2025 will be a weekend event. Friday, September 5, Saturday, September 6 & Sunday, September 7.

Get involved and gain exposure to new customers, residents in our region and visitors.

Below are the Core Goals for Open Farms. We are planning to use the first 4 Core Goals for the event and Goal #5 would be something we will continue to be connected to but not the focus of the weekend.

If you have any comments about this, please let us know by Friday, March 28, 2025.

Current Core Goals

1. Educate consumers about small scale agriculture.
2. Increase awareness of farms and restaurants that serve local food.
3. Provide the opportunity for producers to connect directly with consumers.
4. Provide the opportunity for producers to start new long-term relationships with customers, restaurants, and other producers.
5. Grow our region’s reputation as a local food destination, to:

1. Create interest among visitors.
2. Attract new agricultural operations and food and beverage businesses,
3. Drive new opportunities for culinary and agri-tourism product development.

Open Farms Participation Guidelines, are linked in the right side of this page.

Featured Farm Event Open Farms team has partnered with the Frontenac County Plowman's Association to host the 2025 featured event in tandem with their annual Plowing Match. This festival-style event will include agricultural education and vendor opportunities, food trucks, live music, and, of course, the plowing match competition. For more info and to get involved, email Amanda at apantrey@southfrontenac.net.

Advisors - Thank you, Sarah Hannon, from the Rise Farm and Sharbot Lake Farmers Market for being our new farm & market advisor for 2025.

We are looking to have a culinary advisor as part of the 2025 Open Farms team.

If you are interested, please reach out to Ashley Bradshaw. ashley@tourismkingston.com

Content Timelines

Marketing will continue to go to www.OpenFarms.ca

• Content Deadline to be included in the marketing – June 9, 2025
  • Content submitted after this date, will only be added to the website.
• Marketing will begin August 1, 2025
• This site will include as many locations in the region as possible.
• If you have content for your location – please submit content here.

It you have questions, ideas or want to connect – please let us know.

Thank you from the Open Farms team!

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley & Sarah

Good morning, farms, businesses, and community organizations,

Yesterday, I briefed County Council on Open Farms 2024 and the proposed recommendation for 2025. The unanimously approved the recommendation.

You can read the Open Farms Report to see the summary from 2024 and read about the high level recommendations we are going to move forward with for 2025.

Below are some notable highlights for 2025

• There will be 3 partners supporting Open Farms for 2025 – Frontenac County, South Frontenac, and Tourism Kingston.
• Rebrand to “Open Farms”
• Refine Core Goals, We will be reaching out to this group to refine the Core Goals.
• Develop a Participation Guide
• Add a Community Advisor Role from the farming, market, and culinary communities to review recommendations and provide streamlined feedback during planning discussions with the partner working group.
  • If the advisor role is of interest to you, please let Debbi know.
• Enhance the OpenFarms.ca Website with more locations and events (that fit in the Core Goals). Maintain updates throughout the year.
• Encourage Collaboration and Innovation, farms, businesses, and community organizations to work together, increasing the variety and scale of events.
• Collaborative Marketing Efforts with partners and the Regional Tourism Organizations.
• Clarify Roles and Responsibilities, Formalize commitments and roles for partner organizations to ensure efficient use of time and resources.
• Encourage increased overnight visitation to Kingston and Frontenac.

Proposed 2025 Format:

The initiative will shift to a focused, one-weekend event from Friday, September 5, to Sunday, September 7, 2025. This format consolidates efforts while maximizing impact.

Proposed Itinerary:

• Friday:
  • Kick-off event at the Frontenac Farmers Market with a ribbon cutting.
• Saturday and Sunday:
  • Signature farm-hosted event with event coordination support (admission structure to be determined based on scale).
  • Additional farm-hosted events, business-led experiences, and community activities.
  • Farmers markets across the region.
  • Wolfe Island and Frontenac Plowing Matches.
  • Farm-to-table dining options highlighting local products throughout the weekend.

The 2025 Open Farms initiative represents a refined approach to promoting agri-tourism and local connections in Frontenac and Kingston.

By streamlining goals, improving collaboration, and focusing on a unified event format, the partners aim to enhance the experience for both participants and attendees.

Specific details and logistics will be finalized through continued discussions with partners and participating locations. You will hear from us very soon.

If you know someone that would like to be added to this email list or if you no longer wish to receive these emails, please let Debbi know.

On behalf of the Open Farms partners, thank you for all you do to connecting farming & food in our region.

Debbi, Amanda & Ashley

Good morning,

Thank you to everyone that joined the online discussion about Open Farm Days last evening.

We truly appreciate the time and valuable input everyone has provided.

It is important to hear from you; we have prepared a survey with the questions that guided the meeting discussion.

This is the link to the survey

Please take some time to complete the survey by the end of the day Sunday, November 3, 2024.

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.

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

More information about Open Farm Days.

Thank you,

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley, Amber & Tracey

Meeting link shared. If you did not receive it or are having issues, please message Debbi - dmiller@frontenaccounty.ca

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,

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley, Amber & Tracey

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

Good afternoon,

The Open Farm Days 2024 follow up meeting will now be Wednesday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting will be online. This is in place of the Tuesday, October 22 in-person meeting.

Please respond to this email to RSVP your attendance. or email - dmiller@frontenaccounty.ca

We will send out some questions to consider in advance of the meeting on Monday.

The meeting link will be sent out the morning of the meeting, so it is easy to access.

We really want to hear from you and hope you can make the meeting.

If you are not able to make the meeting, we have a survey we will circulate to ensure you are able to provide your input.

Thank you in advance,

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley, Amber & Tracey

Good afternoon,

Happy September! We hope this finds everyone enjoying the bounty of the harvest as we get back to routines.

A few updates from the Open Farm Days team:

• Thank you for the social media posts you have all been adding to your channels.
  • Please continue to share social media from farms, businesses, community organizations and partners to help amplify the Open Farm Days messages.

• SURVEY
  • Please complete the survey once your event is done to share feedback. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SSGSMCP
  • Please complete the survey by Monday, October 9, so we can review comments in advance of meeting with you.

• Mark your calendar!
  • 2024 Wrap Up Meeting - Tuesday, October 22 – 10:30-12 noon
  • Harris Park Hall is 5612 Perth Road Crescent, Perth Road
  • We want to hear from you about what went well, where things didn’t go well, things that may need to change and thoughts around Open Farm Days. We want to hear from you if you participated and if you chose not to participate.
  • This meeting will be for information gathering that we need to report on.
  • AGENDA for the meeting
    • The Open Farm Days team will provide an update, some data, general comments from 2024 Open Farm Days.
    • Engage with the group to listen, learn & understand ideas on how we move forward with Open Farm Days.

We hope you will join us. Please email to RSVP your attendance – dmiller@frontenaccounty.ca

If there is anything you need, please reach out to the team.

Have a wonderful week and thank you for all you do in our region!

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley & Amber

Good morning,

Welcome to summer, Frontenac & Kingston farms, businesses, and community organizations!

Welcome Amber Bryant-Peller from the City of Kingston, who is working on the initiative with us. We look forward to working with Amber.

We are working behind the scenes on Open Farm Days and look forward to marketing the initiative to our region.

Submit your experiences, events, and location information by July 5, 2024 to be included in the full marketing.

The full marketing includes marketing (social media posts/ads/boosted posts, signage, posters, postcards, website, and additional opportunities as they present) with partners including – Frontenac County, South Frontenac, Tourism Kingston, City of Kingston, and the Regional Tourism Organizations – RTO9 and Ontario Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO).

Do you offer workshops, farm visits, cooking classes, experiences (flower field cutting, beekeeping, learn how to plant a garden) or have a farm or culinary event planned already at your site?

Then you are all set, you just need to submit them to be included on the Open Farm Days website and marketing.

Please send it along through Engage Frontenac - https://engagefrontenac.ca/open-farm-days

If you have photos, you want used on the website or in marketing, please email them to dmiller@frontenaccounty.ca

If you want to connect to discuss your experience/event or specifics around it (dates, times, details etc.), please reach out to one of the Open Farm Days partners and we would be happy to assist.

We are all cc’d on the email.

Open Farm Days 2024 – Connecting farming & food in Frontenac & Kingston

Launch event – Friday, August 16 – Frontenac Farmers Market in Centennial Park, Harrowsmith

Marketing begins the week of August 12 and runs until the end of September.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Debbi, Amanda, Ashley, and Amber