Open Farms Update - January 14, 2026

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