here can you see lambs and cows grazing peacefully in a meadow, learn to make your own butter and cheese, visit an orchard bursting with dozens of varieties of apples and pears, and indulge in a sumptuous feast featuring locally grown food prepared by some of the Valley’s finest restaurants?  On CISA’s First Annual Farm Tour and Feast, a self-guided celebration of Pioneer Valley agriculture!

This is just a small sampling of the places you will visit and the things you will do as you spend a beautiful fall day enjoying the great bounty and variety of Pioneer Valley agriculture.  Each stop on the tour will offer self guided or guided walks on the farm, including spectacular ‘hidden’ views of the Holyoke Range, Mount Sugarloaf and more.  Demonstrations on each farm will teach you how to make your own goodies with local farm products, and give you insight into the rewards and challenges of farming in the 21^st century.

The lunchtime Feast, located at one of the farms, will feature expertly prepared local foods from some of the area’s finest restaurants.  “We think tour goers will be delighted as they sample the exciting creations of our restaurants and farms,” says Mark Lattanzi, Tour Coordinator.

Want more details?  Visit our web site for in-depth descriptions of the farms on the tour and the restaurants supplying food for the feast.  Order your tickets by September 10 to receive a detailed map, a schedule of all the demos, tastings, walks and activities on the tour and your tickets to the feast, located at a farm on the tour.

Farm Tour and Feast Fast Facts

Saturday, September 15
9 a.m. – 4 p.m., rain or shine

Self-guided tour of six Pioneer Valley farms in Deerfield, Whately, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, and Granby.

Buffet lunch in Amherst, noon – 1:30 p.m.

Tickets $25/member $30/non-member, must be ordered by Sept. 10

The first annual Fall Farm Tour and Feast, a celebration of local agriculture, will take place on Saturday, September 15, 2001 at farms in Hampshire and southern Franklin Counties.  Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is creating the Farm Tour and Feast to highlight the great diversity of local farms and to offer tour participants the opportunity to get behind the scenes at local farms and enjoy a sumptuous lunch created by area restaurants using locally grown foods.

“The Farm Tour and Feast is a great opportunity for area residents to visit a broad selection of farms growing diverse products like lamb and milk to berries, apples, organic vegetables, and trees and shrubs,” says Mark Lattanzi, Tour Coordinator.  “Each farm will offer guided or self-guided tours, as well as samples and sales of their products and special demonstrations.”  Tour goers will enjoy an heirloom tomato tasting, walking tours and hayrides to some of the most spectacular views in the Valley, butter and cheesemaking tastings and demonstrations.

The Farm Tour and Feast is a fundraiser for CISA’s innovative Local Hero marketing campaign, which highlights the exciting diversity of Pioneer Valley agriculture and encourages consumers to buy locally grown farm products.  Tickets cost $25 for current CISA members and $30 for non-members and must be ordered from the CISA office by September 10.  For more information, including extensive descriptions of all the farms on the Tour, visit www.buylocalfood.com or call CISA toll-free at 1-877-MAFOOD3.

The Farm Tour and Feast is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture, WFCR 88.5 FM Public Radio for Western New England, Bart’s Homemade, the Greenfield Farmers’ Cooperative Exchange and Cain’s Pickle.

CISA is the creator of the ‘Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown’ marketing campaign to promote the purchase of local agricultural products by local consumers.  CISA also operates FarmNet, a free information and referral service for farmers and others with questions about farming and agriculture in western Massachusetts, available toll-free, 1-800-627-3002 or 549-1483.