 Jack Pleasant, of Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm, Roxboro, NC has participated in the Piedmont Farm Tour for three years now. At Sunset, they offered a unique experience for the 400 or so that stopped by the farm last weekend:
“Because we’re a buffalo farm, we’re a little bit of an attraction for kids. We try to be kid friendly. We have a tour trailer that goes out through the pastures and goes by our handling facilities we have a gazebo where we cook burgers and brats and things….bison burgers and brats so that they can taste the meat. So, we have different, I guess parts of the attraction, if you will. And also they can buy meat at the farm.”
Pleasant explains that those that stop by his farm range from those that have never been on a farm, to customers wanting to learn how their food is raised:
“There are people that, unquestionably, this is the first time they’ve ever been on a farm. There are other people that may have been raised on a farm or had grandparents on a farm and they understand something about farming or livestock operations. We have number of customers that purchase from us at the farmers’ markets who come out, and this is part of their getting to know the farmer and understanding better about how you raise the animals.”
As far as their farmers’ market customers coming to the farm, Pleasant says they welcome the opportunity to show off their farm to those that purchase their product:
“In fact, it’s not uncommon when we take a tour out, have 30 or so on a wagon load, to have one of our customers will be on there and almost do a little commercial for us at the end of the tour. So, we feel that’s a good connection and that’s a good thing for our farmers’ market customers.”
Jack Pleasant of Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm in Person County, NC
For photos of the farm tour check out the Carolina Farm Stewards Facebook page.
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