Alberta Open Farm Days 2023 Opens Barn Doors for the Year of the Bison!

Local Lethbridge farms are once again opening their barn doors to give Albertans a glimpse into the life of a local producer on August 19-20, 2023.

Every year, farms around the province open their gates, barn doors, and pens to the public for a weekend of fun on farms. Alberta Open Farm Days have been a longstanding tradition in the heart of Canada's Premier Food Corridor. This year the event returns with the theming of "The Year of the Bison."

Don't forget this weekend is the perfect chance to enter the Sip, Taste, Explore! A Southern Alberta AgriVenture! End of Summer Sweepstakes! Anyone who signs up for Sip, Taste, Explore! before September 1st at 12:00 AM, MTN is automatically entered into the sweepstakes, for their chance to win a local prize package with items from local businesses. Sign up at the end of this post, or head to the Sip, Taste, Explore! web page!

Winners will be drawn at 9:00 AM, MTN on September 1st and notified via the phone number used to register for Sip, Taste, Explore! Below are some participating Open Farm Days locations where you can earn points for your Sip, Taste, Explore! Southern Alberta AgriVenture!

For more information on offerings from each location, and to get directions directly to each farm, and learn more about "The Year of the Bison," head to the official Alberta Open Farm Days Website!

Little Gem Winery

This is Little Gem Winery’s first year as an Alberta Open Farm Days participant! After opening their elegant and stylish wine-tasting room earlier this summer as a beautiful addition to the winery’s operations, it's the perfect place to get a glass full of the finest wine you can find in Alberta! It's also a place to collect points for your Sip, Taste, Explore! AgriVenture!

With wine made from haskap berries grown on the same land you’ll be tasting on, the Little Gem Winery tasting room is a stop on Open Farm Days this year that you absolutely don’t want to miss! Enjoy a tour of the whole operation with complimentary wine paired with local cheeses for tasting at the end! Don’t forget to check in with the 4-digit check in pin found in the tasting room to collect points for your Sip, Taste, Explore! AgriVenture!

The Lilac Row

The Lilac Row will be open from 9 - 11:30 AM and 6:30 - 9 PM on both Open Farm Days. The Lilac Row is here to help facilitate beautiful bouquets of bright and floral flowers to decorate your home. During Open Farm Days, you can create your very own bouquet from a selection of flowers at the Lilac Row. Beautiful, fun, and unlike anything else you can find during Open Farm Days, you don't want to miss a chance to visit The Lilac Row during Alberta Open Farm Days! They are also a participating location in the Sip, Taste, Explore! Agriventure, so don't forget to check in and collect your points!

Broxburn Vegetables & Café

At Broxburn, there's much more to offer than just a field of delicious green veggies! From the greenhouse tours and hay bale rides to the Strawberry u-pick, there's a whole meal to see before you even step foot in the café! You can also check-in and earn points for your Sip, Taste, Explore! AgriVenture when you visit Broxburn Vegetables & Café.

This year for Open Farm Days, they are also offering a chance to win a $200 gift certificate to The Broxburn Vegetables and Café vegetable store! The café will also be open for lunch from 11 AM – 3 PM. They use fresh produce in every option, so there's something delicious and fresh every day!

Crystal Springs Cheese

Crystal Springs Cheese is cheesy in the best way on Alberta Open Farm Days. Crystal Springs Cheese will offer live cheese-making demonstrations, cheese plant tours, and milking parlour tours for the early birds in the mornings. The fun doesn't stop there; once the cheese-making is over, there will still be cheese and wine tastings, ice cream, and food trucks! Not to mention, when you visit Crystal Springs Cheese, you can enter their unique check in pin to earn points on your Sip, Taste, Explore! AgriVenture!

Crystal Springs Cheese will also operate its on-site café as usual for those who want to pick up some cheese on their way out!

Farming Smarter

Farming Smarter is excited to invite everyone to come and take on a scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes, or enjoy the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo! Explore the booths and find out how a farmer might solve their problems on the farm! 

You can also take a wagon ride from 11 AM to 1:30 PM, which will let you explore different crop plots on the Farming Smarter farm! There will also be a wide variety of equipment and things to learn about in the life of being a problem-solving kind of farmer! Think smarter with Farming Smarter on Alberta Open Farm Days!

You'll also be able to find the Tourism Lethbridge visitor experience team here! Stop in, say hi, learn about Southern Alberta, and score some extra Points for your Sip, Taste, Explore! AgriVenture! We can't wait to see you there!

The Venue of New Hope

Joining Open Farm Days during their first year of operation, after 20 years of hard work and development, is The Venue of New Hope. Located just outside of the city, this farm can be booked for many different types of events. While they are just getting started, operations are expected to double by next year’s time. Take this opportunity to browse the newly finished event spaces where you can host future meetings, weddings, and other events.

Coaldale & District Agricultural Society

Coaldale & District Agricultural Society has a full day of activities in their itinerary for Alberta Open Farm Days this year! Join the Coaldale & District Agricultural Society as they visit four farms and explain the different operations and their agricultural importance at each! While this one does come with a fee, it's undoubtedly a full-day experience you'll always remember. The fee for the bus also covers lunch! 

Windy Rafters Barn

Having been in the same hands for six generations of the Orr family, the Windy Rafters Barn is opening their doors for Alberta Open Farm Days! Festivities will feature a blacksmithing demonstration, a hands-on (fake) cow milking experience, a history-related hay wagon ride, and much more! Windy Rafters Barn is the place to visit during Alberta Open Farm Days!

K3 Seeds

K3 Seeds is excited to invite you onto their land for Open Farm Days! Take a look behind the scenes to see what it takes to be an Alberta beef producer and pedigreed seed provider!

K3 Seeds will have a free walking tour this year through their Feedlot, feed mills, and seed plant. They will also have a free barbecue lunch from 1 - 3 PM, live music, a petting zoo, and prizes and giveaways as part of the fun!

K3 Seeds is located 30 minutes North of Lethbridge. The farm is 5 miles East of Picture Butte on Hwy 519, 1/4 mile North of Range Road 20-3; the Feedlot is on the East Side. This family-owned full-service pedigreed seed provider in Southern Alberta can’t wait to see you during Open Farm Days!

CP Farms

CP Farms, located 30 minutes east of Lethbridge in Barnwell, is hosting its 7th Alberta Open Farm Days this year! This family of first-generation Canadian farmers will showcase their incredible potatoes, sugar beets, grains, canola, and corn! 

You can also expect free daily tours of the whole operation, family-friendly booths, and activities like the "Farmer Spray Park"! They will also show visitors how to make French fries with potatoes plucked right from the earth they are standing on! Take advantage of all the incredible things to see and do at CP Farms during Open Farm Days! They will also have lemonade, cotton candy, and cookies made with sugar from the sugar beets grown in the region!

No matter where you visit during Alberta Open Farm Days, you’ll surely find an incredible agricultural experience here in Southern Alberta! You might even get score points for your Sip, Taste, Explore! Agriventure!

Make sure you sign up for your own Sip, Taste, Explore! AgriVenture before heading out for Alberta Open Farm Days to earn points, and get entered into the Sip, Taste, Explore! End of Summer Sweepstakes!

Don’t forget to share all your favourite photos from Alberta Open Farm Days on social media with #ExploreLethbridge. We love seeing how everyone explores our city, and we even share some of our favourite shots on our social media! Don’t worry, though; we always ask permission before posting!