Minnesota Ag Connection - North Star Farm Tours Saturday and Sunday

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North Star Farm Tours Saturday and Sunday
Minnesota Ag Connection - 09/26/2017

The North Star Farm Tour welcomes the public of all ages to a free, self-guided tour of Twin Cities and western Wisconsin fiber farms, connecting people to local farmers who produce natural fibers and pasture-raised meat on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's a perfect weekend to enjoy beautiful, fall colors, stock up on winter craft projects, and take care of early Christmas shopping.

Twelve farm locations in all, each farm will showcase a unique, diverse assortment of livestock. Tour visitors can design a route to meet yaks, alpaca, sheep, angora rabbits, and llamas, and many other farm animals.

Consult www.northstarfarmtour.com for details about each location's available products and the schedule for demonstrations, hands-on activities, other visiting shepherds, authors and artisans, and available food, facilities and products. The website will be updated with the latest offerings of natural raw and processed animal and plant fibers, artisan handcrafts, meats, honey, and other farm and art products will be available for sale, including fiber for hand spinners, fiber art yarn, breeding stock and items that support the tour for sale at all locations.

The 2017 North Star Farm Tour proudly announces five new sponsors: the Minnesota Grown program is a statewide partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota producers of specialty crops and livestock; Three Rivers Fibershed is a nonprofit organization that connects local fiber, local dyes, and local labor within 175 miles of the Textile Center, Minneapolis, and seeks to connect farmers and mills, artists and makers, and consumers; Textile Center, Alexis Bailly Vineyard and, Fluegel's Farm, Garden & Pet in celebration of the Fluegel family's 90th anniversary and grand opening of the new retail store in Rosemount, Minn.

North Star Farm Tour invites the public to enjoy three activities made possible by these and other new partnerships:

- Tour visitors age 18 and older can enter the Fluegel's 90th Year Celebration Drawing at each farm they visit for chances to win prizes donated by each farm and tour sponsor in the in-store drawing on Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. F

- On tour weekend, grab a friend, pack those knitting projects and take the Community Education Bus Tour sponsored by Farmington, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, Lakeville, and Northfield Community Education.

Visit these 2017 farm websites and locations to enjoy all of their offerings:

1. Clear Spring Farm, 31139 County 7 Boulevards, Welch, MN 55089 www.clearspringfarmyaks.com

2. Fossum Family Farm, 5445 320th Street W Northfield, MN 55057 www.fossumfamilyfarm.com

3. Berryhill Farm, 49885 County 11 Boulevard, Pine Island, MN 55963 www.theberryhillfarm.com

4. Rach-Al-Paca Fiber Processing & Farm, 18495 Goodwin Avenue Hastings, MN 55033 www.rachalpacafarm.com

5. Running Dog Ranch, N293 197th Street, Stockholm, WI 54769 www.runningdogranch.com

6. Black Cat Farmstead, N3049 Nelson Lane, Stockholm, WI 54769 www.blackcatfarmstead.com

7. Hidden River Farm, 2150 Highway 70, Mora, MN 55051 www.cstjohn9@comcast.net

8. Dresow Family Farm, 10900 Garfield Avenue, Lonsdale, MN 55046 DresowFamilyFarm.etsy.com DresowFamilyFarm@lonstel.com

9. Sutton Ridge Farm, 1500 W. 200th St., Jordan, MN 55352, www.suttonridgefarm.com

10. Windswept Hill Farm, 20828 Ahern Boulevard, Farmington, MN 55024 WindsweptHillFarm@Facebook.com

11. Buscho Farms, 18775 Gates Avenue, Faribault, MN 55021 www.buschofarms.com

12. Harvest Hill Acres, 7477 400th St., Dennison, MN 55018 HarvestHillAcres@Facebook.com

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