City folk will have a unique opportunity to see firsthand where their food comes from.
Breakfast on the Farm, an interactive event during which people who are not familiar with farm life have an up close and personal look at how their food is grown and produced, will take place Saturday, June 22 at Jobin Farms, on the 11th Concession Road in Tecumseh.
The family event is a triumphant return for Jobin Farms, which will hold its first public event since a devastating fire in April 2016 destroyed much of the property and killed some livestock.
The Jobin family, which includes Tecumseh Ward 5 Councillor Tania Jobin, her husband Paul and their four children, offered the farm for Farm and Food Care Ontario's Breakfast on the Farm event as a way to showcase their return. Farm tours are offered along with a hearty all-Ontario breakfast.
Alicia Becker, a spokesperson for Farm and Food Care Ontario, told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com the public will have a chance to meet with dairy farmers and learn how their processes work.
"We'll have educational displays and dairy farmers in the barn to help explain what's happening," said Becker. "The farm family has a robot on site as well, so there will be some folks talking about what that means, and they will have a brand-new milking parlour."
The overall purpose of the event is to emphasize the quality of product from local farmers, and that Ontario-made food is unmatched in quality and value, said Becker. She said Farm and Food Care Ontario is working tirelessly to bridge the gap between urban and rural.
"We need to do a better job of communicating, and we are doing that in lots of different ways," said Becker. "I think that feeling of losing the trust of the public, or not having the trust of the public, can be quite distressing."
All-inclusive free tickets to Breakfast on the Farm, which include tours and the breakfast, are sold out due to space limitations. However, Becker said free registration for farm tours is still available online.
- With files from Adelle Loiselle
