Well, Open Farm day came and went for 2020. Just like everything this year, it was required adjustment and was totally different than in years past. Before, I would see 150-200 people stop by the farm to visit and tour the area. We would have the event building set up and people brought food to eat picnic-style.
This year it was all done via virtual platforms like Zoom or Instagram Live, the later being what we used. I did a 30 minute intro to the farm, tour of the animals and grounds then watched for questions. I did enjoy using the technology to walk around and showcase the farm but it wasn't the same. The main reason we wanted to take over the farm has always been to have local food and let the public visit and see what we do. Open Farm day is usually the culmination of that since the Dept of Agriculture does all the marketing and promotion and sends us lots of material and we are part of a larger initiative with multiple farms.
Missing the face to face component really changed it for me and I was sad to not have the same experience I normally could expect to see lots of new people and take time to show kids them around the farm since they normally don't get to experience that sort of thing.
Hopefully next year we can have people on the farm again!
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