Marquette Food Co-op hosting Local Farm Tours this Sunday

MARQUETTE — A local community–owned, organic grocery store is holding an event on Sunday, September 15, to educate consumers about where their food comes from and the importance of eating locally.

The Marquette Food Co–op, located on West Washington Street, has been partnering with local farms over the last fourteen years to host farm tours. At these tours, farmers open their farms to visitors, giving them the opportunity to see where the food they eat is produced and why local farms make a difference. This weekend’s farm tours will take place at four different locations, each of them a unique experience for the community.

“You’ll be able to visit multiple farms that day,” said Marquette Food Co–op Outreach Director Sarah Monte. “There’s Cloverland Farm where you can learn about egg production, there’s MSU Farm where you can learn about vegetable and fruit production, and then we have Danielson’s where you can learn about maple syrup, and also Grand–Bee’s Honey where you can actually see an apiary at work. So whatever you’re interested in, these farms can hit pretty much all of it.”

Monte says that these farm tours are an important way to educate consumers about what they’re eating. She says it also deepens their appreciation for the farmers who produce the food consumers purchase.

“You can’t have a true appreciation for your food or really understand why it’s so important to eat well and to eat local and to not waste the food, until you understand what it takes to produce the food,” said Monte. “The more we can understand about how to grow the food and where it comes from, the more appreciation and gratitude we can cultivate for the food that we get to eat every day.”

If you would like more information about Sunday’s farm tours, you can visit the Marquette Food Co–op in person, find them on Facebook, or check out their website here.