Know Your Farms works with two dozen farms in the Charlotte NC area.  Our annual farm tour provides an opportunity for you to visit the farms.  While there,

• take a hay ride--great fun for the kids!
• learn about passive solar greenhouses
• hear stories from seasoned and beginning farmers
• watch ostriches flaunting their feathers
• enjoy a day in the countryside...plan to stay for dinner!

The tour will be held Saturday, September 19 from 2-7 PM. 

STEP 1: Purchase your vehicle pass $30 at any of the farms during the tour. 

STEP 2: Print the brochure (7 MB) to help you decide which farms to visit. 

Some printers have trouble printing the full brochure because of its size.  Here are individual pages from the brochure:

Page 1: Cover
Page 2: Welcome Letter and About Know Your Farms
Page 3: How it Works and Ticket Info
Page 4: Western Map (Farms 1-3)
Page 5: Eastern Map (Farms 4-9)
Page 6: Farm Descriptions (Farms 1-4)
Page 7: Farm Descriptions (Farms 5-9)
Page 8: Action Items and Sponsors

STEP 3: Use our online map to plan your route.    

How It Works 

Q: How does it work?

A: It’s so easy! Buy your admission ticket in advance or at a tour site the day of the tour. Fill your car with fellow farm tourists. Choose your route using our online map and head out to the country. Visit the farms in any order you like from 2:00 to 7:00.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: Advance admission is $25 per car for all farms. Day of admission is $30 per car for all farms or $10 per car per farm. Cash and checks are accepted for tickets purchased at the farm; no credit cards.  See details below for where to purchase a ticket.

Q: What about cyclists?

A: Friends pedaling together in a group, regardless of the size, constitute “one vehicle.”

Q: Where are the farms?

A: The farms on the tour are all located within 30 miles of Davidson (north of Charlotte, south of Statesville and Salisbury). The tour covers farms located in Gaston, Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell, Rowan, Cabarrus, and Mecklenburg counties.

Q: Can I buy product directly from the farmers on the tour day?

A: Yes! Bring a cooler to properly transportyour fresh farm products. In addition, several farms will have prepared food available for purchase if you get hungry. Bring cash or checks, as not all farms accept credit cards.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or 980-225-1020

Get Your Ticket

THE BRADFORD STORE Tu-F 10-6, Sat 9-4
15915 Davidson Concord Rd., Huntersville  704-439-4303

THE MILKY WAY M-F 10-6, Sat 10-5
1419 East Blvd. Charlotte  704-374-9200

Online at Brown Paper Tickets 

2009 Participants

• Apple Orchard Farm Stanley, Gaston County
  ART DUCKWORTH
  640 Mariposa Rd, Stanley – Off NC 27 about 1.3 miles on the right
  Beef cattle, pastured pork and free range laying hens make their home at Apple Orchard Farm. Art has worked toward creating a self-sustaining farm using environmentally sound practices from composted manure to a solar-powered well. Art practices seed saving from his heirloom vegetables including a green been variety that has been in his family since 1792. • 704-263-2635 • www.appleorchardfarmnc.com
• Bame Farms  Salisbury, Rowan County
  ANDY AND MEGAN BAME
  1585 Patterson Rd, Salisbury – Off NC 150 about 1.5 miles on the left
  Bame Farms may be known best for their “Easter egg” dozen eggs. They have multiple breeds of free range hens that lay white, brown, blue or green eggs. They also raise pigs on a small scale and utilize rotational grazing for their grass-fed beef cows. The Bames are horticulturists by training and enjoy showing off their passive solar greenhouse. • 704-798-5178 • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch Sherrills Ford, Catawba County
  PAT AND MIKE ROBERTS
  6691 Little Mountain Rd, Sherrills Ford – Off NC 150 about 2 miles on the left
  Pat and Mike operate their Ostrich Ranch for meat production and agri-tourism—admittedly ostrich aren’t the typical NC farm animal. Ostrich meat is considered a healthier red meat with 40 percent less fat than beef. Don’t forget to stop by the gift shop for all manner of items derived from these dinosaur-like birds. • 704-483-1620 • www.birdbrainranch.com
• Bradford Farm Huntersville, Mecklenburg County
  GRIER AND KIM BRADFORD
  15915 Davidson Concord Rd, Huntersville – Hwy 73, about 6 miles from I-77 on the right OR about 6.5 miles from I-85 on the left
  Bradford Farm and Store is a Mecklenburg County historic landmark that brings you back to the good old days of fresh, local, hand-prepared, and handselected foods. This stop has significance as a social center and community store from which you can purchase wonderful products such as Homeland Creamery milk, Goat Lady Dairy goat cheeses, pancake and biscuit mixes, Yah’s salsa, jams & jellies, and locally ground grits. • 704-439-4303 • www.thebradfordstore.com
• Cabarrus County Incubator Farm Concord, Cabarrus County
  CABARRUS COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
  4335 Atando Rd, Concord – From intersection of NC 49 & Hwy 601, north on NC 49 about 1 mile, turn right onto Atando Rd, continue to end of the road
  This 30-acre tract is being used to “grow” beginning farmers, since the median age of farmers in Cabarrus is 58. Cooperative Extension is charged with the development and care of the incubator farm. There are 9 beginning farmers, 3 resource gardeners, and 1 mentor farmer. Know Your Farms works with several of these incubator farmers, including:
  * COLDWATER CREEK FARMS: Brad Hinckley, Eric Williamson, Aaron Newton
  * COLLEEN MCDANIEL
  * FLEMINGS’ FARSIDE FARM: Kevin and Lynn MacDougall-Fleming
  * SHANNON ANDERSON
• Grateful Growers Farm Denver, Lincoln County
  NATALIE VERES AND CASSIE PARSONS
  3006 Mack Ballard Rd, Maiden – Off NC 150 about 1.5 miles on the left
  Grateful Growers produces pastured pork, free range poultry and eggs. Cassie’s experience as a former executive chef allows Grateful Growers to blend a strong culinary aspect into their farming. The farming duo cultivates the local food community by hosting farm dinners, co-sponsoring
  events and participating in educational workshops. • 828-234-5182 • www.ggfarm.com
• Landis Gourmet Mushrooms Landis, Rowan County
  JOHN HERRON
  414 N. Meriah St, Landis – From NC 153/Hwy 29 in downtown Landis, take Ryder Ave west 0.3 miles, turn right onto Meriah St, about 0.2 miles on right
  In the lower fl oor of what was once a cotton mill, John Herron grows three varieties of oyster mushrooms. A big proponent of sustainable methods, John uses scrap cotton (from another mill) as the growing medium for his mushroom spores. In the climate-controlled environment, these spores grow into harvest-ready mushrooms in just three weeks. • 704-202-1216 • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Mary L Farm, Mt. Ulla, Iredell County
  RICK AND DORCUS PARKER
  155 Parker’s Loop, Mt Ulla – On NC 801 about 5 miles north of the intersection of NC 801 & NC 150
  A fourth-generation dairy farm, Mary L Farm was the fi rst dairy in North Carolina to become certifi ed organic. The dairy is part of the Organic Valley Family of Farms. See the cows, milking fl oor, barns, and pasture on which the cows graze. Sit under the shade trees and have a picnic.
  And keep an eye out for Rick’s flock of peacocks. • 704-363-7625 • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Wild Turkey Farms China Grove, Rowan County
  LEE AND DOMISTY MENIUS
  1015 Old Cress Rd, China Grove – West on NC 152 from the intersection of NC 152 & Hwy 29, take Miller Rd to Old Cress Rd, about 0.7 miles on the left
  Wild Turkey Farms may only offer a limited number of Thanksgiving birds, but their pastured pork, beef, lamb and chicken offer a variety of other meat choices throughout the year. The farm, in southern Rowan County, has been in the Menius family for more than a century. Hay rides offered at 2:30, 4:00, and 5:30; arrive early for a seat! • 704-202-9348 • www.wildturkeyfarms.com

Tour Tips

Here are some helpful hints to make your experience as “fruitful” as possible:

• Start with the understanding that you will only be able to visit 3 to 4 farms. By the time you factor in driving and actually touring the farm, you’ll need to budget about 1 hour to 1.5 hours for each farm.
• Bring your cooler and a checkbook. Bring the kids.  Bring your camera.
• Tell your friends and try to carpool. Those of us who have attended similar tours elsewhere can attest: it’s so much fun you’ll want to share.
• Plan to have dinner. Harvest Moon Grille’s gourmet foodcart will be on location at the Incubator Farm. Pick up similar fare at Grateful Growers’. Or bring your own picnic and sit under the trees at Mary L Farm.  

Let's Be Safe

For the safety of farm visitors, please respect the farm animals and farm structures. DO NOT BRING PETS. Do not chase animals. Do not touch fences — they may be electrifi ed. Walk with care to avoid uneven ground. Wear closed-toe shoes. Do not use tobacco products on the farm.

Raised on pasture with access to fresh air and plenty of exercise, the animals on our farm tour are far less likely to carry dangerous strains of e.coli than those animals found at petting zoos. Nevertheless, we encourage you to take precautions and use common sense when interacting with animals of all kinds. Please take time to sanitize your hands and make sure that children sanitize their hands after petting an animal.

You will also be asked to disinfect your shoes at farms with livestock to prevent the farm-to-farm transmission of germs that might stick to your shoes.
Thank you for cooperating in the farms’ efforts to protect you and their animals.

PLEASE DO NOT:

• Visit farms outside tour hours
• Enter private homes
• Bring your pets to the farms

Want to Volunteer?

Volunteers are needed the day of the tour.  Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in working at one of the farms.

Want to Spread the Word?

We need help getting the word out to others.  Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for flyers and other promotional materials.