photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Compass Prairie Art Farm, pictured on Monday, September 23, 2024, will be participating in the farm tour for the first time this year.

This year marks the 20th annual Kaw Valley Farm Tour, offering visitors a chance to explore local farms, wineries and vineyards in Douglas County.

Karen Pendleton, who helped kick off the Kaw Valley Farm Tour, said the original vision was to promote agritourism throughout the region and help get people involved in local agriculture.

“We haven’t really changed all that much, other than having more farms involved,” Pendleton said. ” … It’s gotten more people involved in agriculture, and it’s a way for people who are not living on a farm to participate in agriculture in Douglas County and see what’s going on.”

The Kaw Valley Farm Tour was inspired by another farm tour that takes place every year in North Carolina called the Piedmont Farm Tour, which featured 30 farms this year, said Nancy O’Conner. She had brought the idea for Kansas to start a tour of its own in 2004, but said there were many others that helped make the idea come to life.

“It’ll never be older than Piedmont, but it’s a pretty big farm tour,” O’Conner said. “I think in the beginning, we have to credit the energy of many people in organizations. Certainly, (Douglas County) Extension was a key player in this, and then there are people like the Pendletons.”

“Karen Pendleton was one of the key people who really nurtured the seeds that grew the Kaw Valley Farm Tour,” O’Conner said.

While O’Conner said she isn’t involved in helping organize the tour anymore, it’s been inspiring to watch the numerous farmers over the years do this work because they love it.

“I am so inspired (by) anybody that grows food to feed us and does it for a living,” O’Conner said. “Getting up every day and doing that hard work, you just have to admire it.”

Pendleton said that the local farms wouldn’t be here without community support and involvement, and buying products locally can make all the difference.

“It’s good to know who your farmer is,” Pendleton said. “You can ask any of the farmers about their production practices. We’re all willing to talk about that and can give a lot of information on why we do different things.”

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The Kaw Valley Farm Tour, which will have 39 farms participating this year, will take place Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All of the farms are located within the Kaw Valley, and tourgoers can experience working farms through guided and self-guided tours, demonstrations, interacting with farm animals, pumpkin and flower picking, local food and drink tastings and more. The farm tour is appropriate for attendees of all ages, according to a press release.

The farms on the tour will showcase the diversity of agriculture in the region, from vegetables to livestock, orchards to vineyards. There are some farms that are new to the tour in 2024, including the Compass Prairie Art Farm, Crooked Post Winery, eat8flowers, Hidden Hollow Farm, Lone Pine Farms and Rose Cattle Farm.

Tickets for the farm tour are $10 per carload, which covers admission to all farms over both days. For details on farm offerings, a map, driving directions, tour tips and to purchase tickets, visit kawvalleyfarmtour.org. The site features a live digital map with up-to-date listings of special events, including guided prairie tours and goat milking sessions.

Physical tickets can be purchased at The Merc Co+op, 901 Iowa St. in Lawrence and 501 Minnesota Ave. in Kansas City, Kan.; Cottin’s Hardware and Rental, 1832 Massachusetts St.; and Douglas County Extension, 2110 Harper St.