It has recently announced that in addition to their eight participating farms in Renfrew County, Matches Seeds, Herboristerie La Fée des Bois, Cidrerie Coronation Hall Cider Mills and Pure Conscience Farm will be representing the Pontiac region in this year’s event.

The event is organized by the Ottawa Valley Food Co-op, MRC Pontiac and Renfrew County Economic Development.

It’s billed as an opportunity for “families, food enthusiasts, and anyone curious about rural living” to foster deeper connections with the processes of food production and the producers themselves.

Spanning from “Chalk River and Golden Lake to Renfrew and Scotch Bush in Renfrew County, and from Bristol to Isle-aux-Allumettes in the Pontiac,” the tour is set to offer an experience reflective of a large swath of the Ottawa Valley.

Agriculture Economic Development Agent for MRC Pontiac, Shanna Armstrong, said the MRC wanted to get involved in the event after seeing its success in Renfrew County.

“With agriculture being such an important industry in the Pontiac and a priority, we felt it was important to support such an initiative that we hope will draw on a large part of Eastern Ontario as well as the Pontiac and Outaouais who may not be aware of the amazing farms we have right here in the Pontiac,” Armstrong said.

“Our region on both sides of the river has so much to offer and we hope visitors will take the opportunity to enjoy it,” she said. “If this is a success, we also hope to build on it in future years.”

Michael Matischuk is the owner and operator of Matches Seeds, a garden center located on Allumettes Island that will be featured in this year’s Farms Open event.

He said he wanted to get involved as he felt it was a good opportunity to showcase both his business and the Pontiac as a whole.

“We jumped at the opportunity to showcase our mighty little seed company and new green house,” Matischuk said.

“We are excited to be participating in this Farms Open day and to bring people who might not otherwise experience our off the beaten path locations in the Pontiac,” he added.

This year’s 2023 iteration of Farms Open event will mark the second annual holding of the event and will be held on September 24 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

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