Grainswest - Fall 2026

Fall 2026 grainswest.com 43 “Agritourism plays a critical role in rebuilding agricultural literacy at a time when most Canadians are several generations removed from the farm.” —TamAndersen This autumn, a delegation of CEOs from the Belgian Feed Association (BFA) will travel to Canada to evaluate the country’s agrifood system and feed sector. BFA managing director Katrien D’Hooghe said the board’s priorities are to network and engage in technical learning. The latter will include studying how Canadian agriculture is organized and its sustainability commitments put into practice and how the corporate sector approaches carbon footprinting. The Belgian executives seek facts, figures and face-to-face exchange. Farm visits, feed mill tours and meetings with industry representatives are all on the agenda. The tour could lay groundwork for future collaboration and expanded trade under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. THE WORLD ON YOUR FARM Interest in agritourism is growing across Alberta. Between 3,500 and 5,000 farms engage in some form of it. This number is expected to rise. Travel Alberta reports more than one million Europeans and 1.4 million Americans are actively considering rural Alberta as a destination for authentic agricultural experiences in the next two years alone. Provincial support is growing in tandem. Following a $300,000 grant from the Northern and Regional Economic Development Program, Agritourism Alberta is developing an initiative to support farms that transition into agritourism. The organization was formerly known as the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association. Agritourism Alberta president Tam Andersen said several forces drive such growth. On the farm, shrinking acreage, rising input costs, volatile commodity markets and climate uncertainty push farmers to find new revenue streams. Simultaneously, consumers—particularly younger ones—seek connections with the people and land that produce their food. A farmer and agritourism business owner, Andersen and her husband Terry farm 3,500 acres of barley, canola and wheat near Edmonton. Forty-two years ago, she carved out a corner of the family operation and built an attraction that was unique at the time. Prairie Gardens and Adventure Farm spans 80 acres and includes a corn maze, a commercial market garden, a community-supported agriculture program with U-pick vegetables and strawberries. It also includes 25-acres of old-growth boreal forest managed as a conservation project in partnership with Indigenous elders and the David Suzuki Foundation. While her husband runs the grain operation, she welcomes the public. The rewards, she said, go well beyond the balance sheet. “Agritourism plays a critical role in rebuilding agricultural literacy at a time when most Canadians are several generations removed from the farm,” said Andersen. “It offers both educational value for the public and economic value for farm families, creating a bridge between agriculture and the visitor economy.” The strategies farms adopt are as diverse as the operations themselves. Some open U-picks or farm stays. Others offer direct sales, farm-to-table events or culinary tourism. Andersen points out many farmers participate without recognizing it. Selling eggs or beef at the farm gate or opening a greenhouse to customers all qualify. Andersen is sympathetic to grain farmers who worry about welcoming strangers onto their farms. The risks are real. Liability insurance for agritourism operations is available from only two brokers in Alberta, and premiums are tied to gross receipts. Safety protocols, clear boundaries and proper signage all become part of farm management. There are clear economic benefits to on-farm agritourism. “With access to a diverse income stream, especially into the retail streams, we are able to capitalize on every dollar we earn,” said Andersen. “We also offset the seasonality, so we have cash flow at times of year we would not normally. “The story has equal value to the products you sell. When people become included in that story, that’s when it works. That’s when the magic happens.” Photo: Courtesy of Tam Andersen