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$100K grant to kick start Farmgate Tour project in the Shuswap

Initiative intended to help support local farmers, expand shoulder season travel
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Fradkll Hall, accompanied by his dog Katie, sits with Donna Kohut and Fred Groensek on hay bales to watch a hot air balloon during the DeMille’s Farm Market Air Balloon Festival on Sunday, May 27, 2018. (File photo)

Agricultural operations will be a focus of a new project intended to help promote local producers and their products.

A $100,000 grant received by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport will be going towards the creation of the Farmgate Tour project.

“Farmstands are a popular experience and a driver for agritourism,” said the CSRD in a related media release. “We are proposing a Farmgate Tour through the Shuswap to create an exciting visitor experience that supports local farmers, increases tourism to the regional economy and expands into shoulder season travel.”

Morgen Matheson, team leader for the CSRD’s Shuswap Tourism and Film Commission, is excited for the opportunity to cultivate the agritourism sector in the region.

“We are looking forward to working closely with our regional partners to build a strong agri-tourism asset for years to come,”said Matheson. “Agriculture is a huge asset in the Shuswap. With over 600 large and small-scale producers, we feel there is an opportunity to develop a compelling highly valuable visitor experience that will continue to grow tourism in the Shuswap as a four-season destination.”

The CSRD said work on the Farmgate Tour project is underway, with plans to launch in the summer of 2024.

Read more: B.C. agriculture minister shares zest for Salmon Arm food hub

Read more: Shuswap Food Action Society partners with local farms for open tours



lachlan@saobserver.net
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