Agri Tourism
Working Together to Make it Work
Today many terms are used to describe the changes we are dealing with in agriculture. Terms such as Agri Tourism, RV Parking, non farm use and worker housing. Read more
Photo by Ronda Payne
Fun on Laurica Farm
Small-scale farmers and growers often offer agri-tourism activities and events on the farm in order to get their name, products and the business of growing and farming in front of consumers, but just how many events are too many? Read more
Photo by Kim Elsasser
Multiply and Divide
Concepts like biodiversity, conservation, interactive, plant science, niche markets, microclimate, and even a look into a food forest are some of the topics explored in this Annual Innovation Issue. Find them and you’ll feel inspired too! Read more
Orchard & Vine Innovation Issue 2016
Inside this issue you will find innovations in technology, marketing and wine making. New ideas for cold climate growing. Features on farmers who are taking agri-tourism to the next level and innovations for water positive wineries. Read more
Today’s Farmers are also Entrepreneurs - Part 1
Modern farmers in BC know there's a lot more to agriculture than just growing crops. Today's farmers are also entrepreneurs who seek out markets, invest in new products or technology, and investigate new ways of earning revenue. Read more
Photo by Kim Elsasser
The Thrill of Wine Heli-Tours
Taking off in a helicopter can be an exhilarating experience; there is lots of excitement, power, torque and wind! It's a bit like a business where you launch, take off, and then rise steadily and travel with no road map to your destination. Read more
Orchard & Vine Summer 2016
Inside you’ll read about innovative farmers in the Okanagan as Part Two of our series on agritourism farming entrepreneurs. Read more
Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan
Carmelis is a small scale boutique dairy located near Okanagan Mountain Park in Kelowna. It produces rich, complex and refined cheeses that render full justice to the quality of the milk and the art of cheese making. Read more
The Clubhouse Farm
This farm-and-nature based play space and outdoor classroom was created in 2012 based on two major principles for resilient communities. The first is that children need to play outside more often. Read more
Hoof Prints Barnyard
Kristin Eng opened Hoof Prints Barnyard in 2015, a unique petting zoo located on eight acres near Kelowna International Airport. Read more
The Homestead
Following a season-long bicycle-tour of farms in Oregon, California and Eastern Canada, and two years at Ragley Farm on Vancouver Island, Jordan Marr and his then fiancé (now wife) Vanessa Samur moved to the Okanagan to start their organic farming. Read more
Caldwell Heritage Farm
In 2014 James and Kristi Caldwell packed up their two daughters and life in Vancouver and moved to the family farm in southeast Kelowna where they embarked on an adventurous new lifestyle. Read more
Old Meadows Organic Farm
Old Meadows Organics is a certified organic farm and market located on a 3.5 acre parcel on the Thomson Heritage farm, the roots of which extend back over 100 years of farming on this land. Read more
Mountain Valley Farm & a Cross la Table
Mountain Valley Farm in West Kelowna was the beginning of Tom and Denise Cross’ dream for a sustainable community farm which includes demonstrating many of Eliot Coleman’s thoughts and teachings on ‘Beyond Organic Farming”. Read more
Chef + Hobby Farm = Culinary Magic
You own a manageable two-acre hobby farm in the Okanagan’s divine wine country, its property burgeoning in season with fruit, vegetables and herbs. Read more
Ronda Payne
Inviting Folks to the Farm
Welcoming people to growing, producing lands to take in the “farm to plate” experience is nothing new. Wine tasting rooms, petting zoos, field tours; it’s all there to be seen in what has been coined agri-tourism. Read more
5 Tips for Going Green
The prospect of going green and doing so in a way that customers won’t poke holes in can be daunting. Yet, consumers are demanding it and there is no shortage of evidence to prove it. Read more
Agri-Tourism Grows Up At Vista D’oro
Early agritourism consisted of hayrides, U-Pick berries and watching some guy in a plaid shirt milk a cow, but as the interest in local food advanced, more sophisticated concepts like culinary tourism took hold. Read more
Building from Agriculture to Agri-Tourism
In the Central Okanagan Regional District the Economic Development Commission (EDC) began a pilot project last year, linking struggling farm revenues to the burgeoning tourist industry. Read more