Sales were up at Alberta Open Farm Days in 2023

The number of visitors to Alberta Open Farm Days was down in 2023 from the year before.

But the CEO of the Alberta Association of Agriculture Societies Tim Carson says they're still excited about how things went.

He says while the number of visitors was down slightly, on-farm sales during the weekend increased from $224,000 in 2022 to almost $299,000 last year. 

He says the money generated from on-farm sales demonstrates that not only did visitors have an improved perception of agriculture, but they were also willing to show their trust in Alberta agriculture by investing their money in it. 

Since its inception, Open Farm Days has generated over $1.4 million in on-farm sales.

According to the association, there was also an increase in the number of culinary experiences and the number of host farms; and approximately 35% of the 133 host farms were new. 

Several farms had to pull out due to flooding and wildfires in 2023, Carson points out, adding they were on track to surpass their goal of 150 host farms.