High Country Life

Discover a farm that specializes in sustainable heirloom veggies and herbs before indulging in a gourmet BBQ buffet for an unforgettable farm-to-table experience!

Soak in a relaxing cruise from Queenstown across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm for an authentic look into rural life among its mountains and lakes.

Tours & Activities

Visits to High Country farms offer a great way to explore the natural beauty of this region. Take part in guided tours, visit an animal sanctuary or learn how to knit wool; there are endless sustainable activities on offer here that are sure to enrich your visit.

The 2024 Farm Tour took place on September 21-22 and featured several farms open for visitors to experience sustainable agriculture. Co-sponsored by CFSA and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, this annual event provides visitors with an exclusive “behind-the-scenes” look at how food, fiber, and other agricultural products are created on local small and large farms.

On a 2-acre farm, visitors can witness an array of production on a small scale such as microgreens and cut flower cultivation; plant nursery; greenhouse; high tunnels; orchard fruit trees, native plants, herb gardens as well as chickens, sheep and goats for eggs, milk and meat supply to local communities.

Tours and activities at Boone Farm offer workshops, educational presentations, and hands-on demonstrations that cater to guests of all ages and abilities. Visitors can visit livestock, learn to knit with wool yarn, harvest maple syrup from its trees themselves for harvesting or use in cooking recipes, as well as harvest it themselves and cook with maple syrup! Located just outside Boone, Boone Farm provides a tranquil setting where guests can learn about local sustainability practices and environmental stewardship in an immersive learning experience.

Farm Tour also serves as home for App State’s Frontline to Farm program, an initiative that trains veterans in agricultural industry skills so they can become successful farmers. App State’s College of Fine and Applied Arts plays an instrumental role in this program by offering classroom sessions as well as hands-on farm experiences.

Come up close and personal with local merino sheep, cows, and alpacas at this picturesque farm tour. Visitors are given the chance to feed the animals as well as watch herds grazing across pastures. Additionally, this organic dairy produces its own milk and cream products and visitors can sample these while purchasing local produce and meats from this organic farm. This scenic spot also makes a wonderful picnic location or place to watch the sun go down over Lake Tekapo!

Sustainability

Sustainable farming practices help preserve land for future generations while giving people the chance to appreciate its natural beauty. From exploring Grandfather Mountain pastures or vineyards to harvesting pumpkins – farm visits provide visitors with an opportunity to reconnect with nature and the environment.

Farm tourism is a rapidly expanding industry that gives visitors the chance to learn about agriculture while engaging with animals and plants in rural settings away from crowded destinations. Yet the development of farm tourism brings with it concerns about its environmental effects; farm operations have their own ecological footprint which must be reduced as part of farm tourism activities.

Sustainable farm tourism practices have been suggested as a method for mitigating adverse environmental impacts while simultaneously improving tourists’ wellbeing. Unfortunately, however, the relationship between environmental behavior and tourist outcomes can be complicated. Previous studies have determined that responsibility ascription and ecological vision play significant roles in shaping tourist behavior and outcomes.

This study sought to investigate the relationship between opportunities for power conservation and eco-conscious behavior in farm tourism settings and tourist ascription of responsibility, ecological vision and well-being. Regression and mediation analyses were employed in this investigation.

The study results indicate that attribution of responsibility and ecological vision play crucial mediator roles between power conservation and sense of responsibility as well as between power conservation and well-being outcomes. These findings offer insights that could be applied to designing sustainability programs and communication channels to promote ecological stewardship within farm tourism contexts. Farm tourism helps us understand the intricate connection between personal values and tourism behaviours, which form its core. This research fills a critical void in literature by proposing an integrative model that can assist farm tourism businesses in their efforts to implement sustainable practices and develop eco-tourism products and services. Furthermore, this research can aid in the design of tourism initiatives and the promotion of ecologically responsible travel choices. Furthermore, its findings could serve as the basis for further studies investigating how different contextual factors affect pro-environmental behaviors within farm tourism contexts.

Events & Workshops

The High Country Farm Tour provides an opportunity to discover progressive farming practices on the land. The 2024 tour covers ten farms from Watauga and Ashe counties with crops such as organic broccoli, llamas, sorghum, shiitake mushrooms, alpacas, orchard fruits, orchard fruit trees and much more! Brochures with maps and farm descriptions can be found at Ashe/Watauga Cooperative Extension offices/visitor centers/Horn in the West parking lots/CFSA encourages carpooling/donations towards covering costs for this event/work promoting sustainable agriculture within our High Country community.

Visit this diversified farm that specializes in aquaponics and all sustainable and holistic farming methods, and enjoy tastings from winery, creamery and charcuterie onsite – perfect for relaxing on a hill overlooking Applegate River Valley!

Black Dirt Farm is a diverse family farm dedicated to creating a regenerative ecosystem for its soil and plants. By collecting food scraps from their community and using biochar kilns to reduce carbon emissions and restore creek health on their property, Black Dirt Farm creates a rich compost for its crops as well as improving its surrounding ecosystems.

At this farm along the Rogue River, world-class dairy cattle roam free among beautiful pastures while producing an assortment of fresh vegetables and herbs that guests are welcome to explore in the farm store or enjoy from the front patio or crush pad.

The Farm was founded on the belief that reconnecting people to nature through healthy food is vital. Their staff are committed to teaching visitors about sustainable agriculture as well as teaching people of all ages and abilities how to grow their own food.

Explore North Carolina’s blossoming wine scene by paying one of its many vineyards a visit (all located nearby White Fence Farm vacation properties). Sample current trends while sipping future classics at Jones von Drehle, Grandfather, Banner Elk or Linville Falls vineyards; chances are, you will discover your new favorite vino!

Education

Educational opportunities abound in the High Country. A visit to an alpaca farm or apple orchard during summer days can provide visitors with an educational yet entertaining experience, while visiting Christmas tree farms provides visitors an education on sustainable forestry practices while searching for their ideal pine. Teaching visitors about sustainable agriculture and forestry practices is integral to regional economies, which is why many farms provide educational programs all year long.

BRWIA’s annual Farm Tour presents farmers with an opportunity to engage with the public while simultaneously providing an educational platform supporting ethical and ecological farming practices. In order to evaluate how this event might promote place-based sustainability education, this paper utilizes data gleaned from in-depth farmer interviews as well as visitor surveys.

The 2014 Farm Tour featured 20 farms located throughout Ashe and Watauga counties, and visitors had free rein to visit as many or few as they wished over two days. Weekend passes cost $25 per carload and were available prior to the tour at local farmers markets, stores, and online. After returning from the tour BRWIA conducted an open-ended email survey asking about motivations for participating, on-farm experiences, and impact of tour participation.

At 20 farms, there was great variation in the type of agricultural education provided. Many emphasized the importance of teaching about environmental stewardship and practices; several described educational activities ranging from walking through forests to hands-on composting lessons. Farmers also discussed their land acquisition strategy for preservation purposes or protection from overdevelopment – Susie and David of Fog Likely Farm purchased numerous properties over time in order to create their multifaceted educational destination.