OREGON — If you’re one of the thousands of people who drive through Ogle County on any given day, you’ve no doubt passed by the farms that have put down roots there.

But have you ever strolled through one of them?

If not, then you’ll want to set aside a Sunday in October to take part in the Ogle County Farm Stroll. That’s when some farmers in Ogle County will dust the dirt off their welcome mat and throw open their barn doors to greet guests who stop by during the annual event coordinated by the University of Illinois Extension’s Boone-DeKalb-Ogle office in Oregon.

The self-guided tour gives people a chance to visit farms throughout the county, learning more about their operations and farming in general. Whether you’re a local who just wants to meet a neighbor who loves a country mile away, or a visitor to the county who enjoys cruising country miles, the tour offers a chance to meet growers on their home, and farm, turf.

This year’s Stroll is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12 and features 10 family farms, each within a 10-mile radius from Oregon. There’ll be food for sale, animals to see, interesting sights, and equipment on display. The Extension’s Master Gardeners will also be at some of the farms providing activities for the kids.

Visitors can document their visits to each farm through “passports” — stickers are available at each site and turned in at their final stop for a chance to win prizes, some of which are donated from participating farms.

Teresa Schwarz, an office support specialist with the Ogle Extension office, has coordinated the Farm Stroll since 2022. The Extension started the event in 2017, modeling it after similar events Extension offices had operated in other counties, and has held it nearly every year since, aside from a brief period during the coronavirus pandemic when it was run by the Oregon Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It kind of shows the whole farm-to-table concept, growing your own produce and seeing what the farms in the area can help you with, with what they do,” Schwarz said. “It’s great getting the word out there to the community that we have all of these different home-based farms, and for people to come out and witness all of the goings-on of everywhere.”

Amy Miller, who works with Schwarz and is also an office support specialist, enjoys the Farm Stroll’s diversity — some places raise crops, some livestock, some both, and all with their own story to tell.

“We wanted to have an opportunity for people to be able to visit different types of local agriculture,” Miller said. “There are different types of farms, and some that people wouldn’t think of as a farm. We wanted to have a nice variety.”

The Farm Stroll attracts both farmers and non-farmers, and those who come from a more urban setting are bound to learn something new at each stop, and that’s what Extension program coordinator Jan Saglier likes about the event.

“I’m excited about the idea of people getting to know that these places are here, and the educational aspect of going to these different sites,” she said. “You can learn about them if you don’t live on a farm, and get a feel and a taste for what it’s like.”

This year’s Farm Stroll participants are BerryView Orchard, Hough’s Maple Lane Farm and Dietrich Ranch in Mount Morris; Barnhart’s Stone Corner, Jen’s Sunshine Farm, Happily Homegrown and the Hinrichs Farm in Oregon; Ponto Ranch and Triple Creek Bison in Chana; and Orion Organics in Franklin Grove, which is located along the Ogle-Lee county line. Both Chana sites and Jen’s are new to the event.

Along with Hinrichs, Barnhart’s and BerryView, Dietrich Ranch was one of the Farm Stroll’s original six stops when it began, and owner Dan Dietrich has been on both sides of the farm fence — as a visitor to other farms and host at his own. He and his children have attended similar events in surrounding counties, and he’s brought some of those experiences to what he and his family down when welcome visitors during the Stroll. They try to do something different each year, he said. The ranch raises grass finished beef, lamb, free-range pastured chickens and pork in an all-natural process.

“Us and our kids have gone to the other counties, and we’ve enjoyed it as farmers,” Dietrich said. “We’ve got to see what other farms are doing. For us, we get a lot of requests from people wanting farm tours throughout the year, and one thing that I like about this is that we can open up and get a lot of people on a single day. This is a good way to systematize and streamline that process.”

Elizabeth Bruns, owner of Happily Homegrown, raises cows, pigs, chicken, rabbits and all kinds of fruits and vegetables, with her young children involved with it each step of the way. She has been part of the Farm Stroll for three years, and enjoys seeing Stroll visitors come back each year, some to get inspiration and ideas for their own farm.

“For my family, it’s nice to show people the diversity that you can have in a little community,” Bruns said. “For us, it’s about raising our kids and showing them how to do everything more on their own, like raising their own meat and raising their own vegetables. I think it’s cool to have people come out and watch our kids show them around and give the tours. I think it’s great for people to see that kids can do these things, too.”

Tim Benedict, owner of Orion Organics, has an aviary along the Ogle-Lee county line where he raises bees for honey and grows garlic. He enjoys the educational aspect of being a part of the Farm Stroll, which he’s participated in for two years.

Benedict is taking part again, despite it being a tough year for beekeepers throughout the nation, with various diseases causing a decline in colonies, which will lead to a later and smaller honey harvest this year.

“I’ve gotten to know a lot of other farmers in the area that I didn’t know about,” Benedict said. “Especially after Covid, people really started wanting to have a connection to their food, and I’ve always opened up my place for people to come and see the bees. I grow garlic and teach them how to grow it, when to plant and how to harvest. Farming is a pretty isolating and hard working experience, and it’s great for us to have that personal connection instead of getting it to a grocery store, and you actually get to see a smile on someone’s face when they get something fresh and local.”

Thinking about going? Organizers have a few tips …

Bring cash — Some farms on the Stroll will have products for sale, but not everyone takes plastic.

Don’t bring your pets — They could spook the livestock or not be welcome by other participants

Dress for a farm visit — Take a jacket in case it gets chilly or rains, and it’s best to wear closed-toe shoes (high-heels, sandals, or flip-flops aren’t advised).

A map and details about each stop are available at the Ogle County Extension’s website (extension.illinois.edu/bdo) or at its office in Oregon.

“There’s something for everybody,” Dietrich said. “If someone goes on this, you can see the diversity and the creativity of each place and what they have to offer.”

What’s to see

BerryView Orchard

7504 W. Midtown Road, Mount Morris

Online: Facebook, berryvieworchard.com

Jeff and Julie Warren grow aronia berries, which are considered a “super fruit” due to its high amount of antioxidants, using organic practices – they also are known as chokeberries. Get a taste of aronias, learn about their benefits and find ways to add them to food and drink recipes. Pick them yourselves or choose from pre-picked selections. Apples of several varieties also are available. Sample jams, jellies and cookies. Walk its orchards and see what’s growing.

Hough’s Maple Lane Farm

3788 N. Mount Morris Road, Mount Morris

Online: Facebook

Rob and Lynnette Hough and their two children collect maple sap in the winter and spring from trees throughout the community and boils it down in their sugar house to make maple goodness. Up to 50 gallons of maple syrup are made and sold each year, which also includes smoked syrup and bourbon maple syrup. Maple flavored treats made at Hough’s also will be available; they include candy, pecans, cinnamon rolls, applesauce, cookies and pickles.

Dietrich Ranch

4575 N. Leaf River Road, Mount Morris

Online: Facebook, Instagram, dietrichranch.com

Animals at Dietrich Ranch are 100 percent grass-fed in a process that involves intensive rotational grazing and holistic management. The ranch raises grass finished beef, lamb, free-range pastured chicken and pork. All of the products it offers are raised without use of chemicals, antibiotics and hormones. Its meat will be available for sale.

Barnhart’s Stone Corner

2169 Honey Creek Road, Oregon

John and Cindy Barnhart collect and display antique farm equipment and a wide collection of historical agriculture oddities. As its name suggests, it also has thousands – and tons – of unique stones, many of which are marked with dates and points of origin. The stones are arranged in a wall-like setup or as sculptures on their property, which is how the property’s original settler, Civil War veteran Virgil Reed, arranged them. The house on the Barnhart’s property, which sits on the corner of Honey Creek and Watertown roads, was built around the time the corners once was the site of the small community of Watertown: once a thriving stagecoach crossroads with a sawmill and blacksmith shop along the Kyte River, a mile east of Daysville.

Jen’s Sunshine Farm

1774 S. Columbian Road, Oregon

Online: Facebook, jensfarm.com

Jen and Scott Immel and their children, Wesley and Bryan, care for the soil at their farm with cover crops like hairy vetch and tillage radishes. They grow seasonal favorites such as sweet corn, birdhouse gourds and pumpkins. Homemade cookies, coiled fabric baskets and memory bears are Jen’s specialties and are made in a workshop on site.

Hinrichs Farm

1675 S. Columbian Road, Oregon

Online: AJ’s Garden Tractor Jamboree on Facebook

The farm is locally known in the area for being the site of the annual AJ’s Garden Tractor Jamboree each May. The Hinrichses offer interactive events such as corn shelling, corn grinding and rope making. Hit-and-miss engines, John Deere two-cylinder tractors and vintage garden tractors also are among the machines on display, as well as tools and iron collectibles from a large collection. Free popcorn will be offered.

Happily Homegrown

4938 S. Scout Road, Oregon

Online: Facebook (Happily.home.grown), tiktok.com/@happily.home.grown

Going to the grocery store isn’t a trip that the Bruns Family takes very often. Instead, they live on a 12-acre homestead where they grow and raise most of their food. They raise cows, pigs, chicken, rabbits and all kinds of fruits and vegetables, with the aid of a greenhouse during the winter months.

Triple Creek Bison

1236 N. Blind Road, Chana

Jim Rogers operates a eco-agriculture facility that gives off zero emissions. It’s a holistic approach to farming that aims to minimize environmental impact. Regenerative and sustainable practices are rooted in a native habitat. The farm plans to sell a variety of bison products, as well as fruit and honey.

Ponto Ranch

1188 N. Blind Road, Chana

Online: Facebook

Tim and Dede Ponto have lived on a 15-acre homestead since 2002 where they raise registered Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. The goats are raised for pets, milk production and breed improvement with an emphasis on competitive showing. That’s not all: The farm also is in the process of growing Christmas trees that will be part of a choose-and-cut tree farm in the future.

Orion Organics

885 W. Stone Barn Road, Franklin Grove

Online: Facebook, orion.farm

Located along the Lee-Ogle county line, Tim Benedict’s apiary and garlic farm is surrounded by thousands of acres of native prairie and woodlands. He adheres to strict organic farming methods to produce artisan raw honey from the native prairie wildflowers among the Nachusa Grasslands, where there are plenty of bison roaming around.