Apple Orchard Pixabay Public Domain
Day 1 You'll See:
Whether you’re a life-long local or a Portland-bound tourist, all people who know anything about Oregon know that it is highly celebrated for its eco-friendly scene, a scene generously splashed with many successful local farms and ranches! This one-day tour is the perfect way for your group to see exactly this, the natural and gorgeous scenery along the Willamette Valley that is known as Oregon’s Farm Land. Visit a berry farm, and apple orchard, and even a bison ranch! Your group will love the chance to immerse yourself into the agriculturally rich life of the locals!
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Smith Berry Farm
The Smith Berry Farm was established first in 1978, as a humble yet locally loved U-pick raspberry farm in Hillsboro. Today this 30-acre family farm offers much more than just berries, the farm as a whole offering a wide variety of fresh produce, local food items, gardening tools, and educational items, and even various seminars and workshops to help locals plant their own bountiful harvests. The farm also owns a small five-acre apple orchard featuring over 20 varieties of apple and stocks each of its farm’s corners with fresh seasonal produce. Your group will learn about the farming practices used here, sustainable agriculture in general, as well as the farm’s personal goal to provide the freshest, highest quality products in the local market. You will find excellent seasonal choices such as pumpkins and Christmas trees, and you will even have the chance to grab an espresso or milkshake while looking around! This is the perfect spot for students hungry for horticultural knowledge and fresh local foods!
Oregon Heritage Farms
Welcome to Oregon Heritage Farms, the apple orchard that has been successfully running for over 25 years, complete with a seasonal farm-direct store with the best apples, cider, and fresh local produce seasonally. Though the store is only open from the end of August through mid-November, the farm itself is busy year-round with horticultural happenings and great family fun! Once here your group will have the option of taking any daily customizable tours, each chock-full of important horticultural and marketing information! You will see the 10 different varieties of apples, from Gravenstein to Melrose and every delicious Fuji and Granny Smith in between, as well as locally grown seasonal produce. Enjoy free samples of cider and apples and even see the Zucal apple pickers do their work before the apples are cooled, sized, and sorted, then head over to the gift store for some local country crafts and gifts!
L Bar T Bison Ranch
The L Bar T Bison Ranch was established in 1991, a bison-filled venture that started as a mere hobby but has since then grown into a thriving Oregon business. This particular ranch has on average about 14-15 animals regularly, between the constant process of breeding and butchering. Once on the ranch, your group can explore the ranch or take a tour (by appointment), each great way to learn about the grain-fed (alfalfa hay and corn silage) animals. There are several monthly talks and lectures on both bison and Native American tribes. The ranch sells skulls and hides, both green and tanned, as well as calves and processed meats such as preformed patties, bratwurst, hot dogs, jerky, spices, and smokers. Bison meat is an absolutely healthier alternative to red meat and is also known to be more flavorful, sweeter, and richer. What better way to learn all of this and perhaps try bison for the first time than at one of the most acclaimed ranches of its kind in the Pacific Northwest!