Thinking outside the barn: Farm puts tourists to work

One Island farm is opening its doors and pastures to visitors who wantto spend a day in the life of a sheep farmer.

RustaretFarm in Shamrock, P.E.I. is now the site ofHills, Hay and Herding, a newfarm tour experiencewhere tourists spend the afternoonworking the farm.

Margaret McCallum, who owns the farm with her husband Rusty Bittermann said she wanted to create an experience for people who wanttoknow what it takes to keep a farm running every day.

Visitors feed and water the flock and prepare the barn with fresh bedding before herding the farm's 270 sheep in from the pasture for the night.

McCallumsaid she and her husband bought the farm in 2010 after they both retired from careers as academics and couldn't resist the opportunity to keep teaching people about agriculture by inviting them to the farm.

"We thought we have a beautiful farm, we want to share it with people," McCallum said.

"For people who don't have a chance to be around animals, it's then being able to come and actually participate in the work of caring for those animals."

'Sharing in a cycle'

McCallum and Bittermann introduced livestock to the farm in 2015 and now have three breeds of rare sheep and three breeds of cattle.

She said the animals are all grass-fed and farmed for meat and she wants the experience to provide a glimpse into a side of agriculture that most people don't get to see.

"I think a lot of people are interested in knowing where their food comes from, which means knowing how agriculture works," McCallum said. "When they are eating meat, which is what we're raising, then it's not just something that's out of a plastic tray anymore. They recognize that they are sharing in a cycle."

'Walk in someone's shoes'

Heidi Sjobergparticipated in the farm tour while visiting the Island from Boston, Mass. She said she haddone farm tours in the past but has never had the chance to get her hands dirty.

"It's a great opportunity to walk in someone's shoes for a bit," Sjobergsaid. "Actually working and meeting people that have a different life from me gets me out of my space and into something really differentIt's fun to just dig in and get a good workout."

McCallumsaid she and Bittermannplan to run the tour for the rest of the summer and continue itnext year. She said bringing visitors to the farm allows them to appreciate their animalsa little more each time.

"People like to go away feeling that it's not something contrived, that what they're doing is something that happens every day here and that they've been part of it," she said.

The farm tour costs $75 perperson for groups of two or four and $60 per person for larger groups and can be booked through the Experience PEI website.

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