Tour Newtown Farm & Shellfish Beds in Fairfield County on Oct. 4

For $45, you can tour two Fairfield County family farms (in Shelton and Newtown) and the Norm Bloom & Son shellfishing operation, including a boat ride on Long Island Sound.

The tour takes place Oct. 4 and starts in Monroe. The event is organized by the Conneticut Farm Bureau Association, which says seating is limited and online registration is available now.

Here’s an announcement from the group (with their pictures):

Connecticut Farm Bureau Association (CFBA) is hosting a day-long bus tour to three agricultural operations in Fairfield County Connecticut onSaturday, October 4

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For just $45, adults may jump aboard a guided tour to Jones Family Farm in Shelton, Sepe Farm in Newtown and Norm Bloom & Son in Norwalk including a shellfish boat ride on Long Island Sound. A Connecticut-grown lunch and dinner is included as part of the day, as well a wine tasting.

The tour is funded in part by a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council under its project, Connecticut at Work. The grants support a wide range of community-oriented programs that examine the past, present and future of work in the lives of Connecticut residents. To reserve a space on the tour, visitwww.cfba.org under EVENTS. Seating is limited. The coach bus departs Harmony Grange Hall at the intersection of Rtes. 111 and 110 in Monroe at 8:30 am.

“Farm Bureau’s mission includes educating people about farming in Connecticut, and our recent tour in northeastern Connecticut was very well received by our guests,” says Debbi Tanner, Chair of the CFBA Women’s Leadership Committee who is coordinating the event. “These three diversified farming operations in the heart of Fairfield County represent many different Connecticut Grown products from land and sea. I think our guests will enjoy their visits, and learn a lot about how—and why-- Connecticut agriculture works. We’re very appreciative of the Connecticut Humanities Council for involving farming in their year-long project.”

Jones Family Farm is one of Connecticut’s premier family farms featuring an award-winning winery, pumpkins, blueberries, strawberries, Christmas trees and a cooking studio. This 400 acre farm has been in the Jones family for more than 150 years. Sepe Farm is a small family-owned lamb farm that raises pastured, grain-fed lamb. Selling to many gourmet restaurants, the Sepes focus on sustainable farming. The visit to Norm Bloom and Son offers a unique chance to board a boat and explore farming under water. Bloom’s is a family-owned farm that has been caring for, farming, and harvesting Copps Island oysters, clams, and lobsters for more than three generations.

The winding roads between the three destinations will acquaint guests with Fairfield County’s rich farming region. The tour ends with a farm-to-table dinner at the Harmony Grange Hall in Monroe featuring locally grown and sourced foods.

About Connecticut at Work

Connecticut at Work travels across the state through December 2014. The program features the Smithsonian Institution’s The Way We Worked exhibition, with stops in seven communities: New Haven, Torrington, Hartford, Waterbury, Coventry, Stamford and Groton. Surrounding communities are adding local focus with community history exhibits, book and film discussions, author talks, performances and more. Connecticut at Work is an initiative of Connecticut Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Connecticut at Work is a partnership with Stamford Museum Nature Center and Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County. The Connecticut tour of The Way We Worked is made possible by Connecticut Humanities and Historic New England. For a calendar of events and more information, visit cthumanities.org/ctatwork.

About the Connecticut Farm Bureau Association

Since 1919, The Connecticut Farm Bureau Association has provided a strong, clear voice in state agricultural issues. As a non-governmental, membership organization serving farm families, the Connecticut Farm Bureau’s mission is to advocate for agriculture and find solutions for concerns facing production agriculture in our counties, state and nation. Volunteer leaders, including the Women’s Leadership Committee, and staff work closely with state and federal regulatory agencies and elected officials on issues ranging from economic viability, property rights, taxation, land use planning to labor laws and farmland preservation. Connecticut Farm Bureau believes that representing the interest of farmers also benefits all Connecticut residents who enjoy safe, locally grown, farm-fresh products. For more information visit www.cfba.org.