County Farm Tour: Pet Animals, Drink Beer, Pick Fruit In MoCo

ROCKVILLE, MD — Nearly two dozen farms in Montgomery County will open their barn doors this weekend for the 30th Annual County Farm Tour.

The event — which runs from July 27 to 28 — is free and includes a tour of 19 farms. Attendees will have the opportunity to pick fresh flowers and produce, pet farm animals, and go on hay and pony rides.

Participating farms include:

• Butler's Orchard
• Button Farm Living History Center
• Camp Olympia (Saturday only)
• Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm (Saturday only)
• Doc Waters Cidery (Saturday only)
• Homestead Farm
• King Barn Dairy Mooseum
• Kingsbury's Orchard
• Lewis Orchards
• Madison Fields (Saturday only)
• MCG Golf
• Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary (Saturday only)
• B.Savage & Sons Farm, LLC
• Red Wiggler Community Farm (Saturday only)
• Rock Hill Orchard
• Rocklands Farm Winery
• Star Gazing Farm
• Tusculum Farm
• Waredaca Brewing Company

Given its proximity to the nation's capital, some people may not think Montgomery County has a lot of farmland. However, the region is home to 558 farms and 350 horticultural businesses, says Montgomery County officials. Agriculture contributes $282 million to the county's economy, annually.

"Montgomery County has the highest percentage of farmland under agricultural land preservation in the nation," said Jeremy Criss, director of Montgomery's Office of Agriculture. "The Farm Tour is an excellent opportunity for residents to explore these farms and learn more about farming as a way of life in Montgomery County."

For more information about the 30th Annual County Farm Tour, click here.

You can also click through Montgomery County's interactive map of the event.