Supporting farmers throughout the North Okanagan and Shuswap has become easier, as one local farmer produced a map designed specifically for farm stands.
Megan Miller, farmer at Little Wing Farms in South Canoe, said she built the map following a social media post about how people can support local farm stands this summer. The map is called, The Farm Stand Trail.
“There’s nothing better than a Sunday afternoon and you take a drive and want to go look at local farms,” she said. “If you’re wanting to shop more local, it could be your neighbours down the road.”
The map consists of approximately 32 farms located in the North Okanagan and the Shuswap, including Petite Poultry Farms, Morrison Funny Farms and The Wildmark Farmacy.
Miller said any farmers in the North Okanagan can reach out to her and submit their farms to be placed on the map.
Miller said the map not only provides recommendations to customers, but it supports neighbouring businesses. “There’s more than enough people to go around,” she added. “I don’t think it’s a competition … it’s also nice to connect with farmers … it’s more of a community.”
Each pin on the trail lists the farm’s name and what it sells.
“It’s better than any big box store,” she continued. “A lot of us are young farmers trying to get into this market and it’s hard and we’ve got young kids at home, so i’s nice to support families feeding their families.”
Miller said the map has received significant positive feedback and she hopes it gains enough traction to turn the trail link into a QR code that can be posted at different farm stands.
People interested in adding a farm to the trail, or needing one removed or edited, can contact Miller by email at littlewingfarms@hotmail.com.
