ON Farm Fun goes online

Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Trevor Jones was one of the first to download the new ON Farm Fun app created by Agritourism Ontario with the help of BitBakery. He’s pictured here (left) with Agritourism Ontario CEO Kevin Vallier. ~ Agritourism Ontario photo

By Luke Edwards

Finding your next great adventure picking your own strawberries or getting up close and personal with some barnyard friends is now just a click away.

Agritourism Ontario launched its ON Farm Fun app last month, offering a new way for the province’s agritourism operators to connect with potential customers and visitors. It includes several features aimed at providing a user-friendly experience that will help them plan and expand their excursions.

“With the launch of ON Farm Fun, we’re creating a simple and engaging way for people to explore Ontario’s vibrant agritourism offerings,” said Kevin Vallier, CEO of Agritourism Ontario. “This app helps bridge the gap between urban and rural communities, making it easier for everyone to experience where their food comes from and to support local farms.”

The app has been in the works for a while, as part of Agritourism’s new strategy to expand and support the industry. With more than 800 agritourism operators in the province, the sector is of growing importance to support the overall agricultural economy.

Visitors to the app can view a map that directs them to nearby opportunities, along with a search function that can be filtered by location, activity and seasonal offerings. It also provides real-time updates, curated itineraries and suggested farm trails, as well as contact information and direct links to the farm operations. Notifications can offer reminders for when certain produce comes in season, ideal especially for those crops that only last a few short weeks.

At launch the app offered 79 products to select, 61 activities ranging from u-pick to wagon rides to pumpkin patches,a self-serve planning tool along with kids games.

Vallier said despite some early uncertainty about the usefulness of the app, the reception has been quite positive. They held a soft launch at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention in February, where those in the industry could see it in action.

“We were pleasantly surprised with the results,” he said.

When initially pitched, some weren’t sure that another app would be worthwhile.

“When they saw how interactive it was, it was more well received,” he said.

Agritourism Ontario partnered with BitBakery out of Kitchener to develop the app.

“There’s so much magic in our own backyards that we sometimes miss,” BitBakery CEO Wes Worsfold said. “We wanted to make sure the ON Farm Fun app did more than list farms. It is a virtual tour guide for discovering everything from family activities to weekend getaways.”

Provincial Minister of Agricultural, Food and Agribusiness Trevor Jones supported the project and welcomed its launch.

“The ON Farm Fun app is an innovative tool that helps connect people with incredible agritourism experiences that are available across the province,” he said. “We are proud to support the launch of this app which encourages families to explore, learn and buy local while supporting farm businesses.”

The plan is to review the app after 12 months, to see what works and what needs improvement. During that time, Vallier said he’d welcome any feedback from users.

The app is available for download on iOS and Android devices.

Be respectful when visiting farms this summer

As the busy u-pick and farm tour season gets under way, Vallier’s reminding those visiting farms to be respectful of both the property owners and their fellow visitors.

Each year reports of people sneaking out with loads of produce they didn’t pay for, or going into restricted areas of agritourism locations puts a damper on an otherwise fun and enjoyable summer activity.

Vallier is reminding those visitors to be considerate to ensure everyone has a good time this summer and the farm owners are able to be successful.