Left to right, Councillors George Darouze, David Brown, Ariel Troster, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Sean Devine, Clarke Kelly, Wilson Lo and Catherine Kitts (Photo credit: @Ariel Troster on Twitter)
On March 29th, several members of City Council, including the Mayor, took part in a local farm tour to learn more about rural areas of the City, and some of our amazing local farms, their importance and their challenges.
Several City of Ottawa Councillors got a first-hand look at life on the farm this week with a tour of several outstanding rural Ottawa farms. The event was organized by George Darouze, chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, along with the Rural Affairs office, and the Ottawa, Lanark and Arnprior Federations of Agriculture.
First stop was Hilltone Farms in West Carleton, a leader in robotic milking, robotic manure cleaning system and push feeding. The family has farmed there for over 100 years.
"As Vice-Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, I was so pleased to be part of the Rural Farm Tour with many of our City Council colleagues in attendance," Councillor Kelly said. "It was so great to introduce them to our rural areas of the City and how much these farms, and so many others, contribute to our everyday lives.
"Thanks to Osgoode Councillor George Darouze, our Committee Chair, for organizing this important tour. And thank you to the farmers for your warm welcome and sharing of information."
See more photos from this tour here.
