The Getty Farm located in Saegertown is a great example of a family-run agricultural operation. Using traditional and low input farming techniques, the Getty's specialize in beef, pork, and poultry raised without the use of steroids, antibiotics, or other chemicals. Animals are either born on the farm or purchased at an early age and raised in a humane manner until maturity.

The Getty farm offers a wide assortment of products throughout the year, including pork and beef halves, chickens and turkeys, brown eggs, honey, and maple syrup.

Visitors are welcome to tour the farm and visit the farm store (hours depend on time of year), but the Gettys request that you phone ahead to make arrangements.

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Herrick's farm, established as a family business in 1965, has been practicing sustainable management in dairy and crop production since its creation, using such methods as no tillage farming, crop rotation, and strip cropping.

With a working herd of about 140 cattle, the farm produces approximately 100 gallons of milk per cow, per day! Though Herrick's Dairy Farm is not open to the public for tours, there is a large day lily operation that welcomes the public to peruse and purchase over 1,000 hybrids of lilies. During their peak season (from early July till winter), these flowers are guaranteed to brighten up your day.

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Around springtime when most folks are just coming out of their winter slump, so are the maple trees on Hurry Hill Farm. Trees are tapped, buckets are hung, and sap is collected by the hundreds of gallons at this small farm in Edinboro.

If you have never tasted pure maple syrup or experienced a maple syrup operation at work, Hurry Hill Farm offers you the chance. All sorts of maple products are available, and with a quick phone call, visitors are welcomed.

Visitors, including tour groups, are welcome to view the fascinating change of sap to syrup during the syrup season at the Firth Maple Products sugarhouse near Spartansburg. Their mail order line includes maple butter, maple candy, maple coated nuts, maple nut topping, and of course, maple syrup, along with a nice selection of gift baskets.

Maple trees, native to northeast United States and southeast Canada, produce sap in the early spring as the days become warmer. American Indians first taught the European settlers the methods for gathering the sap and the processes for producing syrup and sugar. Many maple farms have been around for years and are often passed from generation to generation.

Interesting facts:

• 40-50 gallons of sap are required to make 1 gallon of syrup
• Maple syrup season lasts 6-8 weeks, usually late February to early April
• Tapping does no permanent harm to maple trees
• Quebec produces 75% of all maple syrup!

For additional information on maple syrup production, Click here.
Interested in making your own maple syrup? Click here.

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The Wooden Nickel Buffalo Farm in Edinboro provides an excellent opportunity to tour a nontraditional agricultural facility. This farm is open to visitors year round and hosts a number of events during the year. One can also browse through the farm store where buffalo meat, fresh produce, and souvenirs are sold.

Buffalo, synonymous with the scientific name Bison, were once widespread across the United States. A main source of food for the Native American Indians, the buffalo were quickly reduced as European hunters and settlers killed them and drove them off their native territory. Today, buffalo are slowly making a recovery in several National Parks and other preserves and private farms such as the Wooden Nickel.

Buffalo, a species native to the United States, usually cause less environmental impact on the land than cattle. A buffalo's diet consists of herbs, moss, and native grasses, and an adult buffalo can weigh up to 2,000 pounds! From a health perspective, buffalo meat is lower in calories, cholesterol, and fat than beef, pork, chicken, and in most cases seafood.

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Started by Norman Straub when he purchased 12 bison from South Dakota in 1989, the Bison Haven Ranch has grown into one of the most interesting attractions in the Grove City area. The animals on the ranch are treated humanely and are carefully monitored to insure that they exist with the least possible stress in the rather foreign Appalachian climate of northwest Pennsylvania.

Bison Haven Ranch is not only a ranch, but also a venue for buffalo product sales. Providing meat, leather, skulls, and tallow, among other products, nearly every part of the animal is used in the spirit of the Native Americans who depended on buffalo for so many things.

Visitors and large groups are welcome Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays 1-6 p.m. or by appointment.

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Located in Edinboro, the Snowbelt Alpacas Farm might be a strange sight to a visitor to this region. Unlike many of the farms in the area, this farm raises show quality Peruvian Alpacas. Though the dairy farm had been in the family for five generations, present owners, Terry and Trish Skelton, decided in 1995 to convert to alpaca raising.

So what exactly is an alpaca? Alpacas, native to South America, are most closely related to the llama. They are raised for the incredible quality of the wool fiber that they produce. Stronger, lighter, and warmer than sheep wool, alpaca fiber comes in more natural colors (22) than any other fiber-producing animal. Alpacas graze or are supplemented with hay, and use community dung piles, which keep pastures relatively clean. Communication occurs through body posture, ear movements, and low humming sounds. Domesticated for over 5,000 years, alpacas are clean, quiet, intelligent, hardy animals which generate excellent profits and make great pets.

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Established in 1988, Sunset Hills Farm is located in the rolling woodlands of southern Butler County. Owned by Dave and Laurye Feller, Sunset Hills is run in addition to the Fellers' day jobs. The Fellers decided this animal was a perfect choice for investment once they discovered the ease of raising it and the potential financial return. Breeding and boarding, and alpaca sales are available at Sunset Hills.

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The Ernst family first began growing Penngift Crownvetch in 1962 as a ten-acre plot experiment. Since its conception, the crownvetch experiment alone has grown to over 500 acres, and the Ernst Conservation Seeds Farm has developed into a company that employees twenty full-time workers, and provides a variety of conservation and reclamation plants and seeds.

Often, Ernst Conservation Seeds are used to remedy environmental problem areas. For example, Ernst seeds are used in mining reclamation, erosion control, wetlands restoration, and in riparian zones as stream bank stabilizers. The resulting growth helps to replenish the soil and alleviate the stresses on natural systems that result from human activities.

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Built in 1870, the Meadville Market House is Pennsylvania's oldest market house in continual use. Located in downtown Meadville, the market house serves as a venue for sale of area produce and products, as well as a meeting place and a link between the town community and surrounding farms.

The market house remains open year round, offering fresh baked goods, maple syrup, crafts, fresh meats, and cheeses; fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant during the harvest season. Breakfast is ready and the coffee is hot when the homestyle restaurant opens every day at 6 a.m. The doors close at 5 p.m. daily (Saturday at 3 p.m.) to prepare for the next day's business.

In 1917, a second floor was added to the Market House, and this area is currently home to the Meadville Council for the Arts, which has converted the extra space into an art gallery, a dance studio, and a small theater. In its early days, the Market House was a place of great importance (much like the central hub of the community), and today it remains one of the main links to maintaining downtown Meadville's infrastructure.

Across the country, the infrastructure of many communities has deteriorated as large corporations and shopping centers develop on the outskirts of many towns. Likewise, suburban sprawl has led to a move away from local communities and to greater distances between downtown vendors and shoppers.

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Knapp Farm Bed & Breakfast, located in Titusville, consists of over 1,000 acres of fun-filled outdoor enjoyment and relaxation. More than just a bed and breakfast, the farm offers a multitude of outdoor activities including fishing, hunting, horseback riding, camping, biking, and hiking. Visitors can also simply enjoy a "day on the farm" by relaxing with the animals and learning about crop and timber farming.

Knapp Farm is one of northwest Pennsylvania's largest beef farms, and it abounds with wildlife. Though a fully running farm, Knapp Bed and Breakfast caters to the vacationer interested in the agricultural experience. Through tours and explanations of farming and timber harvesting, visitors gain a better understanding of the work and planning that go into this type of business.

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"Our award winning wines cover a broad spectrum of tastes from traditional favorites to unique regional wines, to the noble vinifera of world fame."

Conneaut Cellars Winery, located on Route 19 near Conneaut Lake, provides an excellent opportunity for wine connoisseurs and amateur wine tasters alike to enjoy wine from the local northwest Pennsylvania area. Wine tasting and daily tours are available, as well as gift baskets and special wine tastings by appointment. A "must see" stop on your way through northwest Pennsylvania, the Conneaut Cellars Winery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and travel time is less than 10 minutes from Interstate 79.

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Located just outside of rural Sandy Lake in Mercer County, the Wilhelm Winery is a country atmosphere producing handcrafted grape and fruit wines. Situated in a 100 year old rustic barn by Lake Wilhelm, and providing wines ranging from Elderberry to Dechaunac, dry to sweet, the winery guarantees that even the most particular palate will be delighted. Wilhelm Winery is open from noon to 6 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. Tours, tastings, and gifts are also available.

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• Organic Gardening and Farming
• Rodale Agriculture Links
• Alpaca Breeders of Western Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania Wine and Wineries
• Pennsylvania Retail Farm Market Association
• Environment Canada & Manitoba Agriculture
• Farmland Organization
• Sustainable Agriculture Network
• Alpaca.com