NEWBERRY COUNTY – The 2022 Ag and Art Tour for Newberry County will take place Saturday, June 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Five Newberry County farms will be featured on this year’s free, self-guided tour, including Bower’s Farm (279 Ringer Road, Pomaria), Hi Brau Beef Company (260 Country Club Road, Newberry), Carolina Pride Pastures (1416 SC 34, Pomaria), Lever Farms (5057 SC 34, Pomaria), (not open on Sundays), and West Ridge Farms (2311 Old Dutch Road, Little Mountain).

The SC Ag and Art Tour is the nation’s largest agricultural and art tour and will feature farms in Newberry, Fairfield, Lexington, Richland, Kershaw, York, Lancaster, Colleton and Charleston counties on different dates. Newberry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michelle Long said the agriculture and arts tour is extremely important and showcases hard-working SC farms.

“Newberry County has been on the Ag and Art Tour since 2017, the tour gives people a taste of what’s happening in agriculture and that there’s so much more to it than cows and chickens. We have farms logging, fruit tree farms and even an alpaca farm here. It’s important for people to understand what these farms provide to Newberry County and how valuable they are,” she said.

Alicia Holbrook of Carolina Pride Pastures said there was so much to learn from the tour.

“A lot of us who raise animals forget that there are a lot of people who don’t understand where their food comes from. There’s so much hard work to do, you don’t just leave a cow in a pasture and then have a steak on a plate,” she said. “It’s also a chance to showcase our area, not just to the rest of South Carolina, but to the visitors we have who come from other states.

The Ag and Art Tour features more than just farms, Long said, as artwork will be displayed at each farm.

“Everything from hats, decals, artwork and even baked goods can be purchased at some of these locations, it’s not just about farming, we also want to display some of the artwork and incredible objects that our residents create. Artists like Tyla Bowers will have paintings at Carolina Pride Pastures, and author Priscilla Shuler will do a book signing at High Brau Beef Company,” she said.

Long also hopes the event will continue to grow.

“Newberry County is full of so many wonderful artists and farms that we would love to see participate in the future. We anticipate that Newberry County will continue to be a part of this event each year as there is always something new to present,” she said.

Brochures can be picked up from the Town Center Chamber of Commerce, 1209 Caldwell Street, Newberry and Ag and Art tour information with addresses, dates and times can also be found online at the SC Ag website and Art Tour (www.agandarttour.com).

John Kesler is an intern at the Newberry Observer.