Agritourism grows in Strathcona County

As Strathcona County aims to attract more visitors with its newly launched Go Strathco brand, agritourism is an important piece of the puzzle, advocates say.

The county doesn't have mountains, but it does have farms and people who are willing to invite visitors in.

"There's a massive opportunity for agriculture and agricultural operators to tap into this market," said Eiblis Doherty, Strathcona County's senior economic development officer for tourism. "This is really an opportunity for (farmers) to be able to stay in that lifestyle and stay connected to the family farm in the area that they grew up in by diversifying into this."

Go Strathco is the latest step in the county's 10-year tourism strategy, of which agritourism is a pillar. It is meant not only to attract tourists to the splendours of the area, but also to alert businesses to their visitor-economy potential.

"When we began … it wasn't uncommon for me to approach a business and find they didn't believe they were even involved in the tourism industry," Doherty told Taproot after the Go Strathco's launch. Now producers have a cohesive brand to tap into, as well as Doherty's deep expertise in the area, which she happily shares with anyone in an effort to contribute to the region's $2.6-billion visitor economy.

"It's very collaborative," Doherty said in an interview. "'A rising tide floats all ships' is really how we look at it here in the capital region — I've actually helped and supported operators in areas outside of Strathcona County. At the end of the day, if there's a small business somewhere that gets a little bit of information, gets a little bit ahead, based on any of the work that (we and others are) doing, that's really what the goal is."

Bar OA Farms, a flower farm near Fort Saskatchewan, is prominently featured on the Go Strathco site. Since planting the seeds for Bar OA in 2017 in northeast Edmonton, co-owner Bryanna Kumpula-Yung has learned which gardens to tend to.

"When we first started, I started doing farmers' markets — I realized really fast that that was not the thing that I was passionate about," she said. "You pack up all your stuff, you haul it all to a market, you hope people show up. If it's smoky outside and they don't come, or if it's raining, then you have all this product that you've cut. Now you're trying to discount it to push it out to sell it. I was like, 'I didn't want to grow up to be (doing this).'"

Instead, she hosts visitors at Bar OA, puts on farm dinners and workshops, and offers subscriptions and arrangements for special occasions. Even so, farming is at the mercy of the elements, and this summer's disastrous weather prevented Bar OA from participating in Alberta Open Farm Days in August.

In other words, the flower-growing game isn't all roses.

"We have a very short season, because we grow everything in a field," Kumpula-Yung told Taproot, noting her core season is roughly July to mid-September. "That's the amount of time that I have to do stuff on our farm."

Kumpula-Yung is a celebrated alumna of MacEwan University, and her farm was recognized for its culinary contributions by the Edmonton Tourism Awards in 2025. She and Doherty participated in the Taste of Place Summit when it came to Edmonton in June, and the two of them then travelled to Scotland to speak at the Global Agritourism Conference and visit some farms there.

"The big thing that I took away is just try some of the stuff," Kumpula-Yung said. "That's how you'll figure out if it's going to work or if the people in the area want it to be there — test some of it before you go and build this huge facility or spend all this money."

Bar OA's season is technically over, but you can sign up for updates on what comes next. Farmers' market season in the region wraps up around Oct. 11, but farm-thusiasts can look forward to Farmfair International at the Edmonton EXPO Centre from Nov. 5 to 8, which features a Christmas market on all days but Nov. 5.

This story is based in part on a larger conversation with Eiblis Doherty and Bryanna Kumpula-Yung on the Aug. 28 edition of Taproot Exchange, a members-only livestream conversation that goes deep on issues of interest to Edmontonians. Become a Taproot member for access to future livestreams, as well as recordings and transcripts.