Salmon Arm farmer Megan Miller is helping connect consumers with local growers in the Okanagan and Shuswap in a fun, collaborative way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month she began building the Farmstand Trail putting farm stands in the region on a Google map with information on what products they sell to make it simple for people to access local products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far, 60 farm stands have been added with more producers asking to be added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI saw people on social media searching for local farm stands so I put it together,\u201d Miller said. \u201cIt\u2019s a free, community resource that makes it easy to support local growers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It isn\u2019t just for farmstands in the Shuswap and Okanagan, it can be anywhere, I\u2019ll add anyone who wants to be added.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a similar but bigger version of the Shuswap Farmstand Tour<\/a> launched in the summer of 2024 by Shuswap Tourism where consumers can follow an interactive map to eight local farms in the Falkland and Salmon River area to celebrate the region\u2019s agricultural heritage and connect consumers to local growers. There are signs at the stops with QR codes on them so visitors can easily access the farm\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miller provides one QR code on social media and some on cards to pass around for quick and easy access to her Google map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She’s a local producer and a big supporter of other local producers. She has a farm in Salmon Arm called Little Wing Farms<\/a>, along with a farm stand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe sell poultry, chickens and turkeys, they\u2019re all pasture raised,\u201d she said. \u201cAt the farm stand we sell plant starts in the spring and then we move into cut flowers. In fall ,we do pumpkins and for Christmas we do Christmas trees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said supporting local growers is important because it keeps money in the community and ensures the freshest foods are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s import to show growers some love and shopping locally is more important than ever right now,\u201d she Miller said. \u201cThe health benefits of fresh food are incredible. We sell our extra produce at our stand and it\u2019s cut that morning, you can buy it right away instead of it being shipped from Mexico or the states.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She plans to add places to purchase locally grown meat products to the map in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot only is this important for communities, it\u2019s fun,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing better than taking a Sunday drive and stopping at local farm stands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you would like your farm stand added, send a message to Miller through Instagram<\/a> or email at littlewingfarms@hotmail.com<\/a> with your farm stand name, location and what products you sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n