About Harvest to Gather Regenerative Farm Tours
Available when you redeem 200 Solar Dollars from your account
Thanks for your interest in booking a Regenerative Farm Tour with the Harvest to Gather team. It’s going to be a fun day! Plus, by redeeming your Solar Dollars for this tour, you're not only investing in a unique educational experience, but you're also contributing to our mission of building a resilient food system in Canada.
Here’s everything you need to know about this awesome reward option—please contact us if you have any questions!
Where does the tour take place?
Each tour takes place at Hillview Farm in Cayuga, Ontario (Haldimand County). This beautiful family farm is home to VG Meats farmer and eldest VG brother Cory Van Groningen, his wife Heidi and their kids. It is a working farm with cattle, chickens, pigs and more.
What will I see on the tour?
You’ll see the land, the animals and plenty of demonstrations about how we care for both! You’ll learn about holistic management, regenerative food production, what it means to be a steward of the land and water, and how your food choices make a difference in local ecosystems. You’ll also get an inside look at our farming practices while enjoying the gorgeous rural scenery. As the name of the farm suggests, you’ll see views for days. Bring a camera!
How do I know if I have Solar Dollars to redeem?
When you log into your rewards account, and click the "Solar Dollars" button that appears on the website, your points balance will be stated. These points are redeemable for any Solar Dollar rewards offers we have available!
Where do I book my farm tour?
It’s quick and easy—just follow this link! We recommend visiting in the late spring, summer or early fall. Book early if you can!
What else do I need to know?
- You are permitted (and encouraged) to bring one guest along on your farm tour.
- We love kids (our farmer has four of his own!) but this is an educational tour on a working farm, so it’s not ideal for children. Infants in carriers are welcome.
- It gets muddy on the farm. Wear boots and dress for the weather!
There are no public bathrooms on the farm, so please plan accordingly. We recommend heading to Hewitt's Dairy Bar on Highway 6 for an ice cream cone and a bathroom break!
What people are saying about our farm tours:
"Cory’s point about how to be a consumer is to be a destroyer was very poignant and made me think about the differences in the flow of energy in holistic farming and standard farming. The energy flow in holistic farming is a circle, each part caring for the next, whole and intertwined, the shape of the earth. Standard farming practices feel like they’re shaped like a funnel—all these resources, all this energy, driven into one point, and not returning anything to the process, sucking the earth dry and leaving behind a wasteland. When observing the difference in Cory’s farm and the farms around it, the contrast was stark. It drove home the point that here on this side of the fence, is a place where care is given at each stage, energy is flowing to and from the earth, and that makes the whole process harmonious and beneficial to everyone and everything involved in it. I’ve passed many farms since that day and am now struck with how dead everything looks in comparison."
“I had no idea there was such variance between farms regarding soil, grass, bugs etc. I loved learning that literally every choice the farmer makes causes a reaction that can affect the other variables. I loved seeing the pastured chickens and learning about why they are different colours and why they get moved so often.”
“To me, it’s fascinating that every blade of grass and every bug plays an important role in a healthy ecosystem. Not just any grass, or any bug, but specific bugs and grasses to do specific jobs.”