Escapes
J U LY 2 0 2 2
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HEARTLANDS TOURS MARRIES
AGRITOURISM WITH
LOCAL MUSIC, STARTING
F A R M V I S I TS
THIS
FALL
W
BEHIND THE SCENES
Encounters in the Heartland JAMES AND TAYLOR MCCANN LAUNCH A NEW AGRITOURISM EXPERIENCE
R
aised on fresh fish and farm stands, cruising in my mom’s station wagon toward citrus groves, bushels of just-picked fruit, and jugs of local honey—I learned early on the value of shaking the hand that feeds you. We would go berry pick-
Story by April Hamilton • Photos by Kim Meadowlark ing and churn those juicy strawberries into the best pink ice cream. Eating local was our norm. The tradition has stayed with me, and my first stop for groceries to this day is the farmer’s market, where I revel in the chance to meet the folks growing my food.
Beyond the growers, the next piece in the foodways puzzle is place: knowing where these farmers sow their crops and touching the soil where food is grown. This fall, local musicians James and Taylor McCann are fostering such connections between local eaters and farms
Heartland Tours aims to bring consumers face to face with the day-to-day operations of the farms that produce our local crops—from pecans and cotton to vegetables and sugarcane, as well as livestock.The tour ends at Cannatella Outdoors Farms (pictured) in Melville, Louisiana— which farms grain, sugarcane, and cattle.
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J U L 2 2 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M
through the launch of their new company, Heartland Tours. This multi-day educational bus tour brings passengers to the grounds of eight diverse Louisiana farms, where they’ll be greeted by farmers and local agriculture experts. Though the full tour is a three-night, three-and-
