Arts, Dining & Entertainment

NOFA-VT’s Farmer Olympics returns for second year, at Broad Acres Farm,Vershire

Courtesy of NOFA-VT

Pitchfork javelin is one of the contests at the Farmer Olympics to be held in Vershire.

Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 4 p.m.—VERSHIRE—Farmers and spectators are invited for boisterous mid-season competition in the fields at Broad Acres Farm in Vershire, when teams from all over Vermont come together Tuesday, Aug. 9, from 4 to 8 p.m. to compete in a wide range of events designed to challenge farmers’ field skills. The second annual Farmer Olympics, hosted by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-Vermont), offers a chance to take a mid-season break and enjoy some healthy competition with fellow farmers.

“Last year’s Farmer Olympics was a raucous success,” said event organizer Mimi Arnstein, who is also a NOFA-Vermont board member. “We were thrilled by the turnout—nearly 100 farmers from 12 different farms—and everyone had a great time competing against one another, as well as laughing a lot.”

Competitors will show off their finely-honed skills in contests ranging from physical to cerebral to plain ridiculous, competing in events like electric fence limbo, hay bale toss, and a shoveling relay.

The second annual NOFA-Vermont Farmer Olympics will take place at Broad Acres Farm, located at 537 Brown Road in Vershire. Teams are asked to arrive at 4:00 pm to check in and warm up. The competition events are from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by awards, celebrations, and wood-fired, pizza made fresh in the NOFA-Vermont mobile oven.

Teams are asked to register online at nofavt.org/events/farmer-olympics. The registration rules dictate that teams must have 4-5 people to enter, and each team member must be a part of the farm crew or staff of an agricultural organization or business. Multiple farms may partner to create a joint team.

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