Dairies, cornfields and orchards surround Hagerstown, Md., which sits in a valley of the Appalachian Mountains. It is named after gunsmith, fur trader and farmer Jonathan Hager, a German immigrant who built the first house in the area in 1739 (it’s now a museum).

During the Civil War, Hagerstown was a major staging area and supply center for both Union and Confederate troops because of its strategic location 8 miles south of the Mason-Dixon Line, the symbolic divider between North and South. Its nickname, “Hub City,” comes from the many railroad companies that once served it.

Stephanie Mock, who grew up in the historic rural town, remembers riding to her elementary school in a bus, which, to the delight of the children on board, would sometimes be stopped by cows meandering across the road.

“During the fall we kids would buy freshly made cider and apples straight from the orchards at roadside stands,” she said. “We wandered through fields looking for the perfect pumpkins for Halloween. We played hide-and-seek in the cornfields in late summer, right before harvest time, when the stalks were 7 feet tall. It seemed we had the farmland all to ourselves — except, of course, for the cows.”

Today, Mock remains closely connected to her roots as the conservation planner for the Oahu Resource Conservation & Development Council (oahurcd.org), whose mission is to promote sustainable communities through education and wise land stewardship. The independent nonprofit organization helps farmers, ranchers and nursery owners adopt management practices that conserve soil, water, air, plant and animal resources.

Oahu RC&D launched the Parade of Farms last year to cultivate a strong relationship between food producers and consumers. “The closest most people usually get to farming is shopping at a farmers market,” Mock said. “Rarely do they get the chance to visit farms and meet the people growing the food or manufacturing the specialty products that they eat. Although a few farms in Hawaii offer tours, most do not because the work itself is so demanding and time-consuming. Thus, farmers do not always have the opportunity to get to know their customers personally. The thought behind Parade of Farms was, If we can’t bring the farmers to the public, why not bring the public to the farmers?”

The inaugural event focused on farms in Kunia. This year four tours will spotlight eight farms in Waialua. Hawaii’s temperate climate provides a year-round growing season for a wide variety of crops, and participants will get a revealing, behind-the-scenes look at the business of farming. They’ll be able to chat with farmers and dive into farm experiences such as opening a cacao pod, petting a baby goat and tasting cilantro in the field.

An open house will feature exhibits, hands-on activities and demonstrations sponsored by at least 20 organizations, including the Hawaii Farm Bureau (hfbf.org), Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (harc-hspa.com), state Department of Agriculture (hdoa.hawaii.gov), Oahu Invasive Species Committee (oahuisc.org) and the University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (ctahr.hawaii.edu/site).

Attendees may also browse a farmers market, where vendors will selling fresh produce, venison, barbecue chicken cooked on-site and live plants, including koa seedlings.

“Educational events such as the Parade of Farms give people a realistic look at a crucial piece of our island economy: agriculture,” Mock said. “It allows them to see firsthand how food goes from farms to their tables and underscores the importance of buying local. More than 90 percent of the food we consume in Hawaii comes from elsewhere. Getting to know our local farmers and understanding how they grow and create quality products supports not only their businesses, but our economy at large by reducing our dependency on imported goods and enabling Hawaii agriculture to thrive for generations to come.”

Tours

Participants should wear sunscreen, a hat or visor, clothing they don’t mind getting dirty, and comfortable, closed-toe shoes. They should also bring bottled water.

Tickets must be purchased in advance through the “tickets” link at parade-of-farms.org. Reservations must be made even for children who aren’t being charged because they will occupy seats on the buses.

Walk-ins will be accommodated on a space-available, first-come, first-served basis. Tours are not handicapped accessible, and children ages 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Tour 1: Agri+CULTURE

9 a.m.-noon

Stops will be Malama Loko Ea Fishpond; Na Mea Kupono, which grows taro; and Mohala Farms, whose main crops include lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, oregano, basil, papaya, banana and avocado. $15 for those 16 and older, $8 for ages 5 to 15, free for kids under 5.

Tour 2: Field Exploration

9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Discover how Monsanto Hawaii uses equipment, technology, cover crops and more to ensure healthy crops. $15 for those 16 and older, free for everyone else.

Tour 3: North Shore Specials

1-3:45 p.m.

Farmers use retail outlets, value-added processing and other initiatives: Sweet Land Farm is a goat dairy that produces goat cheese on-site; Twin Bridge Farms sells produce directly to consumers at a farm stand; and Counter Culture makes tofu and kim chee to sell to markets. $15 for those 16 and older, $8 for ages 5 to 15, free for kids under 5.

Tour 4: Bean to Bar

12:30-3 p.m.

Guests tour Waialua Estate’s 20-acre cacao orchard, learn how chocolate is made, see how coffee is processed and enjoy free tastings of coffee and chocolate. $15 for those 16 and older, $8 for ages 5 to 15, not recommended for kids under 5.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.