UNION COUNTY — GPS units will be no match for this new map.

The Union County Farm Loop map soon will be available online and in print throughout the county.

The loop map provides a self-guided scenic drive through a series of farms, ranches, backyard farm stands, pastures, orchards and agriculture-related businesses, said the map’s creator, Janet Dodson of North Powder, who is involved in agritourism projects throughout Northeast Oregon.

The map outlines a route starting in La Grande at Avella Orchard on Fir Street and then running to Summerville, Cove, Union, the Hot Lake area and ending back La Grande at Community Merchants on Adams Avenue, whose features include locally raised meat.

The map, which is being finalized, will have about 18 stops.

The map is a revised edition of the Cove-Union Farm Loop map, one created by Dodson and put out 2016. That map featured stops along a 40-mile loop that began in Island City and ran southeast to Union and then north to Cove and Lower Cove Road and finally west to Island City.

All of the stops on the Union County Farm Loop are at sites where visitors are welcome during operating hours or, in many cases, by appointment.

The map is part of an effort to develop agritourism in Union County.

“Agritourism is a way for farms and ranches to diversify their revenue by adding things like on-farm lodging, RV camping and event venues, in addition to product sales,” Dodson said.

Agritourism is growing across the United States, and Dodson believes it is because of a deep-rooted curiosity that is greater today than it was decades ago when countless families were involved in farming or many people had close relatives who were involved in farming or ranching. Today people feel more distant from agriculture and want to get closer to it again.

“Fewer people grow up on farms today. They have an urge to see where their food comes from,” Dodson said.

Visiting farms also gives people a chance to make an organic connection in today’s high-tech world.

“They are getting in touch with nature,” Dodson said.

Dodson said interest in agriculture among the general public also may be up because of the coronavirus pandemic. She explained that people are expressing a greater interest in eating food produced locally because it is handled by fewer people, possibly reducing the chance that it was exposed to the coronavirus.

“There is a strong interest in knowing where their food has been,” Dodson said.

Stops on the Union County Farm Loop include Almosta Farm at Cove, which has been operating about three years.

The farm, owned by Jan Marrs and Lori Shields, offers tours and overnight accommodations. Visitors also have a chance to experience what it is like to work on a farm.

Those coming to Almosta Farm have the opportunity to feed chickens, clean animal stalls, weed a large garden, milk a goat and more. Visitors also can mingle with and pet the farm’s eight Nigerian dwarf goats.

“They love people and always want attention,” Marrs said of the goats.

One objective of the owners of Almosta Farm is to help people develop a connection to their food. Marrs said studies indicate the more connected people are to the food they eat the healthier they are. Marrs and Shields once had a foster child on their farm who liked only junk food when she arrived.

“French fries were her vegetable of choice,” Marrs said.

However, after growing her own produce, Marrs said the girl developed a love of fresh vegetables.

Farms that were on the Cove-Union Farm Loop map and will be on the Union County Farm Loop map include Folly Farm in Cove, which is owned by Cindy and Ralph Edwards. Cindy Edwards credited the loop map project with making people aware of the many small farms in Union County.

She also noted an objective of Folly Farm is to educate people on how easy it is to grow their own food. Edwards said being part of the loop is helping her farm achieve this goal.

A grant from the Union County Chamber of Commerce funds the Union County Farm Loop map project.

“(The chamber has) been very supportive and enthusiastic about agritourism activities,” Dodson said.

Copies of the new map will be available soon online at www.visitunioncounty.org and hard copies also will be available at the Union County Chamber of Commerce, 207 Depot St., La Grande, at stops on the Union County Farm Loop and at the La Grande Farmers Market at Fourth Street and Adams Avenue each Tuesday and Saturday during the summer.