Once the lifeblood of Placer County, now an important artery connecting the area’s soul to its agricultural heart, farms are the focus of a popular, self-guided tour on Sunday.

In its fifth year, the Placer Farm & Barn Tour makes stops at 10 agricultural enterprises, providing an extended glimpse into life and work on the farm.

Nancyjo Riekse, Farm & Barn committee member, said that 1,200 people visited venues last year and organizers are expecting a similar turnout on what promises to be a sunny, warm early-fall day.

Sunday’s tour will also mark the last time the 10-venue, autumn Farm & Barn event will take place.

It’s being succeeded by more seasonal tours throughout the year, starting with a December event that will direct participants to local Christmas tree farms, mandarin growers and winemakers.

For the final tour, the Farm & Barn committee has organized a day that will take people to several rural communities to see the wealth of agricultural products and production Placer County retains in the face of recent urban growth.

One of the stops will be at the Horton family farm in Loomis, where irises bloom in the spring and the orange of pumpkins fills the fields in the fall.

“This gives people a chance to see a country family,” Doug Horton said. “There aren’t many left in Placer County.”

Sunday will be the third time the Horton Farm has played host to the Farm & Barn Tour.

The last time, two years ago, they counted 370 visitors.

Pumpkins, which are sold weekends from the King Road farm, are the major attraction at this time of year, but some iris plants will be sold, a painter will be present, a wagon will provide hay rides and there will be plenty of opportunities to photograph the vintage fruit shed, fields and old farm equipment.

The Horton farm will be one of several locations with food for sale. Colfax restaurant Drooling Dog Bar BQ will be cooking at the farm. Other locations will offer homemade pies, barbecued lamb, barbecued beef and other foods.

Riekse said one option is to pack your own picnic lunch and bring chairs to take in a sweeping view offered at different locations.

“There are some spectacular spots,” Riekse said, noting that one location has a lake to perch a chair near the edge for some pastoral pleasure.

The tour is a cooperative effort of several groups. Riekse is director of Placer County’s agricultural marketing program.

The AGROart competition. one of the events that had been part of the tour since its start four years ago, is not taking place this year. Riekse said that while the AGROart contest won’t take place there will be an artistic presence, with several artists showing off their skills in the open air at various locations.

Other stops on the tour are Coffee Pot Ranch (4225 Karchner Road) and Ranch Roble Vineyard and Winery (340 Fleming Road) in the Sheridan-Lincoln area, Twin Peaks Orchards (6105 Highway 193), Matsuda Landscape and Bonsai Nursery (4888 Virginiatown Road), the Natural Trading Company organic farm (5841 Fruitvale Road) and Lake’s Nursery (8435 Crater Hill Road) in Newcastle, High Hand historic fruit shed (3750 Taylor Road) in Loomis, and the Vina Castellano Vineyard and Winery (4590 Bell Road) and Thompson Ranch (9990 Mt. Vernon Road) in rural Auburn.

The Horton Farm and Iris Garden address is 7440 King Road.

The Journal’s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.

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Placer Farm & Barn Tour

What: Self-guided open house tour at 10 working farms in Placer County.

Where: 10 farm locations from Auburn to Sheridan. Maps come with tickets.

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $10 for adults, free for children and students

Information: (530) 887-2111 or www.placer

farmandbarntour.com