Agritourism Workshop, August 1-2
Jeff Hake
Agritourism is any activity that brings the public onto a farm, from pumpkin patches to classes to gourmet dinners and weddings. These activities have the potential to be a moneymaker for farm businesses and have a number of corollary benefits, such as opportunities for volunteer labor, public education, and potential for word-of-mouth and other free publicity.
“Agritourism is far more profitable than growing crops alone,” says Michael Adsit, a farm advisor at an orchard in Michigan who attended last year’s Agritourism Intensive. “It’s that simple. You can add value to whatever you grow. As a farmer, you have to maximize your income streams.”
Attendees will learn about all these benefits and critical considerations through a full day of tours followed by a day of presentations at the farm. Tours of Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch in Champaign, KD Ranch in Oakwood, and Sleepy Creek Vineyards in Fairmount will demonstrate how successful agritourism operations are established and grown. Presentations from a variety of experts will illustrate the legal, marketing, and creative concerns that must be addressed in order to be successful and sustainable.
“The most important thing I gained [from the agritourism training] was the people’s real-life experiences,” says Adsit. “Hearing from actual farmers who have done this stuff helped crystallize my thinking.”
Adsit was particularly impressed with what he learned about social media marketing at the workshop, and applied it as soon as he got home. “Since the workshop, we have gone from 300 [Facebook] followers to over 10,000 with a 15-18% increase in traffic and a huge bump in sales.”