Agritourism Tours

Farmers in California have begun offering tours of their olive groves, citrus groves, and u-pick operations for a variety of reasons. The one I thought was most interesting was to decrease the farm liability. We often hear of the liability of allowing the public onto the property but one business began offering tours to address the liability brought on by trespassing. The article had three major points with specifics about each:

• Liability of people walking through the groves without permission
• Increased sales of products
• Educating people about food production

Day 1: Blogging from NAFDMA

The beauty of the south is something special (sweet tea, grits, pralines, seafood and that southern hospitality) you just can’t go wrong. Waking up this morning to a view of the Savannah River was an incredible sight, as I took part the first day of the NAFDMA Convention in Georgia.

(Photo: Convention participants at the trade show, courtesy of the NAFDMA Blog)

Familiar faces from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa are all around (some 400 + folks from around the nation and Canada are attending this week long convention).

Today was Innovation Day and participants started the day with an early morning breakfast cruise along the scenic Savannah River on the Savannah Riverboat Queen. Not a bad way to start off a morning…

Networking was the word of the day, as I talked with some of our “new” agritourism operators and met others from surrounding states. Most of the morning was spent discussing with producers marketing ideas such as blogging and e-commerce.

Later in the day started the Trade Show and voting for the NAFDMA Agritourism Awards.

For more information about the NAFDMA Convention head over to the NAFDMA Blog (Yes – that’s right. Everyone is blogging these days. All I can say is “bout time.”)

Learn to Keep your Agritourism Business Looking Bright at 2009 Conference

The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) will host the 2009 Missouri Agritourism Conference, themed “The Future Looks Bright”, on Jan 16-17, 2009 at Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Mo. The conference will be a two-day learning experience for those who are looking to enter the agritourism industry, are agritourism operators or are extension agents. The conference is sponsored cooperatively by MDA, AgriMissouri and the Missouri Farmers’ Market Association.

Conference participants will hear on topics including: Identify Your Potential and Business Planning, How to Conduct School Tours, Running a Retail Shop on Your Farm, Romancing the Media, Bragging Rights: Successful Missouri Agritourism Operations, How to Use Social and Online Media to Brand Yourself, Adding Haunted Attractions: The Pros & Cons, Food Safety and much more.

The Missouri Farmers’ Market Association will hold their annual membership meeting in conjunction with the conference on Jan. 17. Farmers’ market masters and market vendors are encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more about growing heirloom tomatoes, gain salesmanship skills, innovative marketing ideas and hear the 2008 successes of markets and vendors across the state. Farmers’ market participants need to register with Missouri Farmers’ Market Association Secretary Eileen Nichols at eileennichols@sbcglobal.net.

For more information about the conference program, contact Sarah Gehring or Lane McConnell at (573) 751-4339 or via email Sarah.Gehring@mda.mo.gov or Lane.McConnell@mda.mo.gov .

Missouri Department of Agriculture Announces New Agritourism Survey

Agritourism, a relatively new sector in Missouri, provides farms an opportunity to add revenue to their current farm operation by providing Missourians an agricultural experience on a working farm. Until now, statistical data has not been taken for agritourism in Missouri regarding the number of farms engaged in this value-added sector. AgriMissouri, a program within the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA), in partnership with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the University of Missouri, are now conducting a survey among agricultural producers to determine how many farms are hosting visitors and the number of visitors that visit their farms each year.

“We encourage everyone engaged in agritourism to take 10 or 15 minutes of their time to complete this short survey. The results of the Missouri Agritourism Survey will help the Department of Agriculture understand the producer benefits associated with agritourism such as increased revenues for farmers and community development,” said Don Steen, director of MDA. “These results will provide valuable information that the department will be able to use to assist new and existing agritourism locations with the guidance they need.”

Anyone who hosts the public on their farm for an agricultural experience is encouraged to complete the Agritourism Survey. Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an AgriMissouri membership or one of two AgriMissouri gift boxes.

“Agritourism is a benefit to farmers and also to the rural communities. Visitors not only visit the farm and purchase local products but they are also stopping in the communities for gas or a meal and adding economic benefits to communities,” said Sarah Gehring, member services coordinator with AgriMissouri. “I strongly encourage all farmers who are engaged in agritourism to complete this survey. This will show us how large the industry is and will help to impact the future of Missouri’s agritourism industry.”

Farmers can complete the survey online at http://www.agritourismsurvey.org/ or request the printed version by contacting (573) 882-4299 or via email agritourism@missouri.edu.

Individual responses to the survey are kept confidential and will not be distributed to any individual, organization or company. For more information about the Missouri Agritourism Survey, contact Sarah Gehring at (573) 522-9213 or Sarah.Gehring@mda.mo.gov.

6th Annual Missouri Chestnut Roast

Celebrating fall harvest season has never been more fun.

Missouri’s agricultural specialty products will be front and center at the sixth annual Missouri Chestnut Roast, Saturday, Oct. 18, at the University of Missouri Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center in New Franklin, Mo.

The roast, sponsored by the MU Center for Agroforestry and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, features fall family fun with chestnuts as the main ingredient. Activities include samples of fire-roasted, Missouri-grown chestnuts, live bluegrass and Caribbean/Spanish guitar music, displays and sales of Missouri specialty agricultural products, farm tours and cooking demonstrations with chestnuts.

The Center for Agroforestry supports the nation’s most comprehensive research program for developing the Chinese chestnut as a nut crop to bring the chestnut back to the nation’s dinner (and dessert) plates. Mike Gold, UMCA associate director, explains that the American chestnut was almost wiped out in the early 20th century due to blight. However, closely related Chinese chestnuts grow well in Missouri soil and are increasingly in demand as gourmet restaurants and food stores discover their versatility.

Activities begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. The Ironweed Bluegrass Band and Eco Gitano, a group specializing in a blend of Caribbean and Spanish guitar, will provide musical entertainment. The New Franklin High School Athletic Booster Club will operate a concessions stand offering grilled elk, buffalo and beef products for sale.

Craig Cyr, executive chef of The Wine Cellar and Bistro in Columbia, and Eric Cartwright, executive chef at MU Campus Dining Services-Plaza 900, will prepare recipes that incorporate chestnuts and local foods during cooking demonstrations. Attendees can watch the creation of and taste these one-of-a-kind chestnut creations.

Vendors will feature a variety of locally grown agricultural specialty products including chestnut, pecan and walnut products; wines and specialty beers; ice cream; mustard; goat cheeses; tomato products; meat products; and elderberry products.

The Missouri Chestnut Roast is a kid-friendly event. Children will have plenty to keep them busy, including a live bat presentation by the U.S. Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, at 12:45 p.m.; Missouri Chestnut Roast Fact Hunt; and a straw bale maze.

The Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center is the site of the 1819 Thomas Hickman house, one of the state’s oldest intact brick houses, which is currently undergoing an historic rehabilitation. Tours will be available throughout the day.

There will be guided bus and walking tours of the research center for those interested in learning more about agroforestry practices.

The event wraps up National Chestnut Week, which runs Oct. 12-18.

Admission to the Missouri Chestnut Roast is free. Most activities will take place under tents for comfort rain or shine. Service animals are permitted at the roast, but pets are not allowed.For directions and a schedule of the day’s events check out the website or contact Julie Rhoads at 573-882-3234 or rhoadsj@missouri.edu.

Agritourism: Make Organics Known

Growth in the organic industry is very possible, and this growth may come from many avenues in the future. There are so many choices--from marketing through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to farmers' markets to a new initiative: agritourism. Agritourism is defined as "the practice of touring agricultural areas to see farms and often to participate in farm activities." Due to the noted difference in organic farming, opportunities for agritourism success for organic producers are endless.

Agritourism Offers a Taste of Farm Living

Ed Martsolf, bespectacled and weathered with a thick peppery beard, works the scenic meadows of this mountain near Morrilton. The views are panoramic and the road seldom traveled.

One recent afternoon, Martsolf was pushing around a wheelbarrow near his barn. His niece was filling jars with honey, unbinding brochures and firing up PowerPoint. It was a quiet afternoon, and then....

A 40-foot tour bus rumbled up, with all the attendant squeaks, squeals and smells. It crunched the white gravel drive in front of Martsolf ’s shop, and dozens of tourists stepped onto his farm.

Read the entire story from Northwest Arkansas News Source here.