By now you have probably heard the word, “agritourism”. Without a doubt it is one of the fastest
growing aspects of agriculture in the U.S.
In fact, in the past ten years USDA statistics show that income for
farms offering some type of agritourism venue has doubled from just $2,000 annually
to over $4,000.
But before you go out and put in a corn maze or add on a commercial
kitchen so you can offer farm-to-table dinners, remember that when growing any
business you should keep it simple and start small. Because the mere definition
of “agritourism” is any activity that
brings tourists to your farm think
about what you can add to what you’re already doing that will increase the
public’s experience when they’re buying that bushel of apples or u-picking
strawberries.
One of the easiest and very economical things to do is to
simply add some seating - like a picnic table or benches where your customers can
sit and eat some of the fresh fruit they’ve purchased. You can also prolong their visit by selling
some non-perishable snacks (that don’t require a license or inspection to sell)
like bottled water and snack size potato chips, etc.).
Offering tours of your farm, fields, and orchards is another
inexpensive thing to do. While you may
think walking through your squash patch or tomato field is boring, someone who
lives in the city will find it fascinating.
For someone who doesn’t know anything about farming learning about the
plant life cycle of the produce they are buying , as well as its care
(weed/pest control, fertilization, irrigation), can be a very eye-opening
experience. Even seeing the equipment
used for planting your crops will be thrilling for someone who’s never seen a
planter or been up close to a tractor.
Another inexpensive activity is to hold an open house –
during which you can offer free samples of produce, hold drawings for
giveaways, and give tours, etc. Cooking
or canning demonstrations are also good draws during an open house. If you don’t want to do the demonstration
yourself see if a local home economist or chef would come to your farm and
speak.