Keep it simple when adding an agritourism aspect to your farm

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.