Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

Bureau of Markets

List of Agri-tourism Farms

MassGrown Homepage

Option Paper

Agri-tourism

What is Agri-Tourism?

Agricultural tourism is a growing trend in agriculture which merges the world of travel with experiences of farming and our food system. Agri-tourism can be farm based accommodations, meals, activities, farm festivals - events, and retail activities where the traveling public interacts directly with the farm family/farm workers. A great deal of planning is required when a farm decides to practice agri-tourism. Thorough planning helps ensure that a farm will receive the best results from the time and money it invests into an agri-tourism operation.

Benefits of Agri-tourism

Agri-tourism can make a farm more profitable. By selling through its own farm stand, a farm eliminates the need for a middleman and increases its profit margin by receiving retail price for its products. Some farms even set up a restaurant or snack bar on-site and utilize their meat, produce and other farm products on the menu.

Public Relations

Agri-tourism can benefit a farm in other, less direct ways. Agri-tourism helps increase public awareness about farming activities in Massachusetts and consequently, helps build a better consumer understanding of agriculture in the state. Agri-tourism also generates good will for farms: tourists and visitors are more likely to look favorably upon farm issues when they've enjoyed themselves at a farm.

A Farmer's Plan for Undertaking Agri-Tourism Activities

Define goals and objectives of your agri-tourism activities.
Situation analysis: analyze your revenue, your farm resources, target market and profit feasibility.
Determine the strategies that you will use to attract your potential target market. For example events, advertising, other types of promotion.
Determine the organization and management of your personnel to ensure a smooth operation of your business, especially the new components added by agri-tourism.

Accepting Tour Busses & Motor Coaches to Your Farm

Is the farm able to handle large tour buses? Is the driveway firm and wide enough to support a bus or turn it around? Long and narrow drive way may not be suitable for the driver to back up the motor coach. Check if there are tree limbs which may touch the roof of the motor coach to prevent any possible liability suits.

Farm Resources for Agri-Tourism

Farm resources including bathrooms, parking and handicapped facilities are extremely important for an agri-tourism operation. Bathrooms should be able to accommodate more than the expected number of visitors. They should be well maintained with high hygienic standards observed. There should also be a specific parking area to facilitate order and ease congestion around the farm. The parking area should be able to cater to the number of people expected to visit the farm. If a group tours included, considerations for a bus parking, weight limits and possible trees limbs interfering or touching a bus, is a must. Handicapped facilities should be incorporated in the bathrooms, parking and all the tourist sites.

Insurance Coverage

A farm should have adequate liability insurance coverage in case of an accident on the farm. The farm can choose to use its own insurance company or it can opt for an insurance agent that specializes in agri-tourism and farm coverage.

Animal Activities

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Bureau of Animal Health has recommendations for Petting Zoos and Fairs where contact between animals and the public may occur. Some of these activities may require licensing and/or inspection by state or federal personnel. For a complete list of requirements and recommendations contact the Bureau of Animal Health at (617) 626-1795. And USDA Animal Inspection (703) 812-6645. For other legal requirements regarding opening your farm up to the public, you should discuss your plans with a lawyer.

Farm Directions

A farm should be able to offer consumers accurate, written directions to its location. Signs along the highway or other nearby roads are also very helpful. Currently the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources together with the Massachusetts Highway Department have embarked on the Agricultural Signage Program (Ag-Signage) which will allow for the placement of directional signage along state roadways for farms located off of state highways. For more information contact the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Bureau of Markets.

Hours and Operations for Agri-tourism

Agri-tourism operations should be open based on convenience for customers and potential profitability for the farm. Accommodation and flexibility are key factors to consider when determining hours. The more convenient your hours are, the more customers you are likely to draw. Most operations are open all year round while some are open just during specific seasons, (e.g the Christmas tree season). During pick-your-own and other types of high draw seasons, a farm should plan to extend its hours and increase staffing to accommodate more customers.

Seasonal Events, Farm Activities and Tours

Holding seasonal events such as corn, apple, pumpkin and tomato festivals are a great way to attract tourists to your farm. Categorizing farm events by season helps educate consumers about when different types of local crops are available. Many different ideas can be used to make such promotional events a success. One example is to give out samples during a tomato festival to help increase tomato sales.

Most agri-tourism operations offer both seasonal events and year round activities to the public. Tours are probably the most common activity offered by farms. Whether given to tourists or school groups, tours should be conducted by a person who is very familiar with the farm and who enjoys talking to people. A few of the types of activities offered by farms include: hay rides, walking and riding trails, petting zoos, picnicking, hunting, fishing and maple sugaring.

Workshops & Seminars

Workshops are another agri-tourism option for farms. For example, a farm could offer a seminar on how to grow great tomatoes; the history of farming in the area; etc. Any topic that is of interest to consumers and allows the farmer to offers his/her knowledge and expertise, is likely to work well. On the flip side of this issue, farmers should regularly attend business and agri-tourism workshops themselves. By doing so, they will be able to learn about new industry trends, network with others, and make necessary adjustments and improvements to their operation.

Advertising

Advertising is a paid form of promoting your farm with the purpose of informing or inducing interest about the farm's activities. When embarking on an advertising campaign, a farmer needs to consider: their advertising objectives, their budget and which type(s) of advertising media will meet their objectives within their budget.

Advertising objectives can include creating awareness, changing beliefs and reminding the consumers about a farm's activities. In creating awareness, an advertisement can generate interest and increase recognition for a farm. In an ad, make sure to provide adequate information about your farm and its activities. By knowing more about your farm and what it has to offer, current and potential customers are more likely to take advantage of your programs.

Reminding the public about your farm is another important advertising objective. Reminder ads are used when you are targeting consumers who have already visited your farm and you want to remind them to come back. This type of ad can also be used to bring in new customers by reminding folks who have heard of your farm that they should visit.

Changing perceptions about the farming industry is another possible advertising objective. Many people have limited information about the farming industry and may have misconceptions about it. Advertising can help change these misconceptions by getting more folks out to farms to learn about agriculture first hand.

When planning an advertising budget, a farm should determine how much it can afford to spend on advertising and then match its budget to an ad program which bests meets its objectives. It is well worth shopping around to determine the cost of different types of ads (TV, radio, local papers, etc.). Once you have this information, you can decide how to best reach your target audience for the lowest cost.

Joint advertising is also a consideration. Joint advertising is when farms pool together their money and advertise collectively. This method works well because it spreads the cost of advertising among several farms. By doing so, a larger ad or a greater number of ads can be run for considerably lower cost.

Brochures are another form of low cost advertising. Brochures serve as an informational tool which give an overview of the farm's activities. When drafted in a detailed manner, brochures increase awareness and instigate interest. A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section helps answer questions that consumers may have about the farm.

It is important to determine a distribution plan before you develop a brochure. Tourist centers and regional Chambers of Commerce are often happy to distribute brochures for local farms. Make sure you ask first. Many require that you become a member before they will give out your brochures. However, the cost of membership is usually well worth the services they offer (see section on Jointing Organizations, below).

Joining Organizations

Joining organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Commodity Associations, Business Association and Regional Tourist Council can be extremely beneficial to farms that run agri-tourism operations. By joining these organizations, farms have the opportunity to promote themselves at events planned by these organizations at a fraction of the cost of doing it individually. Also, as a member, a farmer receives prior knowledge of these types of events and is able to participate for free or at a reduced rate.

In addition, local business organizations provide helpful seminars to their members. These organizations often offer workshops about better business practices and new promotional options offer farmers a great network of contacts in their community.

REFERENCES:

Rick LeBlanc, Bureau of Markets
Department of Agricultural Resources
251 Causeway St. , Suite 500, Boston, MA 02151
617-626-1759 (Agri-tourism) Richard.LeBlanc@state.ma.us

Esther Wegman,
Bureau of Animal Health
Department of Agricultural Resources
251 Causeway St. , Suite 500, Boston, MA 02151
617-626-1795
Esther.Wegman@state.ma.us

Richard Piazza, President
Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
34 Market St. Everett, MA 02149
617-389-4900 (Chamber of Commerce)

James Ugone
Farm Family Casualty Insurance
10 South Main St. Suite 208, Topsfield, MA 01983
1-800-843-3276 (Insurance)

Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
10 Park Plaza, Suite 4510, Boston, MA 02116
617-973-8500 (Event listings, tour companies)
www.Massvacation.com

Professor Linda Lowry
Flint Laboratory, University of Massachusetts
Cooperative Extension System, Amherst, MA 01003
413-545-4041 (Agri-tourism)

Diane Kuhen, Coastal Tourism Specialist
New York Sea Grant, 101 Rich Hall
SUNY College at Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126
315-341-3042 (Agri-tourism)

N.E. Regional Agriculture Engineering Service
Cornell University, 152 Riley-Robb Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-7654 (Agri-tourism)