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AgTourism – Ways to Increase Farm Income

by Sandra Bennett
Farm· Homestead· Money

23 Mar

Long time readers know this blog was started in May 2005 but before then Thistle Cove Farm was being used as an AgriTourism venue. There are two types of tourism: capture and destination. Capture is when there are other tourism activities in the area and you tag along with them. Destination is something like Dollywood, Kings Dominion, etc. I branded Thistle Cove Farm as a destination and brought thousands of people to the farm and area to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Jammy, aka Sudhakar R. Jamkhandi, a professor at Bluefield State College heard about the farm and contacted me to ask if his college visitors could visit. Jammy brought visitors from Russia, Armenia, the “Stan” countries and many other countries to see how I used AgriTourism. Those visitors would take some of those events, suggestions, etc. to utilize in their countries. In 2003, Jammy asked if I would be interested in going to Russia to teach what I knew. I couldn’t say YES fast enough!

Jammy also suggested to Concord University, Athens, WV, I would be a good candidate to teach AgriTourism. So I developed a syllabus and taught evening classes for several semesters. I’ll take that same syllabus, with additions, and begin to post on my blog; I’ll begin with my list of ways to increase farm income. There are many ways to increase farm income with new ways being developed every day. Feel free to add to this list, print it off, share it and enjoy the success of your hard labor. If you have questions, I’ll try to answer. This photo is of Bud T., my former farrier who did blacksmithy work, it’s one of my favorite photos.

Adoption – pumpkins, sheep, foals

Adventure travelers

Ag ed programs/workshops – grafting/pruning fruit trees, animal care, processing food  animals 

Animal feeding/petting

Antique booths

Apple butter cooking 

Archery range

Arrowhead hunting/rock collecting

Artist retreat, classes

BBQ’s

Barn dance/square dance

B&B, farm stay, cottage, Air BnB

Bird watching, wildlife viewing

Birthday parties

Boating, canoeing

Building – barn raising, tee pee building

Cafe, coffee shop, restaurant

Camping, picnicking, traveling nurse RV camp

Cattle drive

Children’s camp – day and/or overnight

Chuckwagon cooking

Cider pressing

Contents

Corn/field mazes

Craft classes/workshops – sewing, spinning, weaving, dried flower arrangeing

Cross country skiing

Cultural and historic visits

Cut your own Christmas tree

Demo heritage crafts, cheese/wine/apple butter making, etc.

Easter egg hunts

Eco-travelers

Education tours/field trips for school children, groups, seniors, church, etc.

Elder hostel

Enchanted forest with fairy lights, etc. 

Family reunions

Farm products – fleece, yarn, soap, candles, value added products

Farm/ranch work experience – round-up’s, haying, fencing, lambing, calving, etc.

Farmers’ markets/stands

Festivals – seasonal – harvest, ice cream, 4th of July, sheep shearing

Fish and release or keep

Floral arrangement classes, use dried natural flowers found on farm

Flower shows/festivals

Fly fishing and tying clinics

Food classes – cooking, baking, dehydration, canning, sweets, jams, preserves, desserts

Food festivals

Gardens: flowers, greenery, herbs, dried flowers, trees, shrubs

Gourmet vegetables, fruits 

Guided crop tours

Guiding and outfitting

Habitat improvement projects

Hang gliding

Harvest festivals and tours

Hay rides/sleigh rides

Haunted houses,

Heritage tourism and travel

Historical museums, displays (ag history, machinery, etc.)

Holiday celebrations

Horseback riding, trails, endurance

Horse power farming

Hot air balloon rides

Hunting, skeet shooting, target practice

Hunting dog training, competition

Live nativity

Music festivals

Nature education – wildlife/tree/plant identification

Off road motorcycling, ATV, biking

Orchard tours – grafting, planting, pruning

Pack trips 

Pet Cemetery

Petting Zoo

Photography, painting

Pick your own – fruit, sell recipe books, spice mixes

Pie baking contest 

Pod camping

Pony rides

Pumpkin carving contests

Races – pig, goat, sheep

Ranch skills – farrier, leatherwork, camp cooking, etc.

Retreats – corporate, group, special events

Roadside stands, markets

Rock climbing, rappelling

Rodeo

Scavenger hunts

Scarecrow festival

School children tours, provide SOL’s for teachers

Self guided driving tours

Sheep drives

Snowmobiling

Special events

Sponsor a tree, animal, plant

Stargazing

Studio for classes, workshops, programs

Swimming

Theatre groups

Therapy animals

Tours of farm, ranch

Tree planting in memory of or to honor, for special occasions/celebrations

Trap/skeet shooting

Tubing, rafting

U-pick operations

Vendors at state, county fairs

Wagon trains

Walking trails

Watermelon seed spitting contest

Weddings, receptions, honeymoons, anniversaries, other religious services

Whitewater rafting

Wilderness experience

Wineries 

Wreath making

Working farm holiday/vacation

 

 

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4 Comments

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Comments

  1. Lisa L Lombardo says

    April 8, 2022 at 9:34 am

    Great ideas, Sandra! Thanks for sharing… and for stopping by my blog to say hi!

    Reply
    • Sandra Bennett says

      April 11, 2022 at 8:43 am

      You’re welcome, Lisa. Thanks for returning the kindness.

      Reply
  2. Christine carroll says

    March 24, 2022 at 10:52 am

    Dear Sandra, so many ways to augment farm income! Having been a farm girl, I do not miss the never-ending chores. Lamplight extended the hours so the work carried on all hours-birth and death have their own schedules and they usually are inconvenient. But I am grateful for my raising and the strawberry patch income, the cracked egg customers, and the priceless joy of working with and within the extended family farm. I miss my grandparents, parents, and multiple aunts and uncles, and cousins and the fun we had pulling together. Work shared by many hands is a blessing.

    I hope you are well and enjoying the emerging Spring. Blessings to you and yours.

    Reply
    • Sandra Bennett says

      June 5, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      and now, months later, I’m beginning to adjust to DST.

      Reply

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