Do you have an "agritourism" business dream for your homestead?

hengal · #1 03/14/12, 08:03 AM

Agritourism was the best way I could think to put it. I'm just curious to see if there are others out there who envision (or are) using their homestead as a gathering place/business for others weather it be, a farm stand, petting zoo, pumpkin patch, etc. For instance, I have a friend in Iowa who is on two acres and she and her husband planted an acre of it in cutting flowers. They now operate a successful "cut-your-own" flower business from their home, complete with a general store that carries only handcrafted items from Iowa, eggs from her hens, jams, etc.
What are you working on / is working for you?

Qhorseman · #2 03/14/12, 08:52 AM

I am thinking about a B&B with horseback riding and driving lessons on my farmstead.

wally · #3 03/14/12, 10:46 AM

Maybe its just me but I dont want the city folks on my farm. The less they know about my large garden, Orchard, the animals I raise and the wildlife here the better off I will be.

nostawmama · #4 03/14/12, 10:59 AM

amen, wally. Last thing I would want on my "don't have it yet but working on it" farm is folks from the city. I would be more open to people interested in education in different methods from what they are using, I am not miserly when it comes to advice!

simplegirl · #5 03/14/12, 11:36 AM

I suppose some people might be better at sharing their land with others but I'm not really one of them. Like my privacy too much I guess. I have to deal with people when I am out and about in the work world every day and my home is a haven away from all that.

I would be more inclined to grow/produce on my land and sell off site.

Ramblin Wreck · #6 03/14/12, 11:51 AM

In Italy, it's called agritourismo, kinda' like a b&b on the farm. I've stayed in several, and it beats hotels any day of the week.

SFM in KY · #7 03/14/12, 11:58 AM

Most of the ones I'm familiar with are 'out west'. They are a bit like a dude ranch, but designed and advertised as "a real working ranch vacation' where some of the western ranch 'chores' like moving cattle and branding are scheduled so that the guests get to take part.

It never interested me at all ... I remember too well my cousins pretty much figured our ranch was our 'vacation spot' ... three families, not farm raised, plus their kids. It really did keep both my parents and I pretty much full time to 'entertain' them, which was basically keeping them out of trouble with cattle, horses, creeks, snakes and so on.

At least one came every summer, sometimes more than one. And I'm afraid I really did not enjoy the situation so I was never, ever interested in trying it on any kind of larger scale.

luvrulz · #8 03/14/12, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramblin Wreck

In Italy, it's called agritourismo, kinda' like a b&b on the farm. I've stayed in several, and it beats hotels any day of the week.

My cousin has one in a little town over there. She makes all sorts of jams, jellies, tomato sauces and sells them!

luvrulz · #9 03/14/12, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplegirl

I suppose some people might be better at sharing their land with others but I'm not really one of them. Like my privacy too much I guess. I have to deal with people when I am out and about in the work world every day and my home is a haven away from all that.

I would be more inclined to grow/produce on my land and sell off site.

This is me too! Don't want a bunch of people walking around here....

Tommyice · #10 03/14/12, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramblin Wreck

In Italy, it's called agritourismo, kinda' like a b&b on the farm. I've stayed in several, and it beats hotels any day of the week.

I stayed at one in the Cotswolds in England. A sheep farm actually. It was great. You could use it as a home base for some tourist stuff and also learn about the farm, the animals, and help out with the work.

It does take a certain type of person to own one, or any hospitality type of business, really. If you're the type of person who's not happy about actually having neighbors, then stay away from this type of business. You will meet all kinds of people. Some want to learn and experience the life without having to actually commit to owning a farm and animals to people who have no idea what they want. And yes, some of those people do come from a "city."

Aohtee · #11 03/14/12, 12:21 PM

Check out www.localharvest.org in their events section. I'm continually amazed at the things I can learn in my area. Everything from beer making to how to process a chicken. Use zip codes to check out other areas of the country.

Alice In TX/MO · #12 03/14/12, 12:22 PM

I wouldn't mind selling goat milk and cheese, but I don't want to go through the government hassles of getting certified. So, I just share!

Tracy Rimmer · #13 03/14/12, 12:24 PM

The fewer people I have on my property that I don't know, the better. I once cherished a dream of a homesteading school -- classes in self-sufficiency for those who wanted to learn. Then, I realized, people don't want to learn, they want you to do it for them so that they can SAY they're doing it, greenwash their lives, and continue to live as they always have.

Besides which, liability insurance will gut you, financially.

I also realized I don't like most people enough to open my property to them. I'd happily play host to anyone I already knew was interested -- REALLY interested -- but anything beyond that, no, thank you.

moonwolf · #14 03/14/12, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wally

Maybe its just me but I dont want the city folks on my farm. The less they know about my large garden, Orchard, the animals I raise and the wildlife here the better off I will be.

I'm kind of thinking also that this fits my sensibilities, though bringing in others to your own idea of showing off your homestead might make you a buck or two. You'll know if it's really worth it after running your outfit as a business, which it truly becomes, and more of a lifestyle than one might envision.

solidwoods · #15 03/14/12, 01:13 PM

I don't think the profit is in a business model where the public are all over your ag area.
I'd put in utilities,parking lot, a bldg, Insurance. Make what ever you make to sell and display it, rent out space to sellers with non competing products.

Maybe expand to food sales in the future, wood fired pizza oven, salad, grilled vegs, cooked foods that you grow plus some comercial foods.

Setting up the same with a you pick you pet means all the price savings for the public is they pick the item and they will damage other plants. Plus insurance liabilities.
jim

Glacialtill · #16 03/14/12, 01:20 PM

I understand that folks don't want other people on their property but if you're looking to make some extra money and like the company I'm sure there are ideas to pursue.

Case in point: I live in Western Mass in the Connecticut River valley. There's an interesting operation about 10 miles north of here. A farmer who was trying to figure out a way to increase profits, collaborated with his neighbor who's an artist and designer and they started up with a corn maze about ten years ago. Now the maze is a whole business of it's own pulling in who knows how much money. It's close to the highway and across the river from a small mountain where you can see the maze from an aerial view, but just shows what some ingenuity can do.

Here's a link: http://mikesmaze.com/

Tom in TN · #17 03/14/12, 03:19 PM

I have an unusual ownership arrangement on my farm that involves three entities, all of whom are related to one another. One of the entities is a very elderly lady who doesn't want strangers on the farm.

When/if that situation changes, I hope to open my hilly, wooded farm up to horse and dirt bike motorcycle riding on some trails that I already have through the woods.

I like horses and motorcycles so I'm not worried about the noise and confusion. I realize the liability associated with this business, but I believe that I can mitigate that through insurance and business structure.

I currently have a cow/calf operation on the farm and it certainly doesn't provide an acceptable return on investment or return on labor. When/if the time comes for an expansion into agritourism, I plan to take advantage of it.

Tom in TN

wy_white_wolf · #18 03/14/12, 04:08 PM

Nope - I don't have the temperment to deal with most -------s.

Seymour · #19 03/14/12, 05:27 PM

i am of the impression that if they don't see, they don't know. how can we convince city folks to convert to a more healthy and natural way of living if they don't ever see us living that way? i take every opportunity to show off my farm to anyone that will come! while showing them i explain why grocery store food is unhealthy and over proccessed. we have to show them that all farms are not what they see in graphic Peta videos on youtube. most of my customers for my freezer orders come through touring the farm, i don't charge for tours and they're pretty informal with no planning of activities and such, just a walk around with some education and petting the animals, i look at it as free advertising and doing my part to expand this revolutionary far out idea of actually knowing what your eating!! how crazy is that!

haypoint · #20 03/14/12, 06:25 PM

I have far off plans for a sort of B&B, but more geared to training sessions than " city folk watching me work". I can come up with a whole list of training topics, hoop house gardening, grafting, cooking on a wood cook stove, wood lot management, harnessing a work horse, farming with horses, milking a cow, Artificial Insemination of cows, mares and sows, egg incubation, setting up your own CSA, wind power, solar power etc.