Farm Stay / Agri Vacation

Last year there was a tv show on PBS here, called "American Heartland". In almost every episode there was a farm either out west or in New England that earned additional money with farm stays, from full immersion to just lounging! The show used the term AgTourism a lot.

While Agri-Tourism has been around for a while. I think with the yuppie types coming from the suburbs that have read a lot of little house on the prairie books you would find some customers. I would not pa to stay on someones farm in the situation you describe as it really sounds more like a bed and breakfast to me. I did pay to go to a week long Aquaponics class, but that was class time and actual hands on working in greenhouse etc. There was a curriculum, not just a "participate if you want to" kind of deal? So my way of thinking it was like paying for a school.

Now, if say during breeding season you offered a class on how to AI goats for instance and you had a scheduled curriculum, I could see that as a possibility. Or a similar topic oriented class.

I will give an example: We are in the beginning stages of a CSA. I have looked at some other CSA's online and thought to myself "I would not mind to visit them for a day or two and see how they do things". Now, would I pay $100 or more per night to simply visit them and kinda see what they do on a normal day? No. However, if they had a class on a topic such as "growing GH tomatoes" just as an example with a fee, I may consider it. However, I would also have an expectation that I would leave with a certain amount of information.

What I understand you are talking about I would classify as a bed and breakfast where you are allowed to wonder around the farm at will, with no expectations of a real learning experience and no promise from the farmer to provide any specific information.

I see nothing wrong with that, just not something that would interest me.

From a teaching standpoint (as the farmer) I would not like it. There is not much I can teach you in 1 day or even 2 days that would be a complete lesson. In that amount of time all I could teach you is enough information to get you in trouble. Without a complete lesson and only partial information you will go home, try out your new skill and when you fail you will not think "I must have missed something" you will think, "their way does not work, they must not know what they are doing".

Take it for what it is worth as it is just my opinion. Something like your describing would be good for city type people who want to talk about such an experience to their other city friends, but not actually have the responsibility that comes with being expected to actually do a job. "Man, I hand milked a cow and it was so hard" will be the embellished story, along with more. When in fact all they did was make one attempt when they were allowed to touch the udder, then went back to the cabin and had a cup of coffee, while sitting on the porch.

I am sorry I just do not suffer fools very well, so I would be no good at this. Even my kids will tell you, if they want to do something or be involved in something, fine, but I will expect them to pull their own weight, not just be an idle observer with no expectation of participation. Guess what, you want to go home and claim you milked a cow. I am going to show you how once, give you a bucket and tell you to have at it and put the milk in the cooler when you are done and let the cow out. If I have to stay and babysit, I may as well just do it myself.