| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Jul 31 2008 : 05:37:34 AM
jus' came across a magazine from 2004 .. has a great article on marketing the pleasures of the farm. i LOVE the opening paragraph:
"Chances are you can recall rther vividly your first roller coaster ride, our first airplane ride, or your first kiss. But when you try to figure out exactly why you remember, you probably are at a loss for an explanation.
That's the thing about pleasure; it's hard to deconstruct. But becaue it's peleasurable, you probabyl want to repeat the experience.
Now, what does pleasure have to do with agriculture?
PLENTY! Easting has always been a pleasurable expreirence, but now there's even more pleasure in agriculture, because people are willing to pay for their own fun-on-the-farm experience.
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The article goes on to tell of how some families in Kentucky have done this very thing. A dairy farmer sold half his jersey cows .. and instead of milking 100 of them .. he took a course in ICE CREAM MAKING. Now, he both wholesales milk from his herd . and also manufactures and sells ice cream with ambiance and the experience of watching very preetty cows being milked.
AND . 'how about a safari for small game in the country?
A family turned their lodge into a guest and hunting preserve. They have nearly 500 acres of land for hunting quail, pheasant, chukar (a partridge) and wild turkey. They offer overnight and weekend stays for toursts and home cooked food.
Another family offers hiking and horseback riding .. and 'sporting clay shoots'. (something like shooting skeet .. but you shoot at CLAY birds).
PICK YOUR OWN fruit. Create an orchard and plant gardens where people can come and pick their own bounty right off the vines and tree limbs!. In addition to farm-fresh produce, this family offers a farmers' market and special evening hayride tour of the farm. They even have open fire cookouts for tourists that they refer to as Haravest Moon Celebration .. it features storytellers, music and a flashlight tor of a corn maze.
HONEY farms .. honey is becoming big business .. as are blueberry farms.
This magazine (4 years ago) stated that 'tourism' contribuutes more than NINE BILLION DOLLARS each year to Kentucky's economy. And even though that figure seems pretty impressive, tourism's contribution could be substantiallly higher, especially with the addition of agritourism operations.
What agritourism businesses do YOU have in your area! What could you add to your farm to build up your own farm economy?
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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