| Agritourism
Conferences Set For June 17-18 | |
 Two examples of agritourism are Long C Trails in Allen County and Lovell Gardens in Muhlenberg County.
“Agritourism is not a traditional agriculture entity as we’ve thought about agriculture, but I think it is a part of the mix in the new diversification we are talking about in Kentucky.” Chris Clark, Hart County agriculture and natural resources agent
| By Laura Skillman
SCOTTSVILLE,
Ky. (May 21, 2003) – Jack Hanes was 50 years old when he took his first
horse ride. Some three years later, he started Long C Trails. Hanes,
a retired Tennessee school principal, returned to the Allen County farm
that has been in his family for about 200 years and needed a way to make
it pay. So he explored options, and after discussions with friends found
the riding trail business was the direction to go. Trail rides, produce stands, hunting
lodges, bed and breakfasts and corn mazes are all part of the growing
agritourism industry in Kentucky. “Agritourism is not a traditional
agriculture entity as we’ve thought about agriculture, but I think it is
a part of the mix in the new diversification we are talking about in
Kentucky,” said Chris Clark, Hart County agriculture and natural
resources agent for the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Service. “It can provide a lot of niches and a lot of opportunity and is
something we need to be looking at in a serious way.” Agritourism
fits well into the overall role of Cooperative Extension, Clark said. “I
think it fits our traditional role of providing information, generating
ideas and trying to get people to explore new opportunities,” he said.
“Then, of course, helping with questions that come from those. “ With
borrowed money and an agricultural diversification grant, two barns on the
Hanes farm have been converted into stalls for horses and mules. A
bathhouse and recreational vehicle parking area also have been added,
along with trails that meander across Hanes’ farm and those of several
neighbors totaling more than 2,000 acres. There’s even a cowboy church
above the stalls for Sunday services. Hanes will be sharing his knowledge
and learning more about agritourism June 17 at the Mammoth Cave area
Opportunities in Agritourism conference at the Cave City Convention
Center. “We
were already started in this before I ever heard the term agritourism, but
that is exactly what we are doing,” he said. “In about 1998 was when I
started realizing we needed to do something in order to maintain the
family farm. It’s been in the farm over 200 years and it’s a hillside
farm. All my ancestors have worked the farm and something else. We think
we’ve found a way for people to come and share some of their dollars
with us, and at the same time leave here in better shape than they were
when they came to visit.” To
aid those already in the industry or those interested in the industry, two
agritourism conferences are planned. The June 17 event begins at 9 a.m.
and is sponsored by the Mammoth Cave area agents of the University of
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, which includes 10 counties, Farm
to Table Connection and West Kentucky Corporation. A $10 registration fee
payable to the Farm to Table Connection is due June 5 and should be mailed
to Jeff
Watt at the Simpson County Extension Office, P.O. Box 446, Franklin, KY
42135. On
the following day, Extension agents from the 17 counties in the Pennyrile
and Purchase areas of western Kentucky will host a similar program at the
Christian County Extension office in Hopkinsville. The program begins at 9
a.m. and there is a registration fee of $10 payable to the Purchase Area
Leadership Fund and should be mailed to the attention of Marsha Parker at
the Christian County Cooperative Extension Service, 2850 Pembroke Road,
Hopkinsville, KY 42240. The deadline to register is June 4. Participants
will learn about opportunities in agritourism from those already in the
business. Information on legal issues, creating a business plan and
evaluating resources also will be addressed during both conferences. Agritourism
can really be of two venues – entertainment or recreational, said Janet
Johnson, Allen County Extension agent for family and consumer sciences. “Either
way, it is a way to use the farm, the land and the attributes of the rural
atmosphere to attract the outside visitor to provide income for the
farm,” she said. Anyone
considering an agritourism business should look at the particular
attributes of their farm, look at the landscapes and natural beauty of the
farm to see how that could be used to attract outside visitors, she said. “It’s
one way of adding value to locally grown products,” said Darrell
Simpson, Muhlenberg County Extension agent for agriculture and chair of
the west Kentucky conference. “It also allows people to have a place to
go and still experience agriculture.” Simpson
said agritourism is important to local economies and to farmers as they
look to diversify their operations so they can continue to farm. Another
example of a successful agritourism enterprise is Lovell Gardens. What
began as commercial tomato production for Don and Donna Lovell of
Muhlenberg County has diversified into a variety of fresh produce along
with a retail store selling their fresh produce jams and jellies and other
products and a restaurant. The Lovells have visitors at the store,
restaurant and farm where they often host school groups and hold hayrides
in the fall. Donna
Lovell said a lot of people want to go visit the fields where they produce
the fresh vegetables using a drip irrigation system. Many older visitors
like to reminisce about their own farming experiences and the younger
generation is somewhat interested and amazed or think it is too much work. “It
is something we love to do,” she said. “It is very gratifying.” The
Lovells plan to attend the upcoming agritourism conference in Hopkinsville
and she encourages anyone thinking of getting into an agritourism business
to go. “They
need to go to everything they can go to,” she said. “The more you go
the more you learn. You don’t copy what others are doing but it helps
you make up your mind or find a better way of doing something. We learn
something every time we go somewhere.” For
more information on the agritourism conferences contact a local county
Extension office. (30) Writer: Laura Skillman (270) 365-7541 ext. 278 Sources: Darrell Simpson, 270-338-3124, Janet Johnson, 270-237-3146, Chris Clark, 270-524-2451 Return to Main News page. |
