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Johnson County launches agritourism loop
By
Katie
Pratt
 PAINTSVILLE,
Ky. (Jan. 9, 2008) –The mountains of eastern Kentucky are better
known for their natural resources than agriculture, but in
Johnson County, small agriculture-related businesses are
abundant and thriving. With the help of the county’s Cooperative
Extension Service, four of these businesses have formed the
area’s first agritourism loop as a means of educating others and
preserving the area’s agricultural heritage.
“Extension is helping people recognize all of the many assets
they have that they aren’t capitalizing on,” said Brenda
Cockerham, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension agent
for family and consumer sciences in Johnson County. “Part of our
job is to create the vision and the game plan on how to do it,
and that’s what we’re doing.”
Cockerham said agritourism is something she’s been thinking
about for a while, but official planning for the loop began in
July. She and Brian Jeffiers, UK Cooperative Extension agent for
agriculture and natural resources in Johnson County, arranged
meetings for those interested in being a part of the agritourism
loop and chose four sites.
“We’re starting with four particular sites that are open for
business and people are welcome. That was the first criteria,”
Cockerham said. “The second thing was the agriculture
connection. So there has to be something grown or something made
or something that has to do with agricultural products.”
 The
businesses, all located off U.S. Highway 23 in the northern part
of the county, offer tourists opportunities to see, shop, learn
and do many agriculture-related activities. Destinations include
two specialty shops that sell homemade and Kentucky made
products, a cattle farm and sorghum producers. Although it’s not
on the loop, meals and accommodations can be arranged through
the Gambill Mansion, a bed and breakfast in nearby Blaine.
“We felt it would be a great tourist draw and a great
opportunity for us, as well as tourists, to be on a location
where people can come through and tour farms, tour us and enjoy
the countryside,” said George Ramey, who owns the Rusty Hinge, a
store that specializes in Kentucky made products and crafts.
“With the coal industry down some, we need some kind of
industry, and tourism would be a great one.”
Sharon Blanton is the owner of Spice Ridge, an antique store and
another stop on the loop. In addition to selling collectibles
and antiques, Blanton grows herbs and makes crafts out of herbs
and spices.
“I like for them (tourists) to see all the hard work that people
put into making just everyday things they had to have years ago
like churning their own butter and making apple cider,” she
said.
Businesses on the loop emphasize their county’s history and
tourists might leave with a deeper understanding of how life
used to be in the area. Cockerham said Blanton is not just a
storeowner, but she is very knowledgeable about the mechanics of
the antiques she sells, which include many tools that were used
to complete everyday tasks in the home as far back as 100 years
ago.
 In
addition to his shop, Ramey collects antique, horse-drawn farm
implements. He plans to build a shed to display the equipment
along with a description of each piece and its use.
Joe and Jennifer Castle are sorghum farmers, and while sorghum
is a seasonal crop, they educate others about the process of
making sorghum throughout the year.
Cattle farmer Gary Davis’s family has farmed in the area since
the 1800s. He paints a picture of what life was like then,
through stories that have been passed down through his family
while demonstrating how to use an antique corn sheller to grind
corn to feed his cattle. He also owns a restored antique Massey
Ferguson tractor, and part of one of his farms follows the Jenny
Wiley Trail.
“I think kids that grow up in cities and towns don’t know where
(food) comes from,” Davis said. “There are still some farmers
left, and kids need to see that.”
The group hopes to capitalize on its close proximity to U.S.
Highway 23, a National Scenic Byway known for producing some of
country music’s biggest stars. The U.S. 23 Country Music Highway
Museum is the starting point of the loop for tourists coming
from the south.
“We have a lot of talent that goes far beyond music, so we’re
going to merge that in with the whole concept,” Cockerham said,
adding that along the loop will be quilt barns that each tell a
story of the county’s country music heritage.
The four locations began a series of field tests in
mid-December, in which they were evaluated by the county’s
extension homemaker groups on how effective their agritourism
experience was and ways to improve the experience. These tests
will continue until the major tourist season begins in the
spring. Cockerham said the group should have all of its
marketing tools ready and plan of execution solidified by
spring.
The loop has room for expansion. Cockerham said about 15
different agriculture-related businesses have been identified as
potential additions to the agritourism loop. Most of the current
businesses on the loop also have plans for expansion of their
current agricultural activities.
Tours are self-guided and begin at either the Black Barn Produce
Store or the U.S. 23 Country Music Museum. For more information
on the loop, contact the Paintsville Tourism office or Cockerham
and Jeffiers at 606-789-8108.
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Contact: Brenda Cockerham, 606-789-8108
Brian Jeffiers, 606-789-8108
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of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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