Owners of small farms and ranches may be wondering what it would take to add an agritourism component to their business, and whether it would be a wise move. Before implementing anything, it’s important to have one’s ducks, cows, pigs and goats in a row.
It’s easy to make mistakes when adding tourism to an agricultural business, and early missteps can lead to major complications in the future. This is why it’s vitally important to do research before remodeling, erecting new structures or spending any money at all.
According to Peggy Leff, agritourism coordinator at the University of California Small Farm Program, a farmer’s neighbors should be the first stop during the agritourism research phase.
Leff, who has decades of experience working in the agritourism business, says: “Talk to your neighbors first and make sure that everyone understands what you intend to do and how it may impact them. Work out any difference you may have with your neighbors before you apply for permits or begin talking to the county.”
After meeting with their neighbors, farmers need to schedule a meeting with the county. Leff, and others, tell stories of farmers who spent thousands of dollars in tourism-related remodel projects only to discover that their property zoning didn’t allow for these activities on their land.
Once an agritourism plan is cleared with the county, farmers should start small and find a mentor.
“I’d recommend starting small to see if you like it,” says Gina Marcell, owner of the Mountain Goat Lodge in Salida. “Join some organizations and talk to people about what you’re doing. There are forums, Facebook pages and associations you can join like the Colorado Agritourism Association. You can get a lot of help from people who are already involved in agritourism.”
Whether an agricultural business owner has started down the agritourism road or is just considered it, the Colorado Agritourism Association is a good resource. Its website provides informative articles, such as “Top 10 Ways to Limit Your Liability When Visitors Come to Your Farm.”
CAA also runs the Cultural, Heritage/Agritourism Mentor Program known as CHAMP, a peer-assistance training program for farms, ranches, businesses, museums, attractions and organizations that want to improve or expand their cultural, heritage and tourism or agritourism attractions. Learn more about CAA and CHAMP at www.coloradoagritourismassociation.org.
Lynn Gillespie, owner of The Living Farm in Paonia, has prudent advice for farmers who may be new to agritourism. Gillespie’s family farm has been involved in agritourism for several decades.
“You’ve got to greet visitors with a smile,” she says. “Tourism is a service industry; it’s not growing vegetables. If you’re doing farm tours they need to be well thought-out, your place has to look nice and you have to be nice.”
While agritourism isn’t making small farmers wealthy, it is providing a secondary source of income for many agricultural businesses across Colorado. In 2012, the latest numbers available, 2.4 percent of Colorado’s 36,000 farms claimed an average of $33,000 per farm in added income from agritourism. That’s 33,000 reasons to start researching agritourism today.