Taking your Farm Destination to the Next Level

Southern New England Agritourism Business Conference

March 3, 2010

Stu Nunnery, RICAPE

Goals for Today

Colleagues not competitors. Identify our common interest to generate on-farm revenues through agritourism.

Share information &experiences.

Review challenges and opportunities.

Goals for today

Identify services in the region – NEFW, CT Grown, VNE and other partners that are focused on you and agritourism.

Link our efforts across state lines to sustain farms, farmers and grow this industry.

Answer the question – “What’s next for you and for agritourism?”

New England FarmWays 2005, RICAPE 501c3 non-

profit Training, Information and

promotional hub for agritourism in RI/SNE

Subscription Service/memberships

Website, weekly newsletter Farm Site assessments Liaison work with travel and

tourism, business and philanthropic communities town councils, planning and zoning boards

Maintain media presence

New England FarmWays

Seven State Partnership – West Virginia to Maine– State agencies, colleges and universities, non profits and small businesses

SARE Grant awarded to the Partnership in 2008 to support a regional agritourism information transfer and training initiative that was launched last year at SNE and continues

New England FarmWays

For the Public: social and educational events - Feast in the Field, Sensory Sojourns, etc.

This year – 90-sec TV spots in all seven NE markets for 35 weeks promoting farm visits in New England

Corporate sponsorships for events

More training events, webinars

Growing membership Partnerships/JWU

The Agricultural Business Model –

Production & Regulatory focus

Requires various agricultural and business Skills

Crops & Livestock Production of

commodities, farm and value-added products

Marketing of same.

The Agritourism Business Model

Focus on visitor services

Interdependent businesses across multiple sectors

Requires new business skills

Involves multiple enterprises

The Farm IS the product

Selling the Farm “Experience.”

The Agricultural Business Model

Wholesale at market/retail at farmer’s markets

Business plans Risk management/labor The usual costs Dependence on AG

service providers – USDA, FSA, NRCS and state Depts. of AG

Commitment

The Agritourism Business Model – The Shifting Sands

Retail on site Site assessments,

Marketing plans New risk exposures Costs with an emphasis

on Value New service providers

in various sectors of the economy

Survey Results – 230 Respondents

Capturing new customers Marketing materials,

strategies Retail merchandising, point

of sale and pricing Start ups Farm stands The internet Right to Farm, Local

Ordinances Crops and Value added

products Field activities for visitors Farm Site Assessments

Opportunities

The small business community has many resources and services available to you.

30M visitors within a days drive

Agriculture’s profile is improving

AT one of fastest growing sectors of tourism nationwide

New England is the direct marketing capital of the US

Opportunities

The local food and local farm scene touches every base.

Tourism preferences are for the “authentic.”

History of the region plays into and off the farm setting.

Demand from tour operators is surging.

In region marketing support is growing NEFW, VNE, state agencies, CVB’s, Discover NE, etc.

Agritourism is an integral part of the sustainability movement.

Challenges

Assumptions: All this good news means

more visitors, more revenue.

Right to farm is a license. Everyone wants to come

to the farm. Cost is no object on the

farm. Local support means

state support & town support.

Challenges State Depts. Of Ag are being

downsized and under-funded No uniform definition of

agriculture at the local level - “agricultural activity,” “alternative enterprises” are open for interpretation and/or are missing from the language in comp plans and zoning regulations

Need for more training, technical assistance and marketing support - specifically for agritourism

Need for more grants, capital and easy credit,

Pesky taxes, and……

Draconian Fire Codes

The Agritourism Business Model - Panelists Ron Olsen, CT Dept. of AG

George Krivda, CT Dept of AG

Michael Richard, Dwyer Insurance

Milena Erwin, CT SBDC

Doug Jobling RISBDC