 |
 |
Agritourism farmers must master marketing
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 12:59 AM EDT
"It's doing your homework," said Louise Mikesell-Wireman, marketing specialist for the Toledo-based Center for Innovative Food Technology. "And it's knowing how to market your product. A lot of farmers are great at what they do, but they're not marketers."
More than 6,200 Ohio farms sold corn, strawberries and other products and services to the public right from the farm in 2002, up from 5,800 farms in 1997, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture. They posted more than $37 million in direct sales, up from $30 million.
One of them was Carl Young, who operates Young's Jersey Dairy near Yellow Springs.
With nearly 300 employees who oversee educational tours, miniature golf, a go-cart track, gift shop and restaurant, the operation attracts nearly 1.3 million visitors each year.
Young's son, Ben, said the key to the family's success was starting small and growing slowly. He said agritourism typically begins with a roadside stand, then expands to include interactive attractions such as pick-your-own produce and finally graduates to year-round activities that require parking lots and restrooms.
Young said one of the biggest challenges is public relations.
"Someone has to be there to greet the guests and make them feel welcome, and the farmers themselves can't always do that if they're working," he said.
Once the infrastructure is in place, farmers need to determine how much advertising they are able to afford.
Those who cannot afford radio, television or newspaper advertising should seek out a good desktop publishing system and go the route of homemade newsletters, fliers and Web sites, said Mikesell-Wireman. Farmers may also want to entice visitors by offering free roadside samples or special discounts, she said.
Mikesell-Wireman said farmers often encounter roadblocks in trying to start an agritourism venture because they are unaware of the regulations.
Even a simple venture, such as an apple orchard opened to the public, comes with concerns, she said.
For example, if students make field trips to a farm during school days, roads must be a certain width to allow bus access. Water from a well might be the natural choice for farmers in some areas, but the smell of sulfur is often a turnoff for visitors from the city, she said.
"One woman talked about setting up hiking trails on her dairy farm and she wanted to put in a bridge, but because of the location and regulatory issues she had to call in the Army Corps of Engineers," Mikesell-Wireman said. "It ended up taking her five years."
"They need to know if what they're planning to do is worth it, if it can be done, and if they can make money doing it," she said.
Copyright © 2008 Maysville Newspapers, Inc., A Lee Enterprises Publication This site is protected by applicable copyright laws and no part may be reproduced, transmitted or used in any way other than its intended purpose without the prior written permission of The Ledger Independent. Click here to view The Ledger Independent's privacy policy. |