Kansas AgriTourism News

February 2005 The plans are beginning to take shape for a great 2005, with many opportunities for all of us to learn and grow. Our website, kansasagritourism.org, is beginning to take shape, many of you have contributed to our survey to determine the content for the workshops, and we will soon be announcing the topics and times for this year's sessions. Kansas AgriTourism Advisory Council

In This Month's Issue: 2005 AgriTourism Workshop Kansas Resources Agritourism Creates a Unique Experience with A Nostalgic Feel

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2005 AgriTourism Workshop

Mark you calendar now for this spring’s agritourism workshop. This will be a full day workshop, repeated on six different dates and locations for your convenience. If you are unable to attend the one nearest you, feel free to register at one of the other meetings.

The dates for the 2005 statewide workshops are:

April 19 - - Dodge City
April 21 - - Colby
May 3 - - Lawrence
May 5 - - Chanute
May 17 - - Salina
May 19 - - El Dorado

Our thanks to all who have completed the survey. We are now summarizing those results, and will be getting back to you soon with the program content and exact times.

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Here's what else is happening:

Ben Allen to Help Farms Assess Readiness for AgriTourism

Ben Allen

Ben Allen of K-State Extension has been placed on loan from his regular position to serve this year as a statewide agritourism leader. Ben will travel the state to assist farms and ranches in accessing their resources to begin an agritourism endeavor. Ben will arrange to come to your farm, walk through the property, and to sit down at the kitchen table with the family to assess the skills and attitudes needed to invite the public onto the farm. Ben will also be a conduit between the farm family and the many resources available in the state; sometimes, it’s as simple as just telling people who they need to ask.

We’ll see a lot more of Ben in other activities as well. He will be conducting some local field days, conducting workshops to help farms learn more of the basics, providing articles for our newsletter and website, and just “getting in there and helping make things happen”!

Funding for Ben’s position comes from K-State Extension, Kansas Ag Innovation Center and the Kansas Department of Commerce. If you would like to get in touch with Ben to schedule a visit, you can contact him directly at 620-725-5890 or email at ballen@oznet.ksu.edu.

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Agritourism Creates a Unique Experience with A Nostalgic Feel

by Jane Eckert, Eckert AgriMarketing

Jane Eckert

If you look beyond the typical tourist attractions, beyond skyscrapers and super highways, you'll find an unusual destination that creates unique experiences for group travelers.

You'll find it at the intersection of a beautiful country road and a white picket fence, by the wagons and piles of pumpkins and horses grazing in the field.

You'll find yourself at a working farm, ranch or winery that's been transformed into a tourist destination as part of one of the travel industry's fastest-growing trends called agritourism.

What agritourism offers - entertainment, adventure, shopping, country dining and education - is exactly what visitors want as an escape from their stressed urban lives of traffic jams, office cubicles and ringing cell phones. (click here to read more of this article.)

Kansas AgriTourism Advisory Council

If you have further questions about this year’s agritourism program, or you would like a copy about the Growing Agritourism book – all requests should be emailed to Janna Dunbar, or phone her at 785-296-8132. Janna is the AgriTourism liaison for the Kansas Department of Commerce.

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