Kansas AgriTourism News
May 2005
Kansas farmers and ranchers throughout the state
have been learning more about how to attract more
publicity, more customers, and more cash.
 Four workshops, held in Dodge
City,
Colby, Lawrence,
and Chanute, have been conducted so far
as part of
this year's Agritourism Initiative throughout the state.
Two more workshops will be conducted later this
month, May 17 in Salina, and May 19 in
El Dorado.
The conferences are being conducted by national
agritourism expert Jane Eckert, of Eckert
AgriMarketing.
The six workshop sessions, plus breakout groups,
look
at:
- Weaving Your Website
- Attracting Publicity
- Creating the "Wow" Experience
- Customer Loyalty Through Newsletters
- Working with Tourism Professionals
Click
here to register
immediately for one of the remaining two
Kansas Agritourism
Workshops.
We certainly hope you will take advantage of this
great opportunity to increase the effectiveness of
your business!
Kansas AgriTourism Advisory Council |
In This Month's Issue:
Feature Destination:
Kuhrt Ranch
The Prairie Castle B & B
Kansas AgriTourism Scholarship
Miami County Spring Farm Tour
New York Wine Center Proposed |
Featured Destination
Kuhrt Ranch
The Prairie Castle Bed and Breakfast
The
Prairie Castle on the Kuhrt Ranch
is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. It is nestled along the banks of Beaver
Creek, just north and west of Edson, sitting
on 4000 contiguous acres of privately owned natural
wildlife habitat, grazing land, farmland and
conservation reserve land. As visitors approach the
property, their cell phone "lost signal" indicator beeps
to remind them that they are truly getting away from
it all.
The
Ranch began as a one-room sod house in the
1880's, and then the property was purchased by
William and Pauline Kuhrt in 1891. For their home, the
Kuhrts built a unique, limestone house, complete with
turrets, which neighbors soon began to call "the
Prairie Castle."
But as rustic as it feels-with the white oak wooden
floors and special antique furnishings-a private
bathroom is just around the corner, featuring a
whirlpool tub for two, a European-style shower
nozzle, and a window overlooking the beautiful
goldfish pond. The favorite bedroom is found upstairs
in the east turret, featuring a panoramic view of the
Kansas horizon. It isn't all that tough to get used to!
Brent and Diana Flanders manage
Kuhrt Ranch, with the continued support of Brent's
parents, Jim and Jan Flanders, and
Brent and Diana's two children, Paul Kuhrt
Flanders and Sarah Jane Flanders.
Preserving Heritage
"The property was basically passed down to us," said
Diana, "We wanted to preserve it. This place is full of
history. We knew it was special, and we wanted to
share it. We wanted to stay on the farm.
We wanted
to keep it in the family- this is a business are kids are
interested in keeping."
"Even when we lived in the stone house, our friends
talked about what a great bed and breakfast it would
be. About four years ago, we moved to another
house on the ranch, and we decided we would invest
the money in the stone house to make it suitable for
a Bed and Breakfast business," Diana said.
Major Concerns
Diana and Brent recall that they had two big
concerns about the Bed and Breakfast business.
First, they wondered if they could actually recover
the $7,000 investment required to replace
the septic
tank, redo the electrical system, and to obtain a
food license for the kitchen. The food license isn't
required for a bed and breakfast, but the Flanders
were already thinking about how to grow their
business.
The second concern was perhaps an even bigger
question: " Should we let complete strangers
come
into our home? What would happen to our
property,
and the historic things we value here?"
"We worried for nothing," Diana said. "Our guests
seem to really take good care of our things. They are
friendly, courteous- we've made a lot of good friends
that come back year after year."
The Flanders had two main strategies to
promote the new business, and they've enjoyed
significant success.
Click here to read the rest of this story on
KansasAgritourism.org
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Kansas AgriTourism Scholarship
Two of the best ways
to grow your agritourism business are:
- Visit Agritourism Properties
- Attend AgriTourism/Direct Marketing
Conferences
We are so convinced that these
methods will help
grow your business (and subsequently, bring more
income into the state of Kansas) that the Kansas
Department of Commerce, Agriculture Marketing
Division has established a scholarship
program
to
assist Kansas agritourism operators in attending
select conferences, seminars and educational tours.
We want to help you to gain first-hand information
regarding agritourism best practices around the
region and the country, and to develop professional,
educational, and marketing relationships within the
industry nationwide.
Up to $5,000 is
available to
help
you attend an approved conference, and
up to
$2,000 is available to help fund an
educational trip to
targeted agritourism regions.
Click here for Scholarship Application and more information.
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Miami County Spring Farm Tour, May 14-15
Nine Miami County
farms will be on tour May 14 and
15 with their second
annual Spring Farm Tour. Visitors may see
emus, goats, Fox Trotters, and alpacas; ride hay
wagons around 30 wooded acres; purchase
strawberries, fresh plants, and other early products;
and even ask about a few concerns of their own with
Miami County Master Gardeners.
The tour is the third organized by the county,
according to Mike Martin, of 4 D Acres
Emu Farm in Louisburg: "Last spring,
we had over 1,000 guests, and for the fall tour, we
saw more than 3,000 people over the two days."
This year, they are printing 1,500 brochures.
The Farm tour is being promoted to newspapers,
radio, and television stations in a 100-mile radius,
which would include the Kansas City metro area.
"In addition to the economic boost it may give
the participating farms, the tour also attracts people
considering relocating outside the city. So this is an
important event for the county." Mike said.
"One thing we've added is that the operators now all
tour each other's properties. We critique each other,
and learn from each other. It also lets us cross
promote. I can tell my guests about the interesting
things they might see on their next stop."
Each of the farms open to the public plan to provide
fun and educational activities for the whole family,
along with the tastes, smells, sights and sound of
country living. Visitors drive their own vehicles, and
choose their destinations from a map and brochure
provided. (Click here to read more about the Farm Tour)
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New York Wine Center Proposed
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle,
Rochester, New York, reports that a new wine and
culinary center in Canandaigua is being
proposed to boost tourism while spotlighting the
state's agri-business. The center will showcase the
area wine industry, which has been winning several
national and international competitions.
"A high-powered partnership will ask the city's
planning commission tonight for permission to build a
17,700-square-foot wine and culinary center
that is projected to draw close to 75,000
visitors in its first year. The New York Wine
& Culinary Center, which would educate industry
and consumer audiences about wine and food, would
be at 800 S. Main St., at the northern tip of
Canandaigua Lake, and would open by early summer
2006, according to documents filed with the city. (Click here to read the article)
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