This website serves Farmers and Ranchers in the Kansas AgriTourism Industry.For family outings, go to http://www.travelks.comWelcome to Kansas AgriTourism!This website has been developed specifically for Kansas farmers and ranchers involved in AgriTourism, rural properties where the traveler has an opportunity to experience farm and country life far from the hustle of the city.The site is a project of the Kansas Agritourism Advisory Council, working in cooperation with:the Kansas Agriculture Marketing Division and the Travel and Tourism Division of the Department of Commerceand with financial assistance from Frontier Farm Credit.We invite you to explore this website to find a variety of articles and resources that will help you succeed in agritourism.If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Commerce, Travel and Tourism Division, and ask for the Agritourism Liaison.
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Kansas AgriTourism News
May's Feature Destination:Fieldstone EnterprisesFor a Quick Round of... Apples?!“The first guy to stop by our new U-Pick apple orchard says to me, ‘Wait a minute. You want me to go out in this heat, try to find the ripe apples in your orchard, pick them myself, haul them back down here, and then pay you? I don’t think so!’”
This is how Ken Krause, of Fieldstone Enterprises in Overbrook, Kansas remembers starting his unique U-Pick apple orchard where customers use his golf carts to go out into the field. Now he has five carts that customers may use, and many customers willingly wait their turn in the picnic area, and buy Ken’s brats and cold cider while they wait. I Bought the Barn, and They Threw In the Building
“Actually,” Ken says, “I bought the barn, and they threw in the farm. I absolutely loved this building immediately. So I had to figure out then how I could support it financially.” That was in 1977. Today, perhaps the busiest enterprise at Fieldstone is the fantastic getaway Bed and Breakfast that Ken and his wife Nancy have created from the shell of the stone barn. The loft is rented out almost every Friday and Saturday night of the year, and no wonder.
Begin with the huge picture windows looking out over the farm from this high third floor loft space. Giant natural beams, high vaulted ceilings, and occasional skylights add to the glory of the room. Perhaps the most impressive feature is the size of this room, and the accommodations: giant king size bed, Jacuzzi, double-occupancy shower/steam room, wet bar, refrigerator, microwave, and a full size pool table. Furnishings, woodwork, lighting fixtures, and décor have been collected from some of the finest old hotels and mansions in the Midwest and beyond, as well as collections from London, Germany, and elsewhere. Visitors delight in learning the history of the many beautiful objects surrounding them, yet the grandest delight is simply the opportunity to permit oneself to spend a weekend in such total luxury. The loft rents to guests for $155 per night. Click here to read more about the other farm enterprises and the marketing strategies used at Fieldstone Enterprises. Developing Your Nature Tourism PotentialsPerhaps you’ve already initiated an agritourism business. There may be additional opportunities that allow you to benefit from your town or farm’s natural assets. This is where the Kansas Nature-based Tourism Alliance (KNBTA) comes in.
If you have not already seen it, we’ve recently added a new section to the website called “Evaluating Your Site for Nature Based Tourism,”specifically focusing on small towns and landowners wishing to tap the nature tourism market. This section provides several tools to assist you in assessing your potential as a nature tourism business. Included in the “Developing Your Nature Tourism Potentials” are examples that you might be able to integrate into your tourism business, such as a directory of county bird lists. These are always a favorite for nature travelers. We have an incredibly active group of birders in Kansas and they produce a monumental amount of information on what cool birds to see all over the state. Look at the birding portion of the site to see just how important birding has become for Kansas. NaturalKansas.org lists contacts for various Audubon groups and the Kansas Ornithological Society where you can access important information about Kansas birds and birding. Whether you are involved in lease hunting, experiential ranch/farm activities, pumpkin patches, corn mazes or simply offering picnics with scenic vistas, you probably have some additional natural features that could be incorporated into your adventures. If you can portray an emphasis on nature-oriented aspects of your tourism business, your enterprise can be listed as a Nature-based Tourism Business on the NaturalKansas.org website. For more information or to complete your application for a listing, visit www.NaturalKansas.org (From information provided by Ken Brunson,Wildlife Diversity Coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Coordinator for Kansas Nature-based Tourism Alliance) Click here to email Ken Brunson. Cowtown Celebration!
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“So I said, ‘Okay, how about this? I’ll give you a map to show you where to find the ripe apples. And I’ll give you a bag and bucket to carry the apples. And then I’m going to give you a golf cart to drive you family into the field. Is that better?”
Apples are just one of the many enterprises at Fieldstone. The main attraction is what appears to be a three-story, French-inspired stone manor. But in reality, the building is a barn erected in 1909 by Mennonite farmers. Ken, who traveled the state as a dental supply representative, had been looking for the right farm, and this was it.
The KNBTA strives to provide an arena for networking, assist with highway-based nature trail development, and most importantly, we developed and maintain the 