RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Department of Tourism and State University Extension are working together to create opportunities by combining the two largest industries in the state– agriculture and tourism. They’ve created an ‘agritourism’ program for farm, ranch owners and others who want to connect tourists with agriculture and help them see where local food and beverages come from. Extension field specialist Peggy Schlechter says people don’t have the connection with agriculture that they used to when their grandparents might have owned a farm or ranch. The two-year extension program focuses on providing the tools and skills needed to develop a successful agritourism enterprise.
What is Agritourism?
Agritourism is at the crossroads of tourism and agriculture. It links agricultural production and processing with tourism to attract visitors to a farm or ranch for the purpose of entertaining and educating visitors while generating additional income for the agriculture operation. Some examples of agritourism include:
- Accommodations and lodging: farm stays, guest ranches, B&B’s, camping
- Educational activities: farm-ranch work experiences, tours, demonstrations
- Entertainment and events: corn mazes, farm dinners, weddings, campfires, stargazing
- On-farm direct sales: U-pick, farm stands, farm products, outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, photography, horseback riding, hiking
Program Overview
At the end of the AgritourismSD program, you will:
- Understand and develop the ‘big picture approach’ to building a successful enterprise, which includes a business plan.
- Assess your agritourism potential and evaluate emerging opportunities in agritourism.
- Identify and prioritize the legal liability issues affecting your business and develop a solid action plan for addressing these issues.
- Develop innovative marketing strategies to effectively reach your target audience.
- Understand the concept of ‘co-opetition’ and how to partner with others to build regional competitiveness.
- Network with your peers and experts to share best practices and build confidence.
There are five major components of the AgritourismSD program:
- Interactive workshops: Classroom instruction will cover all aspects of developing an agritourism enterprise, including: hospitality, liability, marketing, business management and financial considerations. Workshops will generally start mid-morning on the first day and include an overnight stay. The meeting will conclude by mid-afternoon the second day.
- Case studies of successful agritourism enterprises: Agritourism businesses are unique to each operation and how they utilize their resources. The case studies featured represent many agritourism aspects. The case study coaches will host tours of their operations and lead discussions about history, management philosophy, and decision-making criteria. All case study experiences will serve as jumping off points for participants to use their creativity in taking ideas and making them their own. The four agritourism systems themes that will be observed throughout the project include: 1) entertainment, 2) farm and ranch stays, 3) hosting tours and 4) outdoor recreation.
- Web-based interaction: Throughout the AgritourismSD program, participants will be expected to interact on webinars and other web-based networking activities. They are required to have their own computer with high-speed internet access. Participants may be asked to bring a laptop to workshops. Google Classroom will be used to house the assignments and information relevant to the program. Each participant will be required to set up a Google account and access it on a regular basis. A private Facebook group with access limited to participants, project team and mentors will allow a managed, yet informal exchange of ideas among participants.
- Travel study trips: Travel study trips will be conducted to expose participants to agritourism opportunities and operations outside of the state. The goal of the trips is to visit and learn from well-established businesses and to see the wide variety of opportunities beyond what is currently developed in South Dakota. Lack of involvement in the face-to-face meetings, homework and overall participation may disqualify you from the out-of-state trips.
- Networking: Networking opportunities are available throughout the program. In every aspect of the program design, there will be interaction with experts that will help you develop all parts of your business. There will be opportunities to interact with other enterprises both in and out-of-state. Peer-to-peer networking is critical and will be encouraged, both formally and informally.
Program Commitments
- AgritourismSD is a two-year commitment starting Summer 2021. Plan to meet face-to-face a total of eight times in 24 months. Be prepared to participate in all program components.
- Up to 30 participants will be selected based on the application and an interview. Husbands and wives, siblings, or direct family members can apply. All individuals must participate in meetings and activities. Children are not allowed at meetings.
- Workshops and activities will take place in and out-of-state. Participants will provide their own transportation to in-state events. Other expenses associated with the meeting motel rooms, meals, out-of-state travel will be covered by AgritourismSD.
- The program is funded through grants and organizations. A registration fee of $1,250 per individual is charged to cover program costs, which is approximately 15% of the total investment the program has per person ($8,000). Payment plans are available.
Applications are due by April 1, 2021. Find more information and a registration form on the SDSU Extension website.
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