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New agri-tourism association formed
A variety of agri-tourist activities draws paying customers to the Westview Orchards and Cider Mill near Romeo. A new organization hopes to help agri-tourism grow in Michigan.
If consumers preferred to while away a lazy summer afternoon at their local Kroger store, agri-tourism would not contribute so much to Michigan's economy.
More than ever before, non-farming folk prefer a trip to the farm for the day, and they'll pay - if the growth of agri-tourism is any indication.
It's why so many corn mazes and horse-drawn wagons hauling people, not produce, have popped up across the state in the last few years. It's why nearly every community in the state has at least one well-known agri-business to which people flock at certain times of the year. No matter if it centers on wine, fruit, maple syrup, pumpkins, or animals, its popularity is growing.
"People are looking for ways to make that connection to the land, and farmers are looking for ways to stabilize their farm income year-round," said Jeanne Lipe, agriculture tourism program manager with the Michigan Department of Agriculture. "Smaller farmers can use agritourism as a way of sustaining their business, and the larger farms are looking at it, too. Agri-tourism is a part of the nation's $9 billion tourism industry, and it's growing. Michigan, in fact, has some of the most popular pleasure trip destinations, and the numbers are expected to keep growing."
Some communities have even spawned an annual mini-economic boom with agriculture-based events such as Traverse City's National Cherry Festival and Oceana County's National Asparagus Festival.
But despite all the shining examples of success involving agri-tourism, its economic potential has barely been tapped, according to Patrick O'Connor, a former executive with the Michigan Apple Committee who has researched and helped establish the Michigan Farm Marketing and Agri-Tourism Association.
At one time, an organization that helped producers market their crops to Farm Bureau members was in place through Farm Bureau's Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association (MACMA), but it didn't last long. The new Association, officially founded in late 2005, is a whole new ball game, O'Connor said.
"This is a new day, and we have new challenges," he said. "The tourism and farm marketing industry continues to grow, so there are more opportunities, but they come with greater pressures."
The new association will, it is hoped, relieve some pressure that today squeezes individual farmers as they produce and market their own wares and businesses. But if they'll join with similar businesses, O'Connor said, their influence will grow and the pressure will be better distributed and easier to handle.
Barely off the ground as this is written, the association got help with its bylaws and articles of incorporation from Michigan Farm Bureau's legal department, and got help with publicity and Web site establishment as well. It's a project that fits nicely with Farm Bureau policy, said Ken Nye, horticulture and forestry specialist with Michigan Farm Bureau.
"The industry has been under-represented to this point," he said, "and I think this association is a good way to bring a lot of farm marketers together to face their challenges. This will provide a focal point, which is important since Michigan has such diversity and such potential for ag tourism."
At this point, O'Connor said, the association is in the hands of a steering committee, which will oversee establishment of a board of directors and begin a membership drive.
"To be a member, you'll have to be involved in farm marketing and agriculture at some level," O'Connor said. "We're still sorting a lot of things out, and defining membership is a challenge. Does a corn maze qualify? How about someone with maple syrup or an on-farm gift shop or a bed and breakfast? I would say yes because we want the membership to be as wide as possible, knowing that it may be tightened. But at this point, we feel a wide interpretation is the best."
Nye agreed.
"Anyplace that can be a destination is what we would like to see," he said. "With the tourism base we have and the diversity of agriculture in this state, we believe that people are looking for the rural experience. It has entertainment value, and if the association can help people join forces and work together, it will be better for everyone."
Not only will the organization begin to seek grants and other funds to benefit all its members, but it may help entire communities survive and thrive, O'Connor said.
"The very culture of a lot of communities depends on this," he said, "and the farmer's image comes into play. Agri-tourism offers consumers a face of agriculture that consumers might not see in other ways. It gives the farmers the opportunity to talk about how food is raised, and it doesn't matter if the business is large or small. It's an opportunity for large and small to stand hand in hand to educate consumers."
For more information
Call Patrick O'Connor at (517) 927 7675.
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