11-27 FB Agritourism

 Over in Oregon, farmers  have come up with a great idea  and are increasingly seeking to diversify their income in order to remain profitable. Some are turning to a strategy that has been successful in Europe – agritourism.

To help farmers who have encountered difficulties making their farms profitable, Oregon State University is holding its inaugural Oregon Agritourism Summit. Organizers say the conference aims to inspire farmers and ranchers to diversify their income by inviting visitors to their operations. These revenue-generating agritourism opportunities include overnight stays, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, U-pick fruits and vegetables, horseback riding and hay rides. Spokesperson Denise Ruttan talked to me about another avenue: “Do people go to the farm and pay the farmer just to get a look at the operation? It depends on the operation. With Leaping Lamb Farms it’s like an overnight lodging on the farms so you will be paying for that. Do you think a part of this is the locavore movement? Yes I think that has definitely played into it a lot.”