Why Do Farm Tours?

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

The number of dairy producers has steadily declined across the country over the last couple of decades. Jennifer Glover, co-owner of Mountain Fresh Creamery, says they hope their agritourism efforts can help promote long-term sustainability in the dairy industry. Glover says growing consumer interest in where food comes from has made people more receptive.

Glover… “People really care about where their food comes from, and they really care about how the animals that provide them food are treated and how they're cared for and what their life is like. And so having the farm tours really opened up us to be able to showcase that and to see that whether you're a small farm or a big farm, there's no bad or good. Everybody's doing the best to take care of the animals. It's really been a way—it's not a money maker for us, but it's more of a way for us really to tell our story, and we really do that a lot. We do farm tours, but we also do field trips. That really helps with that next generation. I think what they say right now is that 2% of the population in the United States are farmers. So who knows what you might share to a class of second graders that say, "You know what? I want to be a dairy farmer when I grow up." It's more of us just doing our part, we feel like.”

Glover’s farm tours include interactive dairy learning activities, a visit to the creamery, and product sampling.