1. Growing your
Agritourism Venture

2. Mission: To help local
farms thrive, link farmers
to markets and
supporters, and build
healthy communities
through connections to
local food.
Vision: Strong farms,
thriving local food
economies, and healthy
communities where
farming is valued as
central to our heritage
and our future.
Mission: Farm Service
Agency is equitably serving
all farmers, ranchers, and
agricultural partners
through the delivery of
effective, efficient
agricultural programs for all
Americans.
Vision: A market-oriented,
economically and
environmentally sound
American agriculture
delivering an abundant,
safe, and affordable food
and fiber supply while
sustaining quality
agricultural communities.
Mission: To build a vibrant
and inclusive entrepreneurial
community in Western North
Carolina by helping small
businesses start, grow, and
thrive. When small
businesses succeed, we all
prosper.
Vision: MBW envisions a
thriving WNC in which small
business owners and aspiring
entrepreneurs have access to
the resources needed to
make their dream a reality - a
region where collaboration,
creativity, innovation and
investment create opportunity
for all.

3. Goals of the workshop today
◻ Share relevant tools & strategies to
improve marketing, experiences for
visitors, and profitability for farms.
◻ Identify challenges and opportunities
for expanding agritourism as part of a
farm business
◻ Provide metrics to evaluate your
current agritourism model
◻ Examine considerations for scaling up,
including holistic farm planning

5. Prefer local
“56% of respondents to Fresh Trends 2016 said they felt strongly about
keeping their food dollars within their own community”
–The Packer, Fresh Trends 2016
Want connections with their farmers
“For today’s consumers, food is now a cultural product to discover, share,
make and trade. This reconnection with food and its origins is encouraging a
new level of participation. ”
–Hartman Group, The Consumer-Driven Redefinition of Quality in Food Culture
Value transparency
“Today’s shoppers are very educated and seek out product attributes
important to their lifestyles and beliefs, from food origin and transparency
to freshness, ingredients and health attributes”
–Progressive Grocer, What's in Store 2017
Research Shows That Consum ers...
National Trends

6. National Trends
"Agritourism is one of the fastest-growing forms
of global tourism"
"Locally produced foods and unique home grown
restaurants are increasingly one of the main
hooks to entice travelers."
- Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business
On-Farm Activities
% of Venues
Offering
Tours/field trips 52.70%
Festival/event 38.20%
Wedding/reunion/social gathering 34.50%
Retail goods purchased on the farm 32.40%
Beer, cider, spirits or wine tasting 26.40%
Educational workshop 24.30%
Produce, meat, dairy or honey
purchased on farm
23.70%
Animal observation/petting 23.30%
On-farm lodging or camping 17.60%
Hayride 15.20%
Top 10 Most Frequently Offered Agritourism
Activities in Virginia in 2015
Source: Virginia Tech Pamplin College of
Business
Some 7.5 million people visited farms in Virginia in
2015, the study found, but about 60 percent of those
visitors came from less than 50 miles away...local
visitors to Virginia farm businesses spent $72.4
million while non-local visitors spent $84.1 million.

7. What are regional and
local trends (+/-)impacting
your agritourism
enterprise?
Who are your farm visitors are why are
they coming out to your farm?

8. Why do you do agritourism?

9. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
Benefits of Agritourism and Farms Tours
Why other Appalachian Grown Farms participate:
❖ Increase exposure for the farm and business
❖ Raise awareness of what is produced locally and promoting what is "local"
❖ Expose more people to local food and farms
❖ Market products and other farm offerings like special events, festivals, and
lodging
❖ Reach new customers and turn occasional customers into farm “fans”
❖ Provide an education and outreach opportunity to the public
❖ Sell product
❖ Drive traffic to the farm and increase customer base
❖ Connect with the local community

10. HOW CAN THIS BE PART OF YOUR BUSINESS MODEL?
Agritourism Income Sources
-Cornell Cooperative
Extension
❏ Admission fee
❏ Tour fee
❏ Sales of fresh farm product to
expanded customer base
❏ Sales of processed farm product
❏ Craft / souvenir sales
❏ Activity fee
❏ Class / skill-building fee
❏ Tasting fee
❏ Facility rental
❏ Show fee
❏ Farm lodging
❏ Food service
WHAT ARE THE BROADER IMPACTS ON
SALES AND YOUR BUSINESS PLAN?

11. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT IS WORKING?
● What percentage of folks visiting your farm
post their visit on social media? What
impacts do their posts have?
● Is the average dollar sale increasing for the
number of people visiting your farm?
● How often will a first-time visitor living
within 40 miles of your farm re-purchase
from you? And the average $ sale of each
re-purchase?
● How much does it cost you to convert an
agritourism customer into a lifetime value
customer (i'll explain this if you like)

12. WHERE CAN YOU IMPROVE?
TYPICAL SALES PROCESS
❏ Marketing/Outreach
❏ Visitor Experience
❏ Staying Connected

13. COST OF MARKETING
Money
● Paid
advertising
● Signage
● Promotional
Materials
Time
● Education
● Building
community
● Relationship
building
● Earned media

14. WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO REACH?
⦿This narrow focus is called a “market share”.
⦿You want to add to your market share by
understanding the values your customer uses to
evaluate and make purchasing decisions:
◻ Frequency of Need
◻ Prioritization of Values
◻ Price Willingness
◻ Income
◻ Position: one time vs. lifetime
◻ Interests
◻ Etc.

15. Who are your customers and what are their values?
Come up with examples of real people to help you gear your
farm story, marketing and outreach towards them.

16. HOW WORD OF MOUTH REALLY WORKS
I heard it from
a friend
Then I saw
your sign
Then I saw
your rack card
Then I saw an
article in the
paper
That reminded
me to call you

17. MARKETING/OUTREACH
Try to reach the same person 3-5 times with a consistent
message. In doing so, you are going to reach other people
like them, as well.
Before
■ Engaging customers at farmers
markets/events
■ Building name/brand
recognition
■ Optimizing cross-promotions
■ Community outreach
■ Earned media

18. A customer isn’t a customer until they have taken
action. What opportunities for engagement and
decision have you developed prior to clients
visiting your farm?

19. On the Farm
■ Sharing your story
■ Building connections through
shared experience
■ Offering take home materials
■ Collecting contacts
■ Sampling and selling products
VISITOR EXPERIENCE

20. THE STORY OF YOUR FARM
You have an authentic story to tell. Engage your visitors
in the story behind your products - How they are grown,
why you chose them, joys and challenges of farming, why
you farm. Make it personal.
What differentiates your farm and your products?

21. Storytelling is a tool for...
...Establishing yourself in people’s memories.
Stories help customers remember you and your farm.

22. Storytelling is a tool for...
...Connecting to the right people and customers.
Stories help the type of customers you want to have feel
connected with you.

23. Connect with people using emotion or humor.
Build your story starting with the core idea that
“hooks” people.

24. Storytelling is a tool for...
...Inspiring customer commitment.
When customers feel connected to your story, they are far
more likely to remain loyal, buying from you again and
again.

25. BUILDING LOYAL CUSTOMERS
⦿It is ten times easier to sell something else to
an existing customer who loves your business
than it is to find a new customer.

26. Crafting Your Farm Story
● Create a clear, straightforward story that can
be adapted for audience and time
● What to include:
○ Who you are/your connection to place
○ Why you farm
○ Challenge/barrier - Engages your audience
○ Action/Resolution -Connects your audience
emotionally
○ Meaning/upshot/take home -What
difference are you making? Why does what
you do matter? What makes you different?
Stories influence how we decide. Our decisions and actions are often based
more on emotional reactions than rational thought.

27. Visitor Experience

28. WHILE YOU WAIT

29. HANDS ON: EXPERIENCES & SALES

30. What are three offerings you provide to your farm
visitors that creates a unique and engaged or
action-centered visitor experience?

31. After
■ Encourage visitors to
share their stories
■ Seek out earned media
■ Offer more ways for
customers to connect
STAY CONNECTED

32. Cross Promotions

33. ◻ Marketing/Outreach
◻ Targeted marketing
◻ Building name/brand recognition
◻ Optimizing cross-promotions
◻ Visitor Experience
◻ Sharing your farm story
◻ Offering authentic & hands-on experiences
◻ Sampling and Sales
◻ Staying Connected
◻ Following up with ways for visitors to share stories or connect again
◻ Tracking efforts and results
◻ Managing risks
◻ Planning strategically and holistically
WHERE CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS
MODEL?

34. CHALLENGES FOR AGRITOURISM
Legal and Insurance Questions to Consider
William S. Durr
Attorney
Ward and Smith, P.A.
82 Patton Avenue, Suite 300
P: 828.348.6062 |
F: 828.348.6077 |
www.wardandsmith.com
Tracy Cotton
CISR
Morrow Insurance
Phone: 800-228-3132 x106
Direct Line: 828-527-0170
Fax: 828-652-4788
tcotton@morrowinsurance.com

35. ◻ Visit ASAP, FSA, Mountain Bizworks, Morrow
Insurance, Ward and Smith, P.A. tables to have your
personal questions answered and gain more general
knowledge about resources available.
◻ Further your connections and knowledge sharing with
other agritourism-farms.
◻ Get outside.
◻ Say hello to our hosts Anna and Paul Littman.
Lunchtime Action Steps

36. Considerations for Scaling Up
Recordkeeping in your business planning

37. Considerations for Scaling Up
Thinking holistically about accessing capital

38. Considerations for Scaling Up
Managing risk on both sides of the scale
◻ Enterprise lines of business
◻ Risk assessments
◻ Risk measures
◻ Risk management
◻ Agritourism line of business
◻ Added exposures
Loan options
◻ Start
◻ Improve
◻ Expand
◻ Transition
◻ Microloans
◻ Traditional
◻ Crowd

39. Kimberly Hunter
kimberly@mountainbizworks.org
(828) 253-2834 xt.18
Molly Nicholie
molly@asapconnections.org
(828) 236-1282 ext. 111