Ag Clusters: Working Together Results in Big Harvests of Tourists

By Jane Eckert - Eckert AgriMarketing

Teamwork Makes It Happen

Every successful farm understands teamwork-everyone, and I mean everyone, does their job, and together we make it happen. And when it is time for harvest, we expand the team, bringing in relatives, neighbors and hired hands to help get the job done.

Ag Clusters

The same is true in AgriMarketing, the work of attracting tourists to your farm or ranch, and I am seeing more and more harvest teams coming together to reap bigger rewards. Called “Ag Clusters”, these are teams of neighboring farms, bed and breakfasts, wineries and businesses, including those who are friendly competitors, pooling their resources to create a cluster of attractions. The cluster invites potential guests to enjoy not one, but several attractions, all in the same region or area. More attractions increase the likelihood that the guests will choose your area to visit.

Attraction clustering is nothing new to the tourism industry. For example, if you are looking for information about a theme park, you’ll likely find that the literature or website also tells you about nearby lodging, restaurants, and other tourist attractions. As more farms enter the AgriTourism industry, clustering is becoming a practical and profitable way to promote agricultural areas. By combining your marketing dollars you have more resources for brochures, websites and perhaps even a part time publicist to attract the media.

“Co-opetition”

There is a new term floating around now, “co-opetition”. This may not be a word, but certainly expresses the concept of an ag cluster; if we cooperate with our competition…co-opetition…in order to expand the markets for all of us. The success of our marketing efforts today will be enhanced through greater collaboration with other growers, community organizations, and tourism partners in our region. We need to recognize that the agritourism potential is when we can expand our collective offers for the best guest experience. The bottom line is that they will be more likely to visit our communities, and to stay longer, when we have more to offer than a single business.

Here are just a few examples of Ag Clusters at work:

The Indiana Uplands Wine Trail began this summer with seven small wineries in Southern Indiana. Together they market an auto trail extending from just north of Louisville, KY up to Bloomington, IN inviting guests to enjoy the variety of wines and personalities of each vineyard. Guests are encouraged to participate in a passport program–those who have their passport stamped at all seven wineries are entered in a FREE drawing. Over 1,000 people have already completed their passports. Website: http://www.indianauplandswine.com

The Strolling of the Heifers is billed as “a celebration of cows, farmers, artists, and the sustainable practices that nurture and preserve our families.” This will be the 4 th Annual parade held in Brattleboro, Vermont, with activities running from June 3 through the 6 th, and the event has been voted to be one of Vermont’s top ten summer events.

The festival opens with a forum on issues that farmers and other citizens face in Windham County, yet the discussions are surrounded by other activities- milking contests, hayrides, square dance competitions, regional artists, circus acts, and of course fresh farm cuisine. And, of course, the parade, the Strolling of the Heifers, which is viewed by over 20,000 spectators, and has attracted international media attention reaching over 75 million people. There are seven farms involved, and a vast number of corporate sponsors, including 8 donating over $5,000 each, six more in the $7,500 sponsor category, and a title sponsor, Turkey Hill ice cream (whose logo still shows the farm). Website: http://www.strollingoftheheifers.org

The Apple Hill Growers Association , located in Camino, Calif., was once a fledgling association comprised of 16 original ranches. Today it boasts more than 50 farms and ranches including apple growers, Christmas tree growers, wineries, a micro brewery, Spa and vineyards. During harvest season, El Dorado County joins the Apple Hill Growers to provide a shuttle that passes all of the farms every 15 to 30 minutes for the cost of a one-day pass. According to county agricultural commissioner Ed Delfino, "Apple Hill was the first ranch marketing effort in Northern California," Delfino says "and its success is shown by the fact that now there are farm marketing groups all over.   Apple Hill is a great example of government, farmers and media working together for everyone's good." We couldn’t say it any better. Website: http://www.applehill.com

In Alberta, Canada, farms and ranches recently came together for a special event weekend which they called “The Fur and Feathers Farm Tour,” inviting tourists to see buffalo, pet llamas and other livestock, follow wool from shearer to the spinning wheel to the loom, and so forth. The farm tour passport included details of each rural attraction on the tour, special activities, places to eat, items for sale, directions, a detailed map, and official badges. Passports were good for a carload of up to eight people for a single price and valid for both days of the Farm Tour event. Website: http://www.furandfeathersfarmtour.com

The Placer Farm and Barn Festival added some interesting twists last year, including a Kiwi Maze, and the Agro-Art competition, where artists created their works on site, sculpting using fruits and vegetables they’ve purchased on the participating farms. Located in Placer County, Calif., visitors could purchase Farm Tour tickets for a self-guided car tour of seven western county farms and a country school house. Website: http://www.placerfarmandbarnfestival.com

Add Yourself to the Directories

I plan to develop a number of directories on my website, such as Ag Clusters, Tour Trails, Special Event Groups, and Retail Groups; the idea is to provide one place where we can share what’s happening in other areas, and maybe even brag a little. (It seems like farmers and ranchers are always working so hard, we never have time to step back and appreciate the growth and progress we’ve accomplished.)

Anyway, if you participate in or know of an Ag Cluster, or a group, or a “co-opetition” in your area, please take a minute right now and let me know about it. This will build a great resource to help farms and tourism professionals learn what is being done in North America to market our agricultural producers and communities.

To participate, just drop me an email, jane@eckertagrimarketing.com, telling me about the group and the website, if there is one.

Jane Eckert is the founder of Eckert AgriMarketing (www.eckertagrimarketing.com), a full-service marketing and public relations firm that helps farmers to sell directly to consumers, diversify operations and become tourist destinations. She is also CEO of www.RuralBounty.com, a search directory for agritourism farms and ranches in North America. Jane can be reached at 314-862-6288 or you may email her directly.