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Jane Eckert, AgriTourism In the News
I had an opportunity to be a guest in the studios of RFD-TV for a brief program on Agritourism and how it is making a difference for so many North American farms.
The show hosts, Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson, are farm reporters for clear channel WGN radio in Chicago, and RFD-TV is carried by various networks throughout the U.S.As one of the leading speakers and consultants on AgriTourism, Direct Farm Marketing, and AgriMarketing, Jane is often asked by the media for her assessment of the industry.
Locavore News-Canada; Are Locavores for Real?
Sustain Ontario, Feb. 23, 2010
Is the flurry of interest in locally grown, locally raised and locally processed food just a passing fad? Not likely — the food sector is a long way from meeting the wants of locavores. I’ve heard all the arguments.... These are real hurdles. But doubters underestimate the vigour of the locavore movement in North America and fail to appreciate what is driving consumers who are attracted to local food.
Marketing Expert Eckert Headlines Minnesota Grown Winter Workshop, USAGnet.com Feb. 18, 2010
Agriculture marketing expert Jane Eckert is a returning headliner to the Minnesota Grown winter event and this time she'll help direct marketers navigate social networking sites. Eckert's presentation will focus on how to bring more customers to your website and how to convert those site visitors to more on-farm customers. She'll also offer ideas on how to successfully direct market ag products in the current economic climate
Utilizing Social Networking Sites to Market Produce
Asian-American Press, Feb 19, 2010
Agriculture marketing expert Jane Eckert is returning to headline Minnesota Grown, a winter event and this time she’ll help direct marketers navigate social networking sites. A Day of Marketing workshop will be held March 11, 2010 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Great Lakes Farm Expo Explores
Social Media in Agriculture
Mlive.com, December 9, 2009
"A few years ago, we wanted to bury our heads in the sand and say, 'oh, it's just for kids' or 'oh, it's just a fad,' " Eckert said. "But word is getting out through social media much more than you know, if you are not tracking it."
Learning from An Agritourism Guru
Govt of Alberta, Agriculture & Rural Development
December 8, 2009
This fall a number of agribusinesses had the opportunity to learn from Jane Eckert, who is known as an agri-tourism guru. One of those people was Doug Livingstone, who along with his family, operate Red Feather Ridge, a 6000 square foot conference centre and retreat in the Vermilion area. I spoke with him about what he learned from the experience.
Learning from An Agritourism Guru
Govt of Alberta, Agriculture & Rural Development
November 26, 2009
Earlier this fall, a number of agri-businesses had the opportunity to be mentored by Jane Eckert, who is known as an Agri-tourism guru. One of those people mentored was Xina Chrapko with En Sante Winery, which is Alberta’s first and only organic winery. I spoke with Chrapko about why she wanted to be part of the mentorship program with Jane Eckert.
$300 a Night, But Haying Is Free!
New York Times, August 25, 2009
"...Of course, there are those who might say throwing bales of hay is a stupid way to spend a vacation — especially a vacation where the accommodations cost $332 a night, tax and fresh eggs included.
They might also say I was a fool to pay the farmer an additional $35 so I could dig up the beets and carrots she would later sell at a farmers’ market. It did have a little of that Tom Sawyer fence-painting quality to it. But I got a little education in the process. And I got to keep a pile of spectacular Tuscan kale, some tender stalks of fennel and a few crookneck squash."
Pick-Your-Own Produce Makes Buying Local Easier and More Enjoyable, PR Web, July 9, 2009
This summer, visit your local farms at the height of fruit and vegetable season where you can pick-your-own produce, eat healthy and buy local. Thanks to the Web site, Rural Bounty, families can discover agritourism destinations throughout North America who offer the unique experience of picking your own strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, apples, pumpkins and even Christmas trees.
Kansans are banking on tranquil aspects of rural life to attract tourists, The Wichita Eagle, May 3, 2009
The only thing better than living on a dead-end road in the country is living at the end of a dead-end road in the country. "It doesn't get any more peaceful than that," said Flint Hills rancher Jan Jantzen. He's banking on it. Literally.
Living the luxe life down on the farm
MSNBC.com, April 10, 2009
When was the last time you awoke to a rooster’s crow? How about milked a cow or gathered eggs for breakfast — while on vacation? It’s an experience that more travelers are seeking out, as the concept of taking a farm vacation becomes increasingly popular.
“The trend that’s driving this is people want to leave an urban environment and get into a country setting,” says Jane Eckert, creator of RuralBounty.com, a Web site that helps travelers find “agritourism” opportunities, from pumpkin patches to bed and breakfasts.
Agri-Tourism: Rediscovering fresh air and outdoor fun Farm Scene, Mitchell Advocate, 4/7/09
Skyrocketing input prices and uncertain product prices have led farmers to look into alternative markets to make money. One of the places they're turning to is agri-tourism…and it looks like the public is following them to the farm gate.
Agritourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the Canadian and Ontario rural economy. In fact, a 2005 study commissioned by the Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association estimated on-farm marketing is a $116-million business in Ontario. Helping the agritourism industry in North America grow is a new website called Rural Bounty. It serves as an online directory of farm fresh products and services in Canada and the United States.
Agritourism expert to speak in Watkins
Star Gazette, 3/23/2009
Carmella Hoffman of Sunset View Creamery in Catharine knows the benefits of tying together agriculture and tourism. As a cheesemaker producing and selling on the family farm, Hoffman is a big supporter of the concept of agritourism, and of Jane Eckert, an agritourism expert coming to Schuyler County in April.
"She is a dynamic speaker who knows the tourism business inside and out. I enjoy her information so much that I also subscribe to her e-mail newsletter," Hoffman says of Eckert.
Eckert will be the moderator for an Agritourism Conference and Workshop on April 7 at the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel.
Les producteurs agricoles invités à participer à la Caravane du marketing, New Brunswick Agriculture, 2/10/2009
Les producteurs agricoles du Nouveau-Brunswick sont invités à participer à un atelier sur le marketing direct qui aura lieu à Memramcook le 11 février 2009.
Trois spécialistes de renommée internationale, Jane Eckert, Lori Colborne et Brent Warner, prononceront des conférences lors de l'atelier, présenté dans le cadre de la Caravane du marketing 2008-2009. Ils aborderont de nombreux enjeux relatifs aux produits et services de marketing dans le secteur agricole.
Grow Healthy Profits with Jane Eckert, Peace Country Sun, 1/2/09
Jane Eckert, internationally renowned farm direct marketing guru, is coming to Alberta on Feb. 18. Jane, an agrimarketer and marketing consultant from St. Louis, MO, opens the second annual “Step It Up” conference in Red Deer with a targeted and timely presentation, “Knowing the Direction You Are Heading Will Grow Healthy Profits.”
America's Authentic Farm Vacations
Forbes, 11/19/08
Jane Eckert, president of Eckert AgriMarketing, tries to help farmers discover their inner business savvy through direct-to-consumer marketing and agritourism. While there are no comprehensive statistics on agritourism, Eckert estimates that 60,000 farms are open to the public. Some of her more successful clients have made millions on a combination of retail sales and agritourism by capitalizing on trends to buy locally or address environmental issues in food production. And then there are water cooler bragging rights.
Farms Are for Lovers
New York Times, 11/02/2008
For their wedding at Oz Farm in Mendocino County, Calif., Kate Schatz and Jason Pontius came up with unusual gift baskets, which included head lamps, flashlights, walkie-talkies and other items better suited for construction workers than teary-eyed guests. But this was a farm wedding, without hotel-like amenities, and the couple from Oakland, Calif., wanted to make the 30 or so friends and relatives staying the weekend as comfortable as possible.