In fact, the family farm has been saved in some cases, and some have become very prosperous from the method covered in this article. New rural home business and small business has sprung up from this strategy. Farm spouses have found a fun and prosperous home business with this method. And it doesn?t mean a current farm has to grow more or different crops.
The 21st century has brought a new opportunity for agritourism to add sometimes 6 digit incomes to the farm or rural home business, especially if it?s a farm engaged in either organic or eco-agriculture in some way. It?s also brought pleasant secondary income revenues to other farm and rural home business owners.
But it?s far different ? and far more enjoyable for you ? than what you might think.
Visitors pay to see or experience the farm just as it is ? an authentic farm. And they pay well as we?ll point out below. Agritourism doesn?t have to mean adding wagon rides, becoming theme parks, putting up with strange guests, or otherwise pampering and entertaining guests for income? unless that?s what you want to do.
Instead it can mean getting paid to show visitors (whom you genuinely like) something they?ll find no where else ? your farm. On a large dairy in Georgia, the owners created a huge secondary income by giving paid tours of the dairy to classrooms of children. Adult garden clubs, scout troupes, and senior citizen tours are other enjoyable groups that love exploring farms. This dairy warns potential guests that they may step in something that doesn?t complement their outfits. They don?t change who they are to cater to the guests, the guests cater to them.
It can also mean digging up long lost hobbies or second career passions to make more money right off the farm. On this same dairy, besides owning a dairy, the husband had also wanted to be a chef. He now offers artisan cheese classes on this dairy, getting to indulge in his passion for fine food while getting paid to create it and teach it to others.
A row crop farm wife who wanted to work from home rather than work in town to make ends meet also loved to make beautiful gardens. She set up a garden shop and small greenhouse nursery on her farm, and lures thousands of customers a year because they love strolling around her fun, themed gardens. She also offers gardening workshops to kids and adults. The garden, as well as gardening itself, is one of the country?s top hobbies, and those who want to work from home may want to tap into this passion others will pay for.
Agritourism income can mean adding very traditional ways make more money from the farm. When selling direct to the consumer, farmers get 100% of the profit. Pick your own (such as apple picking), roadside stands for farm fresh produce, on-farm gift shops, are all back in favor again in this century. Surveys show that old 20th century industrial agriculture forced non-farmers away from the farm, and now they crave a return to it. We?ve been agrarian for 10,000 years, and it?s innate in humans to want direct connection to the farm and farmer. Even conventional doctors are recommending more time in nature to children. Farmers can cash in on this.
Agritourism can mean making 100s or 1000s of dollars in a month or so, just to enrich the lives of young children, expose them to a farming career, and engage them in rural customs and traditions. It?s estimated that people will spend at least $20 when coming to the farm. Over the course of one month in October, a very small farm can potentially attract at least 200 visitors with very little advertising (if any), by alerting local schools, churches, and the general community with fliers or inexpensive classified ads of their u-pick rare pumpkins and other autumn ornamentals, and larger ones draw guests in the thousands, sometimes earning six digits during that month. Teachers love bringing their young students to the farm, and it?s common to charge at least $5 per head.
Some farm, rural home business, or rural small business owners go further with agritourism by rekindling their other hobby or career dreams and merging them with the farm. They may create an on-farm or rural folk school, bed and breakfast, farm fresh cooking school, or even teach others who want to start a farm. And not all bed and breakfast farm owners restore old Victorians. One farm owner in Idaho set up wall tents in her old orchard to make money. She only offered an outhouse and no running water. People come from states away to enjoy this unique experience. Others build cob cottages and draw paying crowds who want to experience sustainable building. Some farms make money by setting up tent camp areas. Some create a rustic bed and breakfast in a renovated barn.
Other green business or cottage industry ideas farmers or rural small business owners have come up with include renting their space for those holding events or seeking a green wedding. This can stand alone as a secondary home business for the farms to make money. Or it can overlap and do double or triple duty. The guests of the green wedding may purchase gifts from the farm store, become customers for the farm?s pick your own, pay the farm cook well to cater with farm fresh produce, and become future regular customers once they discover your farm. Agritourism, even when done occasionally, is one of the greatest marketing tools for a farm. And instead of the farmer paying for marketing, the marketing (via agritourism) is paying the farmer.
Farm and rural children develop pride in rural living when admiring guests come to the farm. They develop worldly confidence when they meet people from around the world who come just to see them and learn from them. In this way, agritourism even helps ensure the next generation will be attracted to starting a farm.
So, if you know a farmer or farmer?s spouse who wants to work from home, know of a rural community wanting to revitalize in a way that maintains its customs and traditions, if you?re currently a farmer or farmer?s spouse, want to start a farm, want to open a rural bed and breakfast or another rural home business or rural small business, explore The New Agritourism below. We?ve only barely scratched the surface!
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