Churn up new ideas from three Kentucky farms on September 17
COLUMBIA, Tenn. — As many farmers make preparations to open their gates to customers for the fall season, other producers are analyzing ideas for new agritourism enterprises. Farmers looking to learn more about agritourism opportunities or improve existing operations are invited to join the Exploring Agritourism for Your Farm: On-farm Insights Tour.
Coordinated by the University of Tennessee Extension’s Center for Profitable Agriculture, participants will visit three Kentucky farms that will give insight into several aspects of agritourism, including value-added product marketing, on-farm retail, farm tours, special events and food service. Scheduled for September 17 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT, the tour will visit Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, Chaney’s Dairy Barn and Jackson’s Orchard.
“We are grateful to these farms for their willingness to share what they offer, how they integrate agritourism into their farm, and lessons learned as they guide us through their agritourism operation,” said Extension specialist Megan Bruch Leffew. “We will also use time with participants as we travel from farm to farm to share information about marketing opportunities, risk management, funding programs and technical assistance resources.”
Registration for the event is required as space is limited. With special emphasis on providing opportunities to dairy producers through funding available from the United States Department of Agriculture, dairy producers may contact Leffew for scholarship opportunities for registration and travel expenses.
The registration fee for non-dairy producers and other attendees is $45 per person and includes bus transportation from Cross Plains (Sumner County), Tennessee, and lunch and ice cream at Chaney’s Dairy Barn. Register online at tiny.utk.edu/ATInsights or learn more at cpa.tennessee.edu. Contact Leffew with questions at mleffew@utk.edu.
This event will fulfill one Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) Producer Diversification educational requirement for the following Producer Diversification sectors: Agritourism, Fruits and Vegetables, and Value-Added. Questions about TAEP should be directed to the TAEP Producer Diversification Coordinator at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at producer.diversification@tn.gov
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.