Published in Fall 2023
By: Audrey Comerford, OSU Small Farms Program
The OSU Extension Service Agricultural Tourism team has coordinated efforts to form a Willamette Valley Agritourism Network specifically for farmers and ranchers who are currently operating or interested in adding on-farm direct marketing and agritourism to their agricultural business. The hope is to create a space for information sharing amongst producers, a safe place to ask questions, and a way to join together to discuss issues. To start, communicate will be through an email list-serve. If there is interest, the OSU team will help coordinate a few meetups each year to visit in person. There is no membership fee to be part of this network.
Not sure if this network is for you? Agricultural tourism (agritourism) is when you invite the public to visit your farm or ranch to sell agricultural products and promote the sales of products.
This may include:
• Direct Sales (farm stands/stores, U-pick/U-cut, livestock and fiber sales)
• Education (farm tours, classes/ demonstrations/ workshops, tastings)
• Entertainment (festivals, open farm days)
• Outdoor Recreation (hiking/walking trails, birding, horseback riding, hunting/ fishing)
• Hospitality (on-farm lodging, farm to table dinners, private events)
The network was launched in January and the team is happy that there is interest. In time, we would also like to offer opportunities to meet in person at various farms around the valley. We are committed to only adding active farmers/ranchers who are currently offering agricultural tourism or moving in that direction to the network. This group exists so that farmers have a way to share and learn together. It is a place to post questions, ideas, best practices, opportunities, or concerns.
If you are a farmer or rancher and would like to join, please go to https://beav.es/59V.
If you have any questions about the network or anything agritourism related, please feel free to contact Melissa Fery at [email protected] or Audrey Comerford at [email protected]