SENECA CO., N.Y. — Tourism is an integral part of the New York economy. Visitors generating significant economic benefits to households, businesses, and government alike represent a critical driver of New York’s future. This also includes Agritourism – a fast growing niche of the tourism industry.
As the public interest in sustainability and local agriculture grows, it provides farmers with the opportunity to capture this desire and expand their operations to develop an on-farm experience for the public. But having visitors on a farm and keeping them safe and happy requires knowledge and planning.
To help farmers build necessary skills, scale their businesses, and create sales while offering a fun and educational experience for public, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Agritourism Program Work Team, of which Seneca County CCE is a part, has organized a FREE monthly webinar workshop series aimed at farmers, food entrepreneurs, horse-farm owners and other Agribusinesses that would like to expand and grow their revenues by moving their purely agricultural operations to developing an entertainment farm for the public to enjoy.
During the workshops, industry experts will discuss tactics such as connecting with visitors through strategic marketing, zoning regulations, risk management, pricing and growing a customer base, to scaling up and build a successful entertainment farm business.
Once a month, throughout 2023, participants will be able to join a virtual, lunch-hour session. Each session will cover a specific topic, with the first session covering the basics of running an agritourism operation. Participants can join the entire series or select topics of their interest from the list below. August to December topics will be released later this year.
January 17: What is Agritourism and Starting an Agritourism Business
February 20: Where is Agritourism allowed?
March 20: Protecting Your Agritourism Operation: Liability and Insurance
April 17: Customer Service for Agritourism
May 15: Tax Considerations for Agritourism
June 19: Pricing: Figuring out what your customers will bear
July 17: Marketing Your Agritourism Operation
Pre-Registration required and can be found at: www.senecacountycce.org.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting. All workshops will be recorded, and links shared with the participants.
Sponsor: Cornell Cooperative Extension Agritourism Program Work Team
Please contact Lindsey Pashow, lep67@cornell.edu or 518-569-3073 or Judy Wright, jlw24@cornell.edu with any questions.
With over 100 years of serving the people of the County, Seneca County Cornell Cooperative Extension puts to practical use the scholarship and research of Cornell University and the national land grant system in the areas of agriculture and food systems sustainability; nutrition, food safety and security, and obesity prevention; 4-H youth development, and children, youth , and families; environment and natural resources, sustainable energy and climate change; and community and economic vitality. The office is located at 308 Main Street Shop Centre in Waterloo. For more information about this and other programs, please visit our website: www.senecacountycce.org, our Facebook pages: @CCESeneca, @SenecaCounty4HNY, @WildHarvestTable, @CCESenecaF2S, and contact us at 315-539-9251 or email seneca@cornell.edu.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Seneca County