Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Northern New Mexico Agritourism Corridor:
Results and Report of Survey Activities
January 2013
Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship
Contact: [email protected]
THE NORTHERN NM AGRITOURISM INITIATIVETHE NORTHERN NM AGRITOURISM INITIATIVE
The PartnershipThe Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship, the MRCOG AgCollaborative, Bernalillo County, USDA, and RDC/REDI have partnered to build a core group of agritourism sites that will attract people to north and central New Mexico. The partnership aims to build economic opportunities that align with our cultural values, support local food production, and increase revenue opportunities for farmers. The initiative is providing support to local food and farm enterprises in six counties: Bernalillo, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Taos.
The project includes three phases:
1.) Product development (2012 and 2013)
2.) Marketing (2013 and 2014)
3.) Innovation and expansion.
This report provides a summary of the work and activities undertaken toward product development.
Specifically, the results and analysis of recently completed outreach, and an extensive questionnaire.
According to national agritourism expert Jane Eckert,
“Agritourism is the crossroads of tourism and agriculture: when the public visits working farms, ranches or wineries to buy products, enjoy entertainment, participate in activities, shop in a country store, eat a meal or make overnight stays."
!""#$%&#"'()*+,-'
.%/01&"2'(3456)*+7-'
8/#59:;'<1$1=#>31";'(:9//1";-'
THE AGRITOURISM MARKETTHE AGRITOURISM MARKET
USDA Census
State Support of Agritourism
The most recent USDA Census (2007) reports 23,350 farms offering agritourism and outdoor activities, totaling $566 million in annual revenues for farms. This number is expected to grow as the heritage and culture tourism market expands.
The heritage and cultural traveler spends more and travels for more days when on vacation. On average, heritage and cultural travelers spend 30% more and travel 5 days instead of 3 while on travel. Combining these data with the increase in travel by car suggests that agritourism will continue to prove a viable strategy for rural and urbane communities determined to maintain their agricultural heritage and outputs.
States vary in their agritourism activities, policies, and levels of support. However, states are becoming more organized and more competitive in this emerging market. In several states Departments of Agriculture and Tourism are collaborating to provide funding and policy support to agritourism operators. Colorado passed C.R.S. 38-13-116.7 in 2011, allocating $300,000 annually to support agritourism endeavors; Oklahoma has enacted legislation approving an Agritourism Revolving Fund. States are passing legislation that defines agritourism operations, limits liability for operators, and improves road signage. Overall 26 states have passed agritourism legislation that will strengthen their competitiveness in the marketplace.
“Travelers are very willing to pay for a
unique ‘farm to fork’ type experience.”
Percent of Farms in Area with Income from Agritourism
SURVEY & QUESTIONNAIRESURVEY & QUESTIONNAIRE
Outreach and Farm Visits
FAM Tour
Questionnaire
To gain an in-depth understanding of the needs of growers and market venues we conducted outreach, an online questionnaire, and online research into current national agritourism trends and data.
GCCE visited over 40 farm and/or market sites (see Appendices for complete list of Sites Visited). Additionally, GCCE participated in AgCollaborative meetings, met with regional and local policy and tourism leaders, and hosted a “FAM” tour.
The FAM (familiarization)Tour engaged local tourism and policy leaders in a realistic agritourism tour. The day-long trip was hosted by Santa Fe Walkabouts and included 9 participants. Four sites were visited: Purple Adobe Lavender Farm, The Feasting Place, Centinela Traditional Arts, and Estrella del Norte Vineyard.
After the FAM Tour was completed and a majority of farm/agritourism sites had been visited, and after a thorough review of relevant research, a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was developed by GCCE and J. McEntire llc between July and September, 2012. A test version of the questionnaire was distributed in September by e-mail to ten persons representing producers, markets, and support organizations; eight responded. Feedback from the test respondents led to a few corrections and adjustments to the questionnaire.
The final questionnaire was open for responses from October 6 to November 20. The questionnaire was “advertised” through email blasts, announcements at meetings, and at farmers markets and during visits to sites. The questionnaire was made available through the online survey service, SurveyMonkey.
Limitations of the questionnaire include that it was only available in English and only online.
FAM Tour in Abiquiu
Centinela Arts
RESULTS: INTEREST IN AGRITOURISMRESULTS: INTEREST IN AGRITOURISM
41 Questions
160 Respondents
The questionnaire included 41 questions addressing a wide range of topics including:
• Growers’ interest in agritourism as an added revenue stream;• Diversity of experiences (products)currently available in the region; • Readiness of agritourism sites to receive tourists;• Current marketing activities of agritourism ventures; • Existing knowledge about, understanding of agritourism issues;• Existing technical support available for agritourism entrepreneurs;• Gaps in technical assistance and/or skills to support agritourism; • Relevant topics and information for an agritourism training.
We received responses from 160 people. Of these respondents: 63 = “I am a farmer/rancher and/or I produce goods with agricultural products.”
19 = “I work for a market venue, farmers' market, restaurant, winery, CSA, Co-op, other.”78 = “I work with an agency or organization that supports farmers and food businesses, or I'm an individual supporter.”
Of these Farmer/Rancher/Producer group, 33 currently offer agritourism activities, while 22 more would like to offer agritourism on their farm or ranch. Only 9 are not planning on engaging in agritourism.
Additionally, there is strong interest in learning more about how to grow agritourism success:
Would you be interested in learning more about marketing activities that attract more
visitors to your agricultural site or market venue?
Yes
No
Not sure
33 currently offer agritourism activities
on their site.
RESULTS: PRODUCT OFFERINGSRESULTS: PRODUCT OFFERINGS
47 Growers,17 Market
Venues Described Their “Claim to Fame”
The wide array of experiences for tourists range from outdoor enjoyment to community engagement to traditional culture. A sampling includes:
• Explore progressive orchard practices• See radical sustainability and subsistence horticulture • Tour a cattle ranch• Visit American buffalo and Himalayan Yak herds • Volunteer at “farm for food bank” • Purchase heritage poultry, feather crafts• View 500 varieties of iris• Discover 85 historic fig tree types• Walk in sunflower fields • Eat fresh chile at festivals• Join planting parties in the spring• Taste a wide variety of unique fruit• Milk a goat • Grind blue corn• Canning and jam making• Community acequia activities• Rent a casita on a farm • Eat authentic traditional Pueblo food• Feel community cheer at Farmers Markets
!!"#$%
&'"#$%
()"#$%
(*"#$%
+!"#$%
+&"#$%
+*"#$%
What types of products do you grow and sell?
Vegetables
Fruit
Flowers or plants
Herbs and spices
Grains, seeds or legumes
Honey, other bee products
Meats
Dairy products (8%)
Nuts (6%)
Wine or Beer crops (5%)
RESULTS: PRODUCT OFFERINGSRESULTS: PRODUCT OFFERINGS
READINESS, CAPACITY TO HOST VISITORS
How often is your business open for visitor activities?
Farmers and growers’ sites vary in their readiness to host visitors. Best practices in agritourism suggest that regular opening hours and clear and visible signage are essential for success. Unfortunately, agritourism is a seasonal business, farmers are subject to weather, seasons, and the resulting available experiences (u-pick, garden tours, etc.)
Respondents varied in their regularity of opening dates/hours: 53 are open “Varies by month or season”, 23 are open 2-7 days per week, and 23 are open only for special events.
As we strive for market competitiveness, agritourism sites across the region will do well to collaborate and organize so we can collectively provide a diverse and accessible array of products. Additionally, we need to engage outdoor tour operators more effectively as their hunting, fishing, and birding operations compliment the current seasonality of experiences we offer.
Number of farmer/grower agritourism sites offering the following:
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Drinking water
Visitor Parking spaces
Restroom for public use
Picnic tables or resting area with benches
External signage directing visitors to your location
Language spoken - other than English
Signage on site (Way-finding / parking)
Wheelchair accessibility
0 5
10 15 20 25 30
Farm
tours
Classes o
r worksh
ops
Public visit
s on sp
ecial
Open fo
r visit
s most
of
Children
's acti
vities
Volunteer a
ctivitie
s
Special e
vents
U-pick
Roadside f
arm st
and
CSA custo
mers visit
Shopping for p
roduce
Restaura
nt
Lodging
Camping
Shopping for w
ine or
Fishing/h
unting
Horseback
riding
What types of farm or agricultural experiences do you currently offer? Check all that apply.
RESULTS: MARKETING ACTIVITIESRESULTS: MARKETING ACTIVITIES
Growth Opportunities
Currently, the majority of agritourism visitors in the region stem from locales within our region. This likely reflects the fact that the majority of farmers/growers/producers market themselves through local farmers markets. Thus, advertising and marketing campaigns that target visitors from outside the region will likely increase the number of tourists visiting our sites from neighboring states as well as origins beyond the southwest.
Advertising in southwest region food and wine publications, development of google and facebook ads, and implementation of a geomapping-based application or website is essential to reach beyond our current market to tourists passionate about food and farms, authentic experiences, and regional cultures.
Where do you sell your agricultural products? Check one or more.
Farmers Market
Local Stores
Local Restaurants or Pubs
Wholesale
Online - my own website
Farm stand / Onsite Gift Shop
Other people's websites
Nursery
Local Lodging
Wineries
Where do you think most of your customers come from?
Our local community
New Mexico
Surrounding states (CO, AZ, TX, UT)
USA
International
RESULTS: MARKETING ACTIVITIESRESULTS: MARKETING ACTIVITIES
A noticeable opportunity for our agritourism marketing is the current lack of use of Facebook and Google ads. Only 3% of respondents use these low-cost, highly targeted ad tools. Yet the marketing budgets of sites indicates these tools are likely their best “bang for their buck.”
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0%
Less than $50
$50-$250
Over $750
$250-$750
Approximately how much money do you spend each MONTH marketing your products and services?
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0%
0-5 hours
6-15 hours
16-30 hours
31+ hours
Approximately how much time do you spend each MONTH marketing your products and services?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Word of mouth
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc)
Listings of tourism events, sites, activities
Our website
Newspaper
Newsletters
Google Ads
Facebook Ads
How do most people find out about your business?
RESULTS: GAPS IN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCERESULTS: GAPS IN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Taxes and Zoning
Managing a successful agritourism endeavor requires extensive knowledge of both the marketing and product side of the business, as well as the mundane aspects related to taxes, regulations, and zoning. Additionally, we have been told in interviews with agritourism operators that zoning challenges have made sales channels such as farmstands illegal in certain counties, and tax codes for retail sales of products or classes (GRT applies) vary as compared to fees for produce sales (no tax).
Operators need to be both aware and accountable to these regulations. Additionally, as a collective, we need to stay abreast of these challenging topics --like changes in county zoning laws -- that impede the development of a robust local food and agricultural sector so we can collectively advocate for sensible policies that support our communities and heritage.
Human nature being what it is, respondents declared the least knowledge and the least interest in issues related to taxes and zoning. Our trainings will cover these topics despite their relative lack of appeal.
0 5
10 15
20 25 30 35 40 45
Marketing and sales assistance
Website and social media planning and
development
Coaching on developing
agritourism for my site
Site preparation, signage, customer
readiness
Accounting and bookkeeping
assistance
Zoning / regulatory information
What types of technical assistance would you be interested in?
!" #!" $!" %!" &!" '!" (!" )!"
Building codes Insurance
Zoning codes Permits
Sanitation codes Taxes on visitor-related activity
Very knowledgeable
Knowledgeable
A little knowledge
No knowledge
In relation to having people visit agritourism sites (farms, farmstands, markets), how knowledgeable are you about the following topics?
RESULTS: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDSRESULTS: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDS
The below chart shows the relative lack of technical assistance for farmers working to diversify their income streams. This indicates a need for further training and support for agritourism entrepreneurs. While a wide range of support organizations offer assistance to agritourism operators, the key areas that seem to be overlooked are in research, financing ventures, and diversifying income.
GCCE will provide agritourism entrepreneurship trainings to address these gaps.
Financing
Options to diversify income stream
Research
Youth development for future farmers/producers
Business development training for growers/producers
Preservation of agricultural resources
Policy advocacy and development
Marketing and technical assistance
Classes or tours that feature local food, products
Media, marketing, or publications
Events that feature local food, products, and beverages
Networking opportunities
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
What types of services do you provide to support local growers and producers?
!"
#!"
$!"
%!"
&!"
'!"
(!"
)!"
Collaborating with other farmers, market
venues, and food producers
Support in reaching more customers from outside New Mexico
Assistance in using technology to reach
more customers
Support in improving our branding and sales operations
Assistance in using technology to
improve our business efficiency
How interested are you in receiving the following services from an agritourism support organization?
Not interested at all Interested Very interested
ANALYSIS AND SUMMARYANALYSIS AND SUMMARY
Barriers
Survey Team
Agritourism is an expanding value-added market for agricultural producers. As New Mexico offers a wide variety of experiences, and as our unique culture and heritage delight visitors, this market is a clear fit for our state.
However, several barriers stand between us and our potential success:• We currently lack sufficient statewide support to increase our
competitiveness against other states’ initiatives in this market• Local regulations fail to take into account agritourism needs and
opportunities and squash our competitiveness in this market• Our region’s marketing approach is scattered and fails to leverage new,
low-cost technologies• Advertising needs to be targeted to culture/heritage travelers in print,
online, and through social media• Farmers and producers are not collaborating to collectively build a
diverse and seasonality-immune product offering• more diverse products are currently not recognized or engaged in the
agritourism community - horseback riding and hunting tour companies as an example
• Our support organizations tend to duplicate one another’s efforts• Farmers and producers need to develop a more sophisticated
understanding of regulations and taxes that affect their potential success• Our farm and producer sites lack signage.
Over the next 12 months GCCE will work to provide training and technical assistance that builds farmer/producer capacity and knowledge related to the above issues. Toward this ends we will:1.) Build a Core Mentors Group with outstanding agritourism entrepreneurs providing support and advise to emerging agritourism entrepreneurs;2.) Offer trainings to farmers/growers/support organizations in Agritourism Entrepreneurship in Albuquerque, Española, and Taos;3.) Advocate for increased statewide leadership on regulations and policies that affect agritourism, and follow best practices of states across the nation.
Alice Loy, PhD, and Selena Marroquin, Global Center for Cultural EntrepreneurshipAnn Simon and Tiffany Terry, Mid-Region Council of GovernmentsBernadette Miera, Bernalillo County Cultural ServicesJoanne McEntire, J. McEntire LLC
Contact: [email protected]
Appendices
Agritourism Sites VisitedAgritourism Sites Visited
Fred and Ruby’s Orchard La Chiripada Winery
Talpa Gardens Española Farmers Market
Los Poblanos Estrella del Norte Vineyard
San Felipe Farmers Market South Valley Growers Market
Chimayó Weavers El Bosque Garlic Farm
Pena Blanca Sunflowers Dixon Studio Tour
Bernalillo Farmers Market Casa Rondeña Winery
Black Mesa Winery Cerro Vista Farm
Molland Gardens Romero's Orchards
Abiquiu Studio Tour Purple Adobe Lavender Farm
Mesilla Valley Corn Maze Montoya Orchard
Mer Girl Gardens Nob Hill Growers' Market
ABQ Downtown Market New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
Armijo Farmers Market Organic Farmers Conference
Blue Corn Guys Don Quixote Distillery & Winery
Taos Arts School The Feasting Place
Los Lunas Farmers Market Los Ranchos
Santa Fe Farmers Market Uptown Farmers Market
Gutierrez-Hubbell House Matt Romero Farms
Vivac Winery New Mexico Acequia Association
New Mexico Wine Growers Association Taos Cooking Studio
Sostenga Gaia Garden
Centinela Traditional Arts
List of Organizations Supporting Agritourism in our Region
• Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau• Albuquerque Downtown Growers Market• Bountiful Conservation• Central Colorado Foodshed Assoc• Chamber of Commerces• Delicious New Mexico• Edible Santa Fe• El Chante• Farm to Table• Grower's Market South Valley Economic Development Center• Hubbell House• Il Piatto restaurant• La Boca/Taberna restaurant• La Montanita Coop• Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau• LGBTQ Resource Center• Los Alamos Farmers' markets• Los Poblanos Noticias• Master Gardeners• Mixing Bowl New Mexico• Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG)• Native Plant Society• New Mexico Farmers Market Association Pueblo of Pojoaque• New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce• New Mexico State University Ag extension• Open Space Visitors Center• Raza Graduate Student Association• Santa Fe Farmer's Market• Shabeta's Healing Garden and Healing Center• Sierra Co Farmers Market • SLV Local Foods Coalition• Taos Farmers Market• The Bountiful Alliance• The Mixing Bowl• University of New Mexico Sustainability Program• Village of Los Ranchos
