Amanda Bollinger

ENVR 790

MEERM Program

University of South Carolina

SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLANDS AGRITOURISM COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVE

Overview• Expected Goals and Outcomes• Key Resources• Project Phases• Methodology• Survey Content• Farm List• Farm Examples• Common Agritourism Marketing Problems• Agritourism Marketing Handbook• Accomplishments

Outcomes and Goals•Pitch agritourism option to those small farms that do not yet benefit from it.

•Give small farmers the ability to replicate successful agritourism strategies on their own farms elsewhere in the state.

•Give local small farmers a greater ability to use agritourism to generate extra income using what they already do.

Outcomes and Goals

•Create outreach between small South Carolina farms and their local communities.

•Educate South Carolina residents about local environmental friendly/organic/green/sustainable food options.

•Educate South Carolina residents about sustainability and the importance of the environment around them.

Faculty Advisors and Internship Supervisor

• Dr. Joe Jones • Director of the Environmental Genomics Facility at USC • Co-owner of Doko Farms

• Dr. David Lamie • Assistant professor at Clemson University• Contact at the Clemson Institute for Economic and Community

Development

• Eric McClam (Internship Supervisor)• Farm manager at City Roots

Important Resources

•Market Maker• http://sc.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/

•“Agritourism, Your Way: A How-To Guide for Successful Agritourism Enterprises” document• http://

www.clemson.edu/public/ciecd/focus_areas/agribusiness/programs/agritourism/agritourismresources/agritourismyourway.pdf

Market Maker

•Put together by the University of Illinois

• “Connecting willing markets and quality sources of food from farm and fisheries to fork”

• An interactive mapping system that locates businesses and markets of agricultural products in South Carolina, providing an important link between producers and consumers.

“Agritourism, Your Way: A How-To Guide for Successful Agritourism Enterprises” Document

•Complied by The University of Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development and North Carolina State Cooperative Extension Service’s Business Side of Agritourism Program Series.

•Guide to financial, legal and business planning aspects of agritourism.

Project Phases

•Phase 1: SC Agritourism Information Gathering

•Phase 2: SC Midlands Agritourism Marketing Handbook

•Phase 3: SC Midlands Farm Tour (Future)

TimelineDATE MILESTONES

November 2011 Begin Internship at City RootsBegin Project Plan

December 2011 Begin Phase 1Finish Project Plan

January 2012 Continue Phase 1

February 2012 Begin Phase 2Continue Phase 1

March 2012 Continue Phase 1 and 2

April 2012 Finish Phase 1 and 2Finish Internship

Methodology• Compiled Richland/ Lexington county farm list using local and online resources

• Created survey using general information questions, targeted interest questions and agritourism registration questionnaire from Market Maker

• Called and/or e-mailed farms on list

• Arranged farm visit if possible •Most visits lasted between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours• Attempted to schedule visits to farms in same area on same day

Survey Content• Hours of operation• Size of farm• Area composition (urban, suburban, rural)• Farm products and methods of selling (on-site, market, online)• Market participation• “Environmentally friendly” or “sustainable” practices• Online marketing participation• Numbers of visitors• Agritourism• Market Maker agritourism registration information

Farm List Resources•Online Resources•Market Maker• Alllocalharvest.org• Certified SC Grown member list• South Carolina Specialty Food Association member list

• Local Resources•Word-of-mouth• All-Local Farmers’ Market• South Carolina State Farmers’ Market

Farm List• Big Moon Farm• Bridlewood Alpacas• Busy Bee Honey• City Roots• Clayton Rawl Farms, Inc.• Clinton Sease Farm and Corn

Maze• Cottle Strawberry Farm• Crooked Cedar Farm• D&J Farm• Doko Farm• Eleazer Farm• Floral & Hardy Farm• Freshly Grown Farms

• GnomeGrown• Greener Acres Organic Farms• Heritage Fields Farm• Humble Farm• J&H Farm• James R. Sease Farm• Koon Farm and Lumber• Lever Farm• Sam’s Produce• Sandy Run Farm• Round River Farms• Wannabee Farms• Walter P. Rawl & Sons, Inc.

Problems That Arose

•Not all farms accepted visitors on-site•Farmers often too busy to deal with visit and survey•Tour scheduling of farms in same area on same day did not work out due to chaotic schedules•E-mailed surveys difficult to get back•GPS problems finding farms•Lack of clear signage to mark farm location•Many farms have never contemplated agritourism

Lever Farm (Pomaria, SC)• Products: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, vegetables• Size: 49 acres•U-pick operation•Website and Facebook• Field trips which bring in about 200-300 children each year• Community support!

Sandy Run Farm (Gaston, SC)• Products: milk and ice cream• Size: 10 acres• Area: rural• Cows are located in Pomaria and milked by a friend• Five different types of milk bottled•Many different flavors of ice cream• Sell to businesses and individuals (i.e. Orangeburg Piggly Wiggly, Blue Flour Bakery, etc.)•No website or Facebook page•No visitors or agritourism

Heritage Fields Farm (Irmo, SC)• Size: 10.5 acres• Area: Suburban• Products: vegetables and

flowers• Hours of Operation: from

“sun up to sun down”• Selling: On-site sales through

farm stand on “honor system”• Visitors: 900-1000 during

summer• Greenhouse with hydroponic

system• Drip irrigation• No current interest in

agritourism

Sam’s Produce (Leesville, SC)

•Size: 5 acres•Area: rural•Products: vegetables and pecans•Sells to individuals and at flea markets•Sells Fridays and Saturdays at “Traffic Circle”•Does not practice agritourism•Overproducing is a problem; not enough buyers for total crop

Big Moon Farm (Leesville, SC) • Products: vegetables, herbs,

beef, pork, turkeys, lamb, chickens, eggs• Area: rural• Size: 50 acres• Visitors: approximately 500

yearly• CSA program in suburban area• Agritourism• Farm to Fork dinners

• Classes

• Day Camp

• Current market strategies:• Facebook

• Word-of-mouth

• LocalHarvest.org

• Certified SC Grown

COMMON AGRITOURISM MARKETING PROBLEMS

•No visible road signs.•No website, Facebook or web presence.•Limited staff.

Project Deliverables

•South Carolina Agritourism Marketing Handbook•Create companion piece to “Agritourism, Your Way: A How-To Guide for Successful Agritourism Enterprises” document

Agritourism Marketing Handbook includes:

•Becoming familiar with surrounding market•Promotion and advertising•Image and partnerships in community•Product, Place, Price and Promotion

Agritourism Marketing Handbook includes:

•Best low-budget strategies and creative ideas

•Appropriate marketing for varying forms of agritourism

•Rural vs. urban agritourism marketing

•Case studies of what works well for farms currently practicing agritourism in South Carolina

Agritourism Marketing Handbook includes:

•How to appeal to different groups such as schools, community groups, parents with small children, etc…

•Example lesson plans for school groups by age

•Environmental/green/organic/sustainable marketing

•Co-ops with other small farms to sell and promote nearby farms’ produce and goods

Accomplishments

• Identification of farms currently using and not using agritourism

• Contact with local farms• Creation of survey materials• Creation of Richland/Lexington counties

agritourism marketing handbook• City Roots Internship

•Over 240 hours of internship work completed

Acknowledgements

• Dr. Joe Jones • Dr. David Lamie • Eric McClam