Unique Niches: Agritourism in Britain and New England
by Ellen Rilla
Director, Marin and Sonoma Counties
University of California Cooperative Extension
Table of Contents
Section 3: Farm Holidays in Britain
Section 4: Agritourism in New England
Section 5: Other Ranch and Farm Accommodations in the U.S.
Executive Summary
In March 1997 I left my positions as director of the University of California (UC) Cooperative Extension offices in Marin and Sonoma counties for a 10-month sabbatical leave. While a portion of my time was spent taking training courses to upgrade my computer, Internet, and community facilitation skills, most of my time and energy was focused on investigating farm or agritourism. My purpose was to explore the possibilities for development of this type of farm venture in West Marin and Sonoma County. I met with and interviewed 16 local people active in agriculture, interested in agritourism or active in community development prior to my trip.
I focused on farm or agritourism in England and selected states on the east coast of the United States based on my research into activities in these areas. I hoped to visit areas that were similar to our farm communities in size, scope and attitude that had developed tourist ventures on farms that were profitable. My aim was to see how these activities might be transferred to our area and to expand my knowledge of this type of venture. The terms "farm tourism" and "agritourism" are used interchangeably, as preference for use is different geographically. In England, the term farm tourism is used; on the East Coast, agritourism is used. For consistency, I use the term agritourism throughout this report except where I describe the formal title of a group or project.
I met and interviewed 100 persons active in this area. While the majority were farm entrepreneurs, some were officials involved in the effort such as tourism agency staff, park officials, producer association representatives, farming union members, and extension staff involved in agritourism.
What I discovered was that engaging in agritourism might be considered by a minority of farmers and ranchers, perhaps 20 to 30 families in Marin and an equal number in Sonoma County. However, for those who do seek to supplement their farm incomes with this type of venture, it can be very rewarding. The farmers whom I perceived to be the most successful in their operations shared a set of important qualifications: an outgoing personality that enjoyed interacting with the public, a property that was attractive and organized, a product (activity based, object, or service) that people desired, and a customer base that was available and consistent.
The other most important ingredient for success was whether or not the farm entrepreneur had the support of the local community. Those who were most successful had an infrastructure that nurtured them. In England, this support came from the National Parks bolstered by European Community (EC) grant funds for farm assistance. Along the East Coast supporters included tourism district staff, local Cooperative Extension staff with tourism and small business development expertise, and local elected officials who were aware of tourism, especially in Vermont.
We have some of these ingredients here in the North Bay farms of Marin and Sonoma: bright, outgoing people, an accessible base of potential customers, good ideas and the work power to carry them forward. Plans for integrating what I learned include conducting direct marketing workshops on agritourism in Marin and Sonoma counties; and a grant proposal to the Marin Community Foundation and other sources to fund a multi-year agricultural diversification, marketing, and educational project. The project will tie together Agricultural Summit recommendations and lessons learned within the scope of this project.
Recommendations Summary
A summary of recommendations is provided here for consideration. Detailed recommendations can be found in Section 6.
1. Complete the zoning revision process that will allow farm Bed and Breakfast (B&Bs) to exist within A60 zoning in Marin County. Also complete farm stand zoning revisions.
2. Organize and hold at least one direct marketing workshop including agritourism in West Marin; hold a second workshop of Sonoma County entrepreneurs.
3. Develop an agritourism marketing brochure and accompanying web site for a variety of organizations, producers and their products, accommodations, events, and places in Marin.
4. Encourage Point Reyes National Seashore staff to incorporate more farming information into educational aspects of their visitor services.
5. Ensure that agritourism is presented on the county wide tourism advisory committee and that more coordination is developed between all aspects of the tourism market in Marin.
6. Fund a multi-year farming diversification project to continue efforts begun at Agriculture Summit in 1997
Section 1: Study Organization
The primary purpose of my sabbatical study was to obtain agritourism information that may be applicable and useful to agriculture in West Marin. Two key questions provide the basis of the study: 1) what type of agritourism might best be transferred to our local setting? 2) what key variables and considerations must be in place in order for agritourism to become a viable choice for interested farmers and ranchers? A secondary purpose was to gather information for developing California materials for Cooperative Extension and other interested farm advisors.
Farmers are looking for alternative approaches to maintaining profitable agricultural enterprises and are considering agriculture and nature based tourism activities. Agricultural tourism, or agritourism, is defined as "a business conducted by a farm operator for the enjoyment and education of the public, to promote the products for the farm, and thereby generate additional farm income" (Beall, 1996). There may exist an economic opportunity for West Marin farms and ranches (and areas in Sonoma County) to increase farm profits by developing several agritourism operations in addition to their current operations.
I focused on agritourism in England and selected states on the east coast of the United States based on my reading and research into activities in these areas. I visited areas there that were similar to our farm communities in size, scope and attitude which had also developed profitable tourist ventures on farms. My aim was to see how these activities might be replicated in our area and to expand my knowledge of this type of venture.
Contacts
A colleague at Cornell University was completing a doctorate on the English parks model and knew several key managers in England. I wrote to them asking for assistance in organizing my visit. Based on their feedback and suggestions I narrowed my focus to three areas of England near national parks that were similar to West Marin. My criteria for selection included distance to large metropolitan areas, number of visitors to area, size and type of agriculture, rural setting with small villages, and of course, the local people and their willingness to host me.
I met Norm Bender, an Economic Development Specialist with the University of Connecticut during an Agriculture in the Environment Conference in Boston in 1995. In his presentation he described a survey he had conducted to assess farm interest and current activities in agritourism and subsequent grant-funded development of agritourism opportunities in 26 counties in Eastern Connecticut. He put me in touch with Bob Townsend, an Extension Specialist in Community Development in Vermont working in this area, and Diane Kuehn at New York State University at Oswego. With their assistance I organized a fall tour of agritourism ventures in Connecticut, Vermont, and upstate New York.
Methods
I began with a literature search to identify suitable locations in both locales and spoke with colleagues and others knowledgeable in the subject. Art Mills, formerly with the Marin Community Foundation, referred me to a contact at the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. The foundation had sponsored an exploratory tour to several of the national parks in England looking at voluntary private recreational opportunities with landowners for public access. While this was not my focus, their trip report indicated that there was quite an active agritourism program in and around the parks.
I developed a questionnaire that I used for all my interviews. I used these questions and general format while interviewing 16 local farmers, ranchers and officials prior to my leave in 1997 and for the 54 persons I interviewed in Britain and the 30 persons in Connecticut, Vermont, and New York. The focus of the questions changed depending on whether the person was in business or just considering. I organized the interview responses in this report by question asked except where case studies are highlighted. Interview summaries are provided rather than individual interviews. More detailed copies of interviews are available by request.
I conducted my interviews in person. I also photographed various agritourism activities, shot 20 rolls of film and was given a mountain of materials to take back. My report is a distillation of all this information.
In Britain
The majority of my time was spent in England, so most of my references are to English farms. However, I did visit and interview farmers in Wales and Scotland, part of Britain and in the Republic of Ireland. Abbreviations used repeatedly are listed for the readers convenience in Appendix G.
My style for collecting information varied. I usually stayed 7-12 days in each study area except when traveling from place to place. The greater the familiarity with a given area, the more information I found I could glean. Each park had set up a long itinerary of places and farms for me to visit. After arriving at a location I called several farms in the area to schedule my visits. I did not use a tape recorder as I thought it would be too formal and intrusive. Each interview lasted about one hour; sometimes they went on for half the day if the farmer was enthusiastic. We generally walked the farm and toured the agritourism venture if feasible.
I brought a small photo booklet describing the West Marin area in pictures that I used to introduce the topic as well as a copy of the Sonoma County Farm Trails map and the Select Sonoma County magazine. I also brought a small map of the Bay Area showing West Marin's proximity to it as well as a brochure of the Point Reyes National Seashore. I carried black and white photo notecards of Marin agriculture that the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) sells and theme bandanna which I gave to people who had spent time assisting me. They were surprised at how similar our area looked to theirs and how rural it was. Note: most foreigner's stereotypes of California include Baywatch, Southern California beaches, and Disneyland.
I tried to meet with farmers who were well connected in the community and highly regarded. Usually they were the local committee contact for the National Farmers Union or the Countryside Landowners Association. Some of my best experiences were completely unplanned such as meeting the top dairy producer in the Peak District area at the Monday cattle market in Bakewell or participating in the drive and shearing of 300 sheep on the Flower's farm in Alstonefield. Many of these opportunities simply occurred because I had decided to stay exclusively on farms.
My free time was spent walking through the countryside which led to more farmer contacts and great experiences since the "countryside" is composed of farms which are accessible to the public along a 35,000 mile system of paths and bridleways.
My husband, Patrick Laherty, accompanied me and was a great asset. He was especially adept as cook, driver and computer support. Many small farms are using computers either for their businesses and/or children and in some cases Patrick's expertise and willingness to help was our invitation back for dinner.
On the East Coast
I followed a similar protocol during this portion of my investigations. In the three weeks I was gone I traveled 2,300 miles, shot six rolls of film and interviewed 30 individuals active in the agritourism market in Connecticut, Vermont and upstate New York. Most were farm operators but several were Extension or Sea Grant agents with expertise and experience in agritourism. I spent approximately five days in each state and each of my state hosts had arranged well developed itineraries.
In Connecticut, Norm Bender had a chance to revisit several farm operations that he had surveyed in 1995; in Vermont I participated in Bob Townsend's Farm Tourism workshop held at the Sheep and Wool festival in Killington and in New York, Duncan Hilchey of Comell's
Farming Alternatives Program let me "paw" through his extensive files on agritourism for several hours.
I returned with a suitcase of materials that will be useful in planning workshops and for sharing with interested workshop participants.
Outcome
Was my primary objective met? Yes and more! I certainly learned a great deal about alternative income ventures on farms as they relate to tourism. But just as important I was vividly reminded of the importance of "pride in place". Time and time again, communities I visited were concerned about the importance of maintaining their livelihoods and their farms. Declining economic conditions and the transition of the land to their children increased their interest in alternative enterprises.
Agritourism is by no means a panacea for all farms looking for additional income. In fact, it may only be an option for a handful of farm families, and it supplements the farm income but does not replace it. Because agriculture and tourism are two of the most visible activities presently occurring in West Marin, I believe there is a natural fit and window of opportunity for those interested. A recent paper on the effects of tourism on agriculture in Hawaii shows positive effects as agricultural products have diversified and agritourism based attractions supported local communities with revenues and employment (Cox, 1994).
One of the biggest differences I noted between England and the U.S. is the level of awareness by public officials of how important farms and farmers are to the maintenance of the beloved landscape. In England, it went beyond elected officials' rhetoric to the daily planning and oversight functions of government staff. This is partially due to the fact that England has few publicly owned parks and so depends on farmers to maintain areas designated as national parks. England's financial assistance program makes it more palatable for farmers to respond to the restrictions placed on them for being part of that park.
Dissemination
The products of my study are this report and a slide presentation on my research. I have prepared several versions of the slide show for different audiences. One is for interested landowners and the other for planners and public officials. If there is sufficient interest I will organize a local workshop on the potential for agritourism in the area.
I am preparing specific articles for publication in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program Technical Review, the MALT newsletter, the Select Sonoma County newsletter, the Farm Bureau Sonoma/Marin Farm News and other venues.
Acknowledgements
None of this was possible without the support of my hosts in England and on the East Coast. I am also indebted to Linda Garcia, who did my two jobs in Marin and Sonoma while continuing to do her own. Grateful thanks also to the office staff, volunteers and advisors who covered for me; to my employer and supervisor, the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Nicki King; and the Boards of Supervisors in Marin and Sonoma Counties. My time abroad was immensely stimulating and informative. I gained valuable experience and information and am returning a very renewed and invigorated employee.
Section 2: Background
Ranchers in West Marin and along coastal Sonoma County face challenges as they work to produce animal and plant products, earn a living, and maintain farmlands for present and future generations. These challenges result from the changing nature of commercial agriculture, economic downtrends in the dairy and beef industries, the high cost of land, limitations of natural resources, urbanization of the area, and a continuing need for farmers to identify new sources of income. Ranchers also face strong economic pressures to consider selling land for development. Even in cases where development rights have been sold, landowners may have difficulty keeping their lands in active agriculture.
Diversifying Farming
Since the February, 1996 agriculture diversification workshop sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension and co-sponsored by various agriculture support groups, interest has been growing in exploring a variety of paths to diversifying both the type of agricultural products Marin provides and the manner in which they are produced.
At the Marin Agriculture Summit held in February 1997 participants indicated that the highest priorities for action include: preservation of farmland, a regional marketing strategy that promotes Marin County farms and products, and enhancement of sustainable and environmentally sound farming practices. Included in this was interest in agritourism and a regional marketing approach similar to Select Sonoma County or other regional programs active in Northern California.
An indicator of recent success in this area includes the opening of the Tomales Bay Food Company in Point Reyes Station, a retail store selling mostly regional food products. As owner Sue Conley wisely puts it, "we're hoping to feature the products of the region, so we'll use beef from Niman Schell, olive oil from Nan McEvoy's ranch and milk from Straus dairy to make cheese on-site...and tourists and people walking through this building can make the connection ... that there's agriculture right here so we have a balance in our local economy...if there are farmers here who are interested in looking at bringing a product to market, I would be glad to try it in our place."
Marin agriculture, valued at $47 million annually, has been primarily an animal based industry with approximately 45 dairies and 110 beef/sheep operations countywide. In the past ten years, a growing shellfish industry has developed in the waters of Tomales Bay, and nearby estuaries, some within and adjacent to the Point Reyes National Seashore. This park is the only national park in the nation that allows dairying within its boundaries. It leases the land to former owners who were bought out when the park was established in 1974.
Organic and market produce operations are growing. Community supported agriculture (CSA), garden produce operators who market directly to Marin families, have grown from one to five operations in the past year and currently provide weekly food baskets to 277 families. Increased competition, cost restrictions, uncontrolled predators, and rising operating expenses all strain the dairy, beef and sheep industries. This economic forecast is exacerbated by the fact that most of the agricultural land is in large (500 acre) parcel sizes with 3rd and 4th generation family ownership. It is difficult to start up a new operation for those without access to land, and for landowners, it is difficult to switch to another livelihood.
Water is a limiting factor in some areas. Most ranches have reservoirs and developed springs for animals, and there are restrictions on drawing summer water from local creeks. While Marin has some flat areas with deep alluvial soils for growing vegetables, much of Marin is a hilly peninsula with steep hills and ridges. There is an ongoing effort to assist farmers and ranchers to diversify their operations including leasing land or partnering with start up produce operations.
MALT, a nonprofit organization, has been buying development rights or conservation easements since its inception in 1980 with public supported funds. MALT now holds easements on 35 ranches totaling 26,000 acres. According to the Farmland Press Report (Bowers, 1996), both Marin and Sonoma County continue to place in the top five counties nationally for agricultural preservation or purchase of development rights. Aspects of the regulations governing agriculture in A-60 zoning are currently under revision in Marin County and may make it easier to diversify operations with ventures such as roadside stands and farm B&B Inns. Note: A-60 zoning designation in agricultural areas allows one building right per 60 acres.
In 1994, the county supervisor representing West Marin, proposed the purchase of development rights on 38,000 acres of private lands on the east side of Tomales Bay north to Bodega Bay. Sponsored by local Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, the federal bill ( H. R. 1995) is titled "Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act." The bill is an attempt to obtain funds to purchase more development rights since MALT funds are almost depleted and there is a waiting list of willing landowners. However, the bill has had mixed reviews and has not obtained full support of landowners who live within the proposed boundary. Regardless of the outcome of the bill, local agriculturists need a diversity of options to choose from if they are to remain sustainable into the 21st century.
Characteristics of Tourism in California
Tourism is the largest industry in the world and is growing. Annually, there are 2.2 billion tourists spending money in the areas they visit.
Visitors to California spent $57.8 billion in 1996 on accommodations, food, attractions and shopping. The following list of statistics indicates how important tourism is to California and may provide marketing insight and focus to "on farm" tourist based ventures (California Trade and Commerce Agency, 1995):
Travel and tourism provided employment to 658,000 Californians, generated $2.1 billion in state tax receipts, and $1 billion to local jurisdictions.
- California is the most visited state in America;
- More international travelers visit California than any other state;
- $6 billion is spent in California by international travelers;
- Californians comprise 83% of domestic travel within the state;
- Travel volume was largest in July, August and December in California;
- The San Francisco Bay Area (57 million) and the Los Angeles/Anaheim Area (94 million) accounted for 54% of domestic travel to California.
Non-resident travelers to California spend more, on the average, per person per day than do resident and U.S. travelers in general. Because non-resident travelers are more likely to come from greater distances and stay for longer periods of time, they therefore spend relatively more on necessities such as transportation, room and food. The average daily expenditures of non resident leisure travelers was $105 per person per day as compared to California resident leisure travelers at $71 and U.S. leisure travelers at $78. Non-resident travelers to California spend a greater percentage of all travel expenditures on transportation while resident travelers spent more in areas of food, shopping, entertainment and rooms.
Non-resident travelers take longer trips (4-5 days) and stay in paid accommodations. (versus camping) while resident travelers were more likely to travel for getaway weekends and go hiking and/or biking (t5%). The majority of leisure travelers to California (41 %) and US leisure travelers are between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. Twenty five percent of leisure travelers to California were 50 years and older. While most non-resident travel peaked in the summer months, the resident travel was well distributed seasonally (California Trade and Commerce Agency, 1996).
Tourism in the North Bay
In 1997, more than $454 million was spent by tourists on accommodations in Marin. Tourist dollars spent in Marin increased by $ 1 00 million between 1991 and 1994 and a similar trend occurred in Sonoma County. Over 4.5 million visitors are reported annually at the Point Reyes National Seashore (2.5 million) and state parks (2 million) in Marin. The Olema Campground reported I million visitor days in 1996 and it has been calculated that over 41% of the 16 million annual visitors to San Francisco travel over the Golden Gate Bridge into and through Marin County (B. Blum, personal communication, 8/ 21/97). It is estimated that during winter whale watching season over 6,000 travelers visit the Point Reyes Lighthouse.
Marin's transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenues reflect growth in the West Marin area. Unincorporated TOT receipts increased from $679,827 in 1991 to $1,168,968 in 1997, nearly doubling in six years. With a flat tax rate, some increases could be attributed to increased accommodation rates and number of accommodations, both which reflect a growth market. Half the tourism income comes from overnighting so marketing focus should be on keeping visitors here for longer periods.
In 1994, more than 4.1 million people visited Sonoma County and spent $819 million; 83% for pleasure and recreation. They spent an average of $150 daily and 45% traveled with children. The Sonoma County Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCCVB) and its sister organizations in Sonoma Valley and the Russian River area are focusing their primary TOT advertising efforts on California travelers and secondly, on Bay Area travelers, their two largest visitor clusters (Lauer, 1997). SCCVB's Destination Sonoma County committee is working to increase Monday through Thursday lodging requests.
In July, 1997 an informal survey of overnight accommodations was conducted by the SCCVB committee. Sixty-eight properties representing a total of 2,680 rooms were surveyed. Thirty percent of their customers were from the Bay Area, 25% were from California, and approximately 29% were a mix of Bay Area and out of state staying an average of two days. Almost half of the visitors polled were here for pleasure and 30% were here for business. Approximately 40% of SCCVB's customers heard about them through guidebooks, 14% via the Internet and 10% via public relations booklets. The results mirror the state tourism statistics. According to former Sonoma County Farm Trails Executive Director Betsy Fischer (personal communication, 8/22/97) both the majority of requests for the Farm Trails Map and the number of visitors to the "Weekend along the Farm Trails" event in October are from the East Bay and San Francisco Bay Area.
Sonoma County zoning ordinances for agricultural districts are currently being revised to address food service, retail sales, and special events. The agricultural industry is diversifying as vintners and farmers search for new ways to promote their products and boost their incomes from tourism (Appel, 1997).
The Sonoma County Economic Vitality Partnership selected tourism and agriculture as two of the most important economic development sectors in the county and is working to coordinate these two efforts in a more unified manner with the development of an agricultural marketer's clearinghouse.
Market Potential
Besides its natural scenic beauty, the single largest tourist draw in West Marin is Point Reyes National Seashore and the 35,000 acres of pristine farmland along the east side of Tomales Bay. The number of annual day visitors is estimated to be 2.5 million to Point Reyes and 2 million to the local state parks.
In the first phase of a multi-season survey conducted by Sonoma State University for the Point Reyes National Seashore, Chief of Interpretation John Dell 'Osso, stated that "We wanted to learn more about the types of tourists who visit the seashore." Questions were asked including "why did you come?; how long will you stay here?; where will you overnight?" The results of this survey when completed, should provide the park and others interested in area tourism with helpful planning information.
There are 300 rooms available in Point Reyes Station while Mendocino has 1,300 and Carmel I 1,000 (The Point Reyes Light, 3/7/96). One savvy B&B proprietor felt that the Point Reyes market was saturated with new start ups and that for a "farm" experience to be successful it would need to be the focus and not the weekend getaway. Another B&B operator I spoke with felt the market along the Marin/Sonoma coast was not saturated and that there was "plenty of room for growth." This was especially true for the weekend market and all operators struggled with the midweek market. She added that you had to work to provide a mid week niche, which in one case was promoting business meetings for up to 100 people (N. Duffy, personal communication 8/97).
Outside of Point Reyes Station there are a few overnight accommodations available for the car or biking tourist traveling north along the coast. There are several B&B accommodations in Tomales and Valley Ford, but the Marconi Conference Center at Marshall does not service or market to overnighters as it is a meeting and conference facility, as is Walker Creek Ranch. According to new planning regulation standards, which are under final revision, A60 zoned property can house up to a 3 bedroom farm B&B without a use permit given that other septic and business requirements are provided for.
Working farms and ranches offer a unique niche that a typical B&B does not. Visitors could experience the farm ambiance and a myriad of farm activities including: animals, seasonal births, feeding, shearing, harvesting, milking, and cheesemaking.
Marin County already has one opportunity for members of the public to spend time at a historical dairy operation and participate in farm activities. Slide Ranch is a nonprofit environmental education center located on the West Marin coast in national park lands administered by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The homestead scale farm is based out of the buildings of the I 00 year old dairy, and hosts weekday programs for school classes or other organized groups, as well as weekend programs for families. Activities include milking the goats, feeding the chickens and collecting eggs, working in the vegetable and flower garden, spinning wool and other farm related tasks. Overnight programs are also available. All programs are by reservation only, and the public demand for these opportunities far exceeds the site capacity. Weekday programs are frequently fully booked as much as six months in advance. Because of the high value these programs offer to Bay Area residents, the GGNRA has approved Slide Ranch's master plan to construct new program buildings, doubling the facilities size. In light of the success of this operation, it is reasonable to expect that there is a significant demand for other farm tour or farmstay opportunities in Marin.
Marketing to specific use groups should be explored. An estimated 50 million Americans ride bikes and it has become a $3.5 billion a year industry. While no estimates exist on the numbers of bicyclists passing through coastal Marin, it is a popular destination for long distance riders and weekend riders. There are three cyclist clubs in the area: Santa Rosa Cycling Club, Marin Cyclists, and Marin Singles. They total approximately 1,300 members. Club web pages inform other California riders about the area. In speaking with the president and several members (C. Eber, B. Oetinger personal communication 9/22/ 97), they mentioned riders coming down from the Sacramento area and then overnighting in either campgrounds or local B&Bs.
Another niche that deserves mention is bird watching. Nature or eco-tourism is one of the biggest growth areas in the travel market and birders make up the majority of those travelers. Globally, birders spent $8 billion last year. The Point Reyes area is described as one of the premiere bird watching regions in the country by the National Audubon Association. Birding accommodation guides such as The Birders Guide to Bed & Breakfasts (Van Hulsteyn, 1993) focuses on accommodations near birding areas that cater to birders.
An opportunity exists for interested farmers and ranchers in West Marin and coastal Sonoma County to provide farm based services to tourists while receiving a potentially substantial return. Critical elements for this type of venture include: sincere interest, a personality that is outgoing and patient, land and water resources sufficient to accommodate the chosen venture, capital for start up and conversion costs, and most importantly an accessible location. A service venture will never take the place of farming or ranching but could supplement the primary farm income for interested landowners.
Farm Interviews in West Marin
Sixteen ranchers and local officials were interviewed in winter, 1997. Ranchers were interviewed regarding their interest in developing tourist related activities on their properties while local officials were interviewed regarding their opinions on the potential for agritourism. The majority of ranchers interviewed were interested in accommodations or on farm retail sales, and all interviewees agreed that strong business or market potential existed in their area. Several ranchers cited the numbers of tourists or persons passing through the area. Two people cited the numbers of bicyclists riding through the area and the lack of facilities to house them once they left Point Reyes Station.
Several ranchers seemed interested in the idea of on-farm accommodations or were actively considering pursuing this type of business venture. Concern over assuming greater liability, and overcoming county regulation hurdles were the most common obstacles cited by those interviewed. Some officials cited the mixed reactions residents had regarding tourism in the area but felt accommodating tourists on farms or ranches had reduced impact on town centers.
Since then, two of the ranch families I interviewed have opened a farm B&B and a "Farm Stay" accommodation was developed in the Sebastopol area of Sonoma County. A Farm Trails member is considering an "Apple Ranch" B&B venture. Further conversations with the ranchers indicate that they need marketing assistance, want to grow their businesses slowly, and look at other special market niches to attract tourists to their farm B&Bs.
Section 3: Farm Holidays in Britain
The Agritourism Market in England
The severe economic problems facing British farmers is widely known. Both employment in agriculture and farming income has dropped significantly since 1981 and changes in the structural support to farmers from the European Community further threaten farm incomes. These changes not only threaten individual farms but the socioeconomic well being of entire rural areas. Tourism was identified as one of the key factors that might provide expanded income opportunities for farmers in rural areas.
Agritourism accounts for a small proportion of rural tourism yet addresses the problem of declining farm income at its source. An Exter University study on farm diversification (Exter, 1991) found that 19.7% of farms in England were providing a service enterprise. About 9.5% of all farms were providing accommodation or catering. While tourism accounts for only 2.5% of bedspaces in registered serviced accommodations and 8.5% of self catering enterprises in England, it provides a unique niche market that cannot be provided by the other accommodation sources. On average, accommodation enterprises on the farm created $10,720 in extra income in 1994.
Significance to Rural Economy and Environment
In the Farm Tourism Market study (Denman & Denman, 1993), researchers found that farm tourism was a strategic force in the rural economy. Of the farmers surveyed throughout England, 63% said that tourism income was vital to them and a similar percentage saw it increasing in importance in the future. Agritourism also retained families on farms as various family members had jobs that related to the agritourism enterprise. Though employing few people outside the farming family, visitors to farms spend widely within the immediate rural community (5 to 10 miles). It is estimated by local tourism authorities that two-thirds of farm guests spend twice as much again as they spend on their overnight accommodation. While many of the farmers I interviewed had been in the farm accommodation business for at least 10 years, the Denman study revealed that one-third of the farms involved had started their enterprises in the last five years.
Attractive countryside is the single most important resource for English tourism in both the domestic and overseas markets. The role of agritourism in helping to maintain the countryside and allow access to it has far wider implications for tourism. Agritourism maintained the "open space" or countryside by retaining the farm families on their land as custodians. More importantly, there is a direct commercial return to the fanner. There is also a growth market in "farm" style accommodations that offer peace and quiet, rustic accommodation, personal contact, simple activities and a connection to agrarian roots.
Agritourism also offers the opportunity to provide "sustainable" or "green" tourism. While it is car dependent and offers only small scale enterprises, it:
- re-uses existing buildings
- offers local initiative and control
- directly supports the local economy and local people
- integrates with other economic and social activities
- seeks to maintain the countryside and draws upon inherent nature of open space
- is small scale with little environmental impact
- and provides visitors with a genuine feel for the area they are visiting.
The revitalization of rural areas has also spanned a number of creative local based incentives and European Union (EU) grants to develop local producer associations such as the Exmoor Producer Association, and the Peak District Products Group. These associations are composed of food producers, artisans, and crafts people working together to promote a wide range of businesses that are producing goods in a rural region. Most produce a brochure that is available in local tourist offices or at a national park office in areas within the park boundaries. In the Peak District National Park, park officals were deeply involved in the development of the producer group seeing the economic health of the local people as critically important to its mission.
Types of Farm Accommodations
The types of accommodations provided by farms in England fit into three categories. The farm B&B, usually includes a bedroom (possibly an attached bathroom) in a farmhouse with breakfast provided. The pricing was generally lower than the higher end country homes and often appealed to families with children, dogs, or horses. It also appealed to individuals who wanted a more rural experience.
The second sort of acconunodation found on farms was a self catering unit. This was a attached or detached unit, usually a remodeled pig sty or converted barn. The unit typically had a small kitchen, sleeping area, and bathroom. It might be attached to the main farmhouse or was found across the barnyard. Basic amenities are provided upon arrival. The rental was typically from Saturday to Saturday for one week, or for long weekends. The unit was typically rented for the same overnight rate as the B&B, but didn't include breakfast. Most of the farmers I interviewed had converted their building(s) recently and seemed very pleased with the commercial success of the units.
The third type of farm accommodation was a camping bam or bunkhouse. This is a very rustic facility offering simple, dry accommodations for 8 to 15 persons with sleeping platforms and a cooking/eating area. The facility combined three objectives: inexpensive accommodations, supplemental income for farmers, and building conservation. The bams I visited varied in their level of accommodation with some providing indoor showers, fully equipped kitchen and electricity such as the Marsden bunkhouses in Peak District, to very rustic bams with no electricity, outdoor showers or bathrooms and a minimal kitchen area, such as the Low Skelgill Farm in Lake District. Typical users included backpackers, hikers, bicyclists, organized groups such as scouts or church groups, families or school and educational groups. Most of the camping bams were redundant bams that had formerly housed animals but were no longer in use. One third of the bams I visited had been slightly improved with EU grants that were received and coordinated by the local park or planning authority. Most camping bams were developed as part of a larger bam network typically within national park boundaries. Farmers received up to $17,000 to convert the buildings.
Following is a sampling of the price differences to illustrate the difference between value and return:
- Farm B&B Range: £15-25 (in British pounds) per person per night, which equates to $25-$45 per person per night or $50-$90 for a couple for one night including breakfast. The older B&B facilities tend to have separate bathrooms and the new conversions were attached due to growing demand (especially by American tourists).
- Farm Self Catering Unit Range: This tended to be similar to the above daily rate and typically ranged from £190-£390 seasonally for a seven night stay. This equates to $323-$663.
- Farm Camping and Bunkhouse Range: £3.25 - £7.00, which equates to approximately $5.50-$12.
There is an elaborate rating system (so British!) of keys and crowns that the various British Tourist Boards adhere to. The crowns apply to the level of service for bed and breakfast and the keys for a similar level in self catering units. Most farms I interviewed told me they could never get a rating over three crowns due to the nature of a farm versus hotel operation. Usually the higher the rating the more expensive the bill.
Centralized Farm Accommodation Organization
The Farm Holiday Bureau (FHB, 1996) was jointly formed in the 1970s by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Farmers Weekly, and the English Tourist Board to help farmers offset farm losses by developing farm accommodations. It is now a private membership organization with 95 different Farm Holiday Groups (FHG) totaling 1,000 farms in England, Scotland and Wales. Their attractive booklet, also published in French, German, Italian, and Spanish, provides basic information and a line drawing of each farm, how to reach the farm, general price range and tourist board rating. The FHB also has a web page you can visit to make reservations directly.
Each group selects officers, levies their own marketing fees for additional promotion, and organizes an accommodation referral service so that no tourist is turned away. Each year an accommodation secretary is selected from the group whose job is to keep up to date referral information available. The group's goal is to accommodate all of the people that call. If one farm is full, they can refer the caller to another farm.
While all groups belong to the FHB, each group has developed their own unique characteristics and standards that fit their areas. According to Joan Best, a member of a group in Wales "our group had determined that only working farms could be included in our group since so many country homes were attempting to use the word farm when they were no longer farming or in most cases, never had." They defined "working" as the land being actively farmed with a certain percentage of income derived directly from farming. The Exmoor FHB group was not so strict about this definition and interpreted it more loosely.
Photo: Camping barn situated in Lake District National Park. (Photo by Ellen Rilla.)
The Peak District Farm Holiday Group
One example of a group's savvy marketing is the Peak District Farm Holiday Group. This is a large group consisting of 34 members. They represent a total of 5,982 acres spread over 32 farms. Most farms range from 150 to 300 acres in size. Seven are exclusively dairy farms, but the majority have mixed animal operations. Eleven farms are within the Peak District National Park boundaries and 19 fall within the Least Favourable Area (LFA), a EU term usually referring to hill farming or poor soil conditions. Scenic appeal is created by the farming practices, the farmers, and the sheep beef and dairy cows.
With livestock farming being so dominant in the area the effects of the BSE crisis, or mad cows disease, are being strongly felt. There are policy limitations for diversifying into other nonfarming activities and natural limitations on alternative farming enterprises. Consequently farm based tourism is one enterprise farmers can adopt and its importance to individual farms should increase.
Approximately 50 million people live within one to two hours of the park and over 2 million overnight there annually. Farms have welcomed guests for a long time and during the 1970s and 1980s developed their FHB groups. The Peak group offers training to their members with workshops in computer skills, first aid, host program, business skills, accounting and marketing.
Some members added wheelchair accessible accommodations in their self catering units. At Beechenhill Farm, the Prince family indicated that their wheelchair accessible units were constantly booked. This group as well as others I met were keenly aware of the importance of providing fresh local farm produce. Most used their own eggs and milk and some had large gardens used to grow produce for their guest meals. In both the Exmoor and Peak areas new associations had sprung up to promote local producers, artisans and crafts businesses.
Sue Prince stated that, "one of our largest problems is lost bookings since all the members are so active in running their farms, they can't always be near the phone." Group members were encouraged by the recent addition of a FHB website which had increased bookings and inquiries.
Recently the group applied for and was awarded EU monies to help them increase business. The grant will pay for computer and fax purchases to enable more efficient booking and ultimately direct booking over the Internet. It will also pay to develop links and promotional activities with the local "producer" groups and to implement improvement plans for sixteen of the member accommodations.
Survey of Agritourism Operators
I visited a range of farm operations during my two month stay in Britain. I focused my interviews on English farms that I thought approximated those in West Marin: 100 to 500 acres in size, primarily animal based, run by 3rd and 4th generation families. I wasn't interested in a broad sampling of all the farm families, only those who had chosen to initiate agritourism ventures in the past 5 to 10 years or hadn't yet started up a venture but were in the process of doing so.
Most farms were a mix of beef, dairy and sheep with some arable grain crop. Several had large organic gardens used to supplement their B&B business. Most farms were within 50-150 miles of large metropolitan areas (e.g. greater Manchester, Liverpool, and Cardiff) and their agritourism venture was typically a B&B, camping barn, self catering unit or occasional farm tours. We did not discuss specific income levels only the ratio of farm to tourism activity. I also visited with active members of the National Farmers Union and the Countryside Landowners Association, two lobbying and political groups representing farmers in England and the rest of Britain.
Most of the larger agritourism activities, such as the Edwards Family operation that included six self catering units, a 40 unit caravan park, four farm walking trails, and a horse facility involved the majority of family members in some way.
All of my hosts were friendly, helpful, and anxious to tell me their stories and were very interested in the outcome of a similar effort in Northern California. They were surprised to hear that we had nothing similar as "Stay on a Farm" and assumed our farm operators were in a better financial situation than themselves.
Following is a summary of what I learned during the farmer interviews. A listing of farmers is provided in Appendix B (not available at this time on the web) and a more detailed copy of the interviews is available upon request.
What were the personal and family considerations in developing the enterprise?
All the farmers interviewed expanded their farm ventures for financial reasons. In addition to the added income they indicated reasons such as having a "home based business while the children were young" to "having something their children could inherit and run."
How did farmers determine what enterprises were most suitable and profitable for their situation?
This was primarily based on what they saw other farmers around them doing and what their time, interest and building infrastructure allowed them to do. In some cases it was an in-house B&B, others developed self catering units, and some developed a simple bunkhouse or camping barn. All of them grew their added farm endeavors over time as the business evolved.
Did farmers have liability insurance?
This was a given. Everyone had it, and it was usually purchased in addition to the farm policy they carried with the National Farmers Union (NFU), a similar organization as our state and national Farm Bureaus. All of them kept separate books and ran the farm enterprise and the farm accommodation enterprise as separate businesses.
How did farmers develop their facilities?
This was accomplished slowly over time; approximately half the farmers I interviewed had some grant assistance to convert their barns, usually up to a limit of £10,000 ($17,000), while the rest financed it on their own.
How did farmers develop their marketing plans?
Most stressed the importance of being a working farm and offering guests a "farm" experience which might range from viewing barnyard animals to helping with chores. All expressed the importance of spending time with their guests and the personal exchange of information and sharing of their lifestyle. They all agreed that being a member of a FHB or group was critical to their overall success since they didn't have the necessary marketing skills alone but could with membership in a larger effort.
Some offered paid educational farm tours for school groups that guests could join, some treated guests as members of a large extended family and so had a very large repeat customer business, while some simply offered local produce at the meals, farm animals for viewing, information about the farm and a quiet rural setting.
What was their financial outlook?
For some it was an entirely family run business where each family member played a role. For some the farm could not be sustained without the extra income from the additional business; for others it had grown to approximately 50% of their entire farm business. Income ranged from 20 up to 60% of their current total farm income.
What was once a seasonal business has become year-round. Most had 40-60% year-round occupancy rates and were anxious to increase their businesses.
Where did they get help? What was the relationship like with authorities? Did it help to be within a national park?
Most had mixed responses. Yes, it helped being in the national park because its a destination for tourists and a perfect marketplace and no, because there are so many regulations and so much bureaucracy.
While all agreed that they were heavily regulated, subsidized, and needed permission to do anything on their farm, few complained that local regulations prohibited them from expanding their farm ventures. No one I interviewed was prohibited from converting to an accommodation venture. Only the size and scope were limited.
At least half the farmers resented the fact that they had to comply with the extra regulations involved with being part of a national park but most had taken advantage of the conservation grants offered by the farm and countryside service arm of the national park they were part of. Most of the farmers I interviewed were children when the park boundaries came into effect in 1951 and thus it had always been a part of their lives.
In addition, an overwhelming number of farmers interviewed agreed that the primary keys to success for starting an endeavor included these essentials:
- training
- group membership in marketing, such as the FHB
- support of community generally
- and specific regulatory support from the planning arm of local government.
Case Studies of Four Agritourism Operators
Westermill Farm
Located in the heart of the Exmoor National Park, Westermill Farm is a 500 acre farm owned by Jackie and John Edwards. Jackie was instrumental in starting the FHB unit in her area and traveled throughout England helping other FHB groups get started in the 1980s. John has been a district and county councilor for over 35 years. While their enterprise evolved slowly, they currently have six holiday cottages (self catering units) and a large camping or caravan park area. They also run a large mixed sheep/beef operation. The whole family is involved in the farm and farm tourism operations. While their primary motivation is monetary they are also interested in sharing the beauty of their area with others. They hope to turn the farm over to their sons and daughters when they retire and see the farm tourism as a necessity to realistically accomplishing this goal. Today, the agritourism is 50% of their farm income; the other 50% is animal farming.
Gateham Grange
Gateham Grange is a 150-acre mixed beef and sheep operation situated in the Peak District National Park. Both Theresa and Robert Flowers, the farm owners and operators, come from local farm families. Theresa is the current accommodations secretary for the local FHB group and Robert is active in the local NFU. "We bought the property 13 years ago and decided to convert two of our redundant barns to holiday cottages or self catering units because we had to in order to make it work financially," said Theresa.
They did receive some assistance to convert one of the units, and are in the process of converting an off site barn into a camping barn that will sleep up to 12 people. Fifty percent of their farm income is derived from the agritourism portion of their business. Theresa indicated that her business is almost exclusively British and practically year-round from March through November.
Photo: Westermill Farm walking brochures.
Thorp Farm
Thorp Farm is a 158-acre dairy farm situated in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park. It is owned and operated by the Marsden Family, Jane and John and their four sons. It has been in their family for four generations. They milk approximately 150 Holsteins and run several hundred sheep. They decided to convert two barns to bunkhouses as they needed the extra income.
They also decided to do bunkhouse style barns, which are a bit more upscale than the typical camping barn. Guests bring their own sleeping bags and food, but all utensils, cook facilities, toilets, showers and bunk platforms are provided. Electricity is included in the price of the rental which is £6 ($10) per night or twice the price of camping barns. The Marsdens advertise in the youth hostel, climber, and walker magazines. They have a 50-60% occupancy rate with 40% from clubs, 30% climbers, and 30% other organized groups who typically rent the whole bunkhouse. The Marsdens run educational farm tours with their son, Jonathan.
Low Skelgill Camping Barn
With encouragement from the national park authorities, she opened a camping barn on her property by converting the old attached horse stable two years ago. She is part of a 10-barn network within the park boundaries. The conversion cost her £I0,000 or $17,000, as no grants were available, but the booking service, advertising and promotion is provided by the park for a nominal fee. Her occupancy rate is approximately 50% year-round, primarily from groups who rent the whole barn. She charges £3 per night ($5) for up to 12 people. She also serves breakfast for £3 ($5) extra. She thought it will take two to three years to recoup her investment.
Photo 1: The Thorp Farm bunkhouse kitchen. (Photo: Ellen Rilla.)
Photo 2: Travelers enjoying breakfast. (Photo: Ellen Rilla.)
General Consumer Reaction
This section provides a summary of consumer reaction to farm accommodations in England as described in the Farm Tourism Study (Denman & Derunan, 1993).
Farm B&B/Self Catering Units
Responses of visitors to farm B&Bs indicated that people look for a specific experience different from other forms of accommodation. The primary factors in choosing farms are: attractive rural setting, peace and quiet, and value for their money. Other factors included wholesome breakfasts, interaction with the fan-n family and information about the farm.
Results also indicated a large existing market that wanted a quiet rural farm experience particularly for young and retired couples. There is also a growing market for a family experience most likely to be filled with self catering units. Almost 16% of visitors were business visitors at farm B&Bs. They tend to come off season and during the week and seem committed to the concept. The business visitor profile includes independent business people who want something different than a motorway motel. The right location for easy access was critical for business visitors.
Other markets include local fresh produce, the "farm" experience of seeing and being around animals, and taking walks around the farm. The following is a good example of a farm B&B whose owners are promoting their assets and uniqueness in their farm brochure:
Camping Barns/Bunkhouses
Most of the camping barns and bunkhouses in England are situated around or near the 11 national parks, where visitors are looking for alternative accommodations. Most are reserved by groups of at least 10, and 20% had repeat customers. The groups tend to be church, school or some type of educational group. Most traveled by car to the site, with biking or walking as the next most common