Education

In our highly urbanized society, people are interested in getting back to their roots and learning how their food, fiber and flowers are produced. Urban and suburban people also often view farmers and ranchers as experts, and are eager to learn skills they can use at home in their gardens and kitchens. Educational programming can include tours, classes, demonstrations, workshops, summer camps and participatory experiences - for adults as well as for children and teens. Here are some resources:

Fact Sheet: Conducting Farm and Ranch Tours, from the UC Small Farm Program
Guide: Agritourism Best Practices: How to Develop a Farm Tour, one of many great guides from the Vermont Agritourism Collaborative
Guide: Agritourism Best practices: How to Host Summer Camp, one of many great guides from the Vermont Agritourism Collaborative
Presentation: The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program, by Jessica Ridgeway, Live Earth Farm, Watsonville, CA
- Worksheet: Farm Based Education Program Planning, from Jessica Ridgeway, Live Earth Farm Discovery Program
Association and Website: Farm Based Education Network
- The FBEN is a free member network established to strengthen and support the work of educators, farmers, and community leaders who provide access and experiences on working farms.
- There are currently over 2,750 FBEN members from 48 states and 28 countries.
- Member farms are nonprofit, for-profit, and community-based, producing vegetables, animals, fiber, timber, and other living natural resource products.
- Member programs serve all ages from infant visitors with their parent, through K to 12 grades, to university students and adults throughout their lives.
Guide: Discover California Farms... ...at California Fairs!
- In 2013 and 2014, the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Division of Fairs and Expositions collaborated with the University of California Small Farm Program to organize 20' by 40' interactive, fun and educational exhibits at four different California District Fairs to teach about local farms, crops and farmers' markets and promote fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, flowers and honey to fair-goers.
- Project staff created a guide, based on the experience of the many farmers, educators, fair officials and community groups participating in that project. The guide is funded by a California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant, as part of the "Mobile Agriculture Education Exhibit" Project.
- The 22 page guide is available here as a downloadable pdf file: Discover California Farms... ...at California Fairs!
Presentation about the Centennial Farm, Orange County Fair
Soil Born Farms - Urban Agriculture & Education Project in Sacramento
Directory listing of California Farms offering Educational Experiences, from www.calagtour.org:

Bring on the bus tour!
Selling your agricultural tour to tour groups
Hilmar Educational display

"You are taking care of someone else's customers. 110 percent of the tour must shine! If something goes wrong, I didn't just lose that senior group, I lost the confidence of the tour company for the next three years."

Denise Skidmore, director of education and public relations for Hilmar Cheese Company, spoke to the Merced County Ag/Art/Nature Tourism group last month about marketing to tour group organizers, and to the tour companies who offer the tours to groups. She markets Hilmar Cheese Visitors Center educational tours, packaged with an olive oil tasting and a stop at one or two other agritourism operations, to tour companies who offer the tours to groups of seniors and other potential visitors. Visitors to Hilmar Cheese learn about the cheese-making process by touring the processing operations, enjoying hands-on educational displays that Denise has created and tasting samples, shopping and eating lunch in the gift shop/deli. Right now, she hosts about eight to ten groups per year. Denise offered a few tips to others thinking of attracting bus tours of visitors to their operations:

Make sure everything is well planned, that all facilities are extra neat, clean and attractive and that all staff are ready and attentive to the visitors' needs.
If you are offering packaged tours with stops at several operations, set one price for the tour company and arrange among the operators how to split the fee among the different operations on the tour.
Host free tours for group leaders who book tours, such as leaders of senior groups, so they can see what is offered.
Have enough restrooms for a busload of people who all want to go at once. Ten toilets may be right for a bus carrying 40 people. Be sure some of the toilets are handicapped accessible and that all facilities meet accessibility codes.
The visit is often short, so there may be a time crunch. Make the itinerary of the tour pretty short. You may want to have a driving tour for seniors, on the bus they came on. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to tour the 40 acres of Hilmar's operations on a bus.
Be aware of steps and walking hazards, particularly when hosting seniors. Don't expect seniors to do much walking for the tour; think of riding options.
Take them on the tour before you feed them, so they don't fall asleep while you're talking to them.
Set up different itineraries for different seasons or different months of the year, featuring seasonal harvests and activities, and be clear about the available dates and prices for each different tour.