Entertainment farms that sell rural experiences instead of simply growing food could be the next big trend in agritourism, market gardeners told growers in Saskatoon in November.
Allen Schernus, who operates The Garden outside Calgary with his wife Norma, cited Knott’s Berry Farm in California as an example. It began as a simple fruit growing operation and is now a major American tourist attraction.
Schernus’s 90-acre operation is poised to expand from its current U-pick operation in flowers, fruit and vegetables to offer more service, experience and entertainment.
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But after 12 years in the business and a previous career as a horticulture instructor, he is looking for someone else to take the step toward agri-entertainment.
“We are more comfortable being farmers,” he admitted.
He and fellow market gardener Jane Eckert of Illinois offered advice on how to begin the conversion to direct farm sales of produce and the “country experience.”
Eckert’s Farms sites in Illinois are the largest U-pick operations in the United States, attracting one million visitors annually and employing up to 250 people.
Eckert said entertainment farms appeal to families looking to spend more time together and reconnect with where their food is grown. Most don’t want to drive too far, she said, so farms located close to large urban populations have an advantage.
Eckert said poor returns in farming drove her family’s diversification plan from a peach orchard to a large-scale gardening centre.
“If we had to rely on what the market would pay us, it wouldn’t pay us,” she said, noting direct marketing to consumers allowed them to set prices.
Schernus said capturing 100 percent of the retail dollar appealed to him, as did U-pick, which is a great labour saver for the farm. He chose strawberries as the main crop because of their popularity.
The Schernuses created an attractive out-door landscape and built a large indoor garden centre to get people out of the cold and rain and extend their season.
Highway signs pinpoint their location for motorists, while signs on the farm indicate what crop is ready and what will soon be ready to be picked.
Eckert and Schernus said targeted marketing was key to their success, but noted that word-of-mouth advertising from happy customers was the best promotion.
Eckert suggested cluster marketing, a plan to draw people to several activities in one area for a day-in-the-country experience.
Flyers have been largely ineffective for the Schernus operation, but he has achieved success by inviting customers to distribute pamphlets among family, friends and workplaces.
Eckert’s Farms offers special events like Easter egg hunts, mini golf and school tours at $4-$6 a person, while Schernus arranges similar special events.
It has also found a good cash crop of $4,000 an acre from rentals of small garden plots.
Eckert said market gardeners can charge a premium for the value of the country experience.
“You don’t have to underprice the experience,” said Eckert. “Farmers tend to undervalue what they grow.”
But she warned that operators considering this business have to accept what comes with increased traffic on the farm.
“If you see people on the farm as a disturbance, that will affect your business,” she said, noting pleasant personalities and well-trained professional staff are critical to an operation’s success.
Schernus said The Garden, whose business slogan is “good things come from the garden,” tries to focus its efforts on quality and service.
“We can’t compete with the big guys on price so we compete with them on the other two,” he said.
