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California AgTour Connections
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UC ANR Agritourism News & Notes
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July 2013
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Greetings!
We know you're busy, so thank you for opening this newsletter. It's been a while since the last issue. This issue includes updates from California counties changing rules and promoting agritourism, some reports from other states, a call for workshop ideas for the next California Small Farm Conference, a call for writers for our new CDFA blog, and some ideas and resources that may be of use to you. It was great to share agritourism planning strategies with many of you at Agritourism Intensive classes last winter in Sacramento, Merced or San Diego, and to talk with you recently about your plans turning into action. We hope to meet more of you this fall and winter at Agritourism Intensive classes we will be offering, in partnership with local organizations, in Monterey, Ventura and Riverside Counties. The classes are supported with funding from the Western Center for Risk Management Education. Don't forget to list your agritourism businesses and events on www.calagtour.org; visits to this site are increasing steadily. You are also welcome to post news of your events and activities, as well as thoughts relating to California agritourism, on our Facebook page (Hope you "like" the page) Please stay in touch and keep sharing your stories.
Sincerely,
Penny Leff, Agritourism Coordinator
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
Small Farm Program
530-752-7779 |
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Are you ready for "Agritourism Intensive" ?
Classes Fall/Winter 2013-14 in Monterey, Ventura & Riverside Counties
 Are you considering agritourism or nature tourism on your farm or ranch? Would you like to expand your agritourism or nature tourism business? This class is for you!These three-session "Agritoruism Intensive" courses, funded by a grant from the Western Center for Risk Management Education, will:
- Help you get started assessing your own farm or ranch for agritourism potential and planning or expanding your own agritourism business
- Guide you in updating your risk management plan and developing a marketing strategy to connect with your target customers.
- Feature local experienced agritourism operators, tourism professionals and other experts as advisors
- Include in-class and homework exercises, group discussions, networking, and a free comprehensive agritourism manual for each participant
We have offered similar classes, in cooperation with UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors and other local partners, in Glenn, Fresno, Sacramento, Merced and San Diego Counties. Here are some of the resources and presentations from the last series of classes. For more information, please contact Penny Leff, 530-752-7779. Dates and registration information will be coming to you soon.This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2010-49200-06203.
 
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CalAgTour.org directory and free event listing
You are missing out on some free publicity if your agritourism operation and events are not listed in UC ANR's  Agritourism Directory, CalAgTour.org. If you are a working farmer or rancher operating an agritourism business or organizing agritourism events, we invite you to complete the directory application or the event listing application online so we can include your business and events in the directory. Listings and event postings are free. The site is visited by thousands of people every month.
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California Counties agritourism updatesCounty support for agritourism is increasing in many regions of California, as the economic and educational potential begins to be recognized. County supervisors, economic development leaders and tourism professionals are joining forces with farmers, ranchers, planners and environmental health departments to encourage agritourism development on working farms and ranches in many counties. Here are a few recent changes:
San Diego to ease agritourism permitting  In late June, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously supported an agritourism initiative by Supervisor Dianne Jacob. Staff were directed to work on reducing regulations that could be barriers for agritourism activities, particularly those offered by micro-breweries using local grains and hops and cheese-producing dairies. The new ordinances may be modeled after the county's 2010 ordinance that made it easier for "boutique" wineries and tasting rooms to operate within county-controlled zoning. County planning staff will create a work plan in the near future to address the issue, with the San Diego County Farm Bureau assisting with the effort. For more information, contact Eric Larson, San Diego County Farm Bureau.  Riverside promotes agritourism with new website Riverside County Board of Supervisors provided funding and other support for a new Riverside County Ag Trail website, launched in February this year. Several county departments and agencies partnered with the Riverside County Farm Bureau and California Women for Agriculture to design the website and other promotional materials. The site features more than 100 stops, spanning 400 miles, including farms, wineries, farm stands, farmers' markets, fairs and festivals. "This is a great economic stimulus for Riverside County," said Riverside County Farm Bureau Executive Director Steve Pastor. "It successfully coordinates private enterprise with government agencies to promote agriculture, the backbone of the county." Riverside County date growers supply 90 percent of the dates grown in the US, and also enjoy serving date shakes to a growing number of visitors to their farm stands in the Coachella Valley, thanks to the new website.  Yolo County farmers push for change
The Ag Task Force of Capay Valley Vision, a group of farmers in the Capay Valley region of Yolo County, is currently engaged in a process established by the county to suggest revisions to proposed agricultural ordinances before they become law. After they learned of the new draft ordinances, the group met to discuss what rules they felt fair for agritourism, and, after achieving consensus, prepared a letter to the county planner detailing their suggested changes. They then took their case to each of the seven "Citizens' Advisory Committees" in different unincorporated communities around the county for support. (These committees were originally formulated to help draft the general plan, and are now consulted by the planning department about regulatory changes.) After gaining the agreement from most of the committees to write letters of support for the Capay Vision proposal, leaders of the the Ag Task Force then met with the the Yolo County Farm Bureau and Ag Futures Alliance. The Planning Commission will hold the first of two public workshops on July 18 to discuss the draft ordinances. For more information, contact Maya Walker, Capay Valley Vision staff, or Paul Muller, Full Belly Farm co-owner and Ag Task Force chairman.  El Dorado County revising Ranch Marketing Ordinance El Dorado County, the home of the Apple Hill Growers' Association and El Dorado County Farm Trails, is very close to finalizing changes to ordinances governing agritourism that will loosen some current restrictions. The latest DRAFT Ranch Marketing ordinance, and other parts of the "Specific Use Regulations" will, with support from local cattlemen, allow agritourism activities on grazing land for the first time. Also allowed will be more events and farm stays with up to three rooms as a "by right" activity. Activities allowed "by right" do not require land use permits, but still must conform with building and environmental health regulations. Some agritourism activities will be permitted year-round, instead of being limited to harvest time. For more information and updates, contact Apple Hill Executive Director Ann Wofford or El Dorado County Senior Biologist Chris Flores.Butte County's final zoning ordinances adopted November 2012
Butte County adopted the final version of a zoning ordinance with allowances for agritourism in the Unique Agricultural Overlay and in the Winery, Olive Oil, Fruit & Nut, Micro-Brewery and Micro-Distillery Production Facilities sections.  Tehama County defines agritourism allowed by "Administrative Permits" Tehama County is now issuing administrative permits--usually simpler and less expensive than major or minor use permits--for many agritourism and nature tourism activities on agriculturally zoned land. Activities covered in chapter 17.81 to the County Code include limited events, farm stays, glamping (glamorous camping), tours, education, picnics, wagon rides, petting zoos. Glenn County trying "Strike Team and Navigator" systemIn order to simplify the permitting and start-up process for new businesses in Glenn County, the county has adopted a "Single Point of Contact", in which one person will assist a potential business-person with navigating the permit and regulatory system. If you are considering developing agritourism in Glenn County, contact Yassi Lam, Business Services Coordinator, (530) 934-149
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Michelle Stephens (photo by Brad Zweerink/Daily Republic)
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Yolo and Solano Counties team up to hire Farmbudsman
Farmers and ranchers in Yolo and Solano Counties also have a person to turn to to help them with permitting and regulatory issues. Michelle Stephens, 530-863-9073, a fifth-generation cattle rancher from Calaveras County, is the newly hired Farmbudsman for both counties. Please share news from your county with us, so we can include more updates in the next newsletter. For more information about the process of changing agritourism regulations, and some examples of county general plans and ordinances relating to agritourism, see the Small Farm Program website section.
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State level support for agritourism - new web portal & blog
Writers needed - What's coming up in your region?
"Discover California Farms" page is now on the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) website - with links to our agritourism directory, farmers' markets, CSAs, farm trails, U-Pick farms, fairs, festivals and agricultural education... and you! We coordinate the blog on this page, and invite you to send us well-written, short informational blog posts, with pictures, about your upcoming agritourism events or activities. Please contact Penny about participating as a featured writer on this site - as a one-time event promotion, or on a regular basis. Let's use this opportunity!
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| Agritourism news from other states
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Farm Camp!
A few California farms show how it can be done
Remember summer camp? Of course you do! Some California farmers are creating life-long memories for children and youth, and diversifying their bottom line, by sharing farming activities in summer-camp fashion.  Chaffin Family Orchards offers a Farm Summer Camp program for two weeks in the summer, with 10 to 18 year old students setting up camp in ancient olive groves. Campers feed chickens, pick orchard fruit, move irrigation pipe, visit the farmers' market, milk a dairy cow, and also enjoy swimming, fishing and stargazing. This year, the camp for older youth (14 to 18 years old) will be a little more like a farm internship, says farm partner Chris Kerston, with the youth participating more intensely in farm production and marketing activities.To feed the campers, Chaffin Orchards contracts with a local restaurant to prepare meals and picks up the food from the restaurant every day. In Spring, Chaffin offers school camping on the farm, where school classes camp out and spend a few days learning about a real working farm. For these experiences, the school classes bring their own food and prepare it themselves. Suzie's Farm in San Diego offers Suzie's Summer Camps, a day camp program, rather than a sleep-over camp. Suzie's handles feeding the campers by asking that each child bring a bag lunch each day. The camps have different themes each week and different activities for the different-aged campers. Camp Director Melissa James says about the camp, "It's an amazing opportunity to provide to the community, and families are hungry for it. But running a camp is a lot of work, and you have to make sure that you have the right people to do it. I couldn't imagine farming at the same time." |
Workshop ideas for the California Small Farm Conference?
Rohnert Park (Sonoma County) - March 9 to 11, 2014
 Call for presentations and workshops - due August 1The California Small Farm Conference is looking for creative and dynamic presentations that educate and enlighten farmers, farmers' market managers and the local agriculture community. The mission of the California Small Farm Conference is to conduct an educational conference on topics relevant to family farming, direct marketing and issues related to agricultural sustainability. The next Conference will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Rohnert Park, CA, on March 9- 11, 2014. Workshops are chosen by the planning committee, which is made up of individuals from various organizations. Successful proposals are concise (250 words or less in response to each question) and focused on a timely topic. Additionally, our attendees like to hear directly from farmers. If you don't currently have a farmer on your panel, we can work with you to identify a good match. We may contact you to discuss combining your ideas with those suggested by another person. Submit your proposal online before August 1, 2013. Those interested in attending the 27th Annual California Small Farm Conference can get all the latest news and updates by "liking" us on Facebook where we regularly post news, photos, tips, and more. |
Coming Up Soon...
Conferences and educational opportunities
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 North America Farm Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) invites you to their Advanced Learning Retreat (ALR), hosted by Tweite's Family Farm, Byron, Minnesota, August 23-26, 2013 Read more
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A Few Funding Opportunities
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 Western SARE Professional & Producer Competitive Grants - up to $50,000 - proposal due December 4, 2013 -read more
- Western SARE Farmer/Rancher research and education Competitive Grants - up to $25,000 - proposals due December 4, 2013 - read more
- Western SARE Professional Development Program Competitive Grants - up to $75,000 - proposal due October 30, 2013 -read more
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Thanks for reading to the bottom of the page. Please stay in touch!
Penny Leff
UC ANR Small Farm Program
530-752-7779, paleff@ucdavis.edu
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