South Carolina Midlands Agritourism community outreach initiative

1. South Carolina Midlands Agritourism community outreach initiative Amanda Bollinger ENVR 790 MEERM Program University of South Carolina

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

9. “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.

10. Project Phases • Phase 1: SC Agritourism Information Gathering • Phase 2: SC Midlands Agritourism Marketing Handbook • Phase 3: SC Midlands Farm Tour (Future)

11. Timeline

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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!

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. COMMON AGRITOURISM MARKETING PROBLEMS • No visible road signs. • No website, Facebook or web presence. • Limited staff.

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

24. Agritourism Marketing Handbook includes: • Becoming familiar with surrounding market • Promotion and advertising • Image and partnerships in community • Product, Place, Price and Promotion

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

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