Manitoba Agri-tourism

The winner of the Direct Farm Marketing Door Prize is James Hildebrand of J & J Gardens. James will receive a free registration to next years Direct Farm Marketing Conference.

A big thank you to everyone involved with the 2010 Direct Farm Marketing Conference. The planning committee did an excellent job, the speakers were top notch and the audience provided great questions.

Celebrate Local Flavours was again a stellar event, with some of the best food we can grow here, prepared by an up and coming local Chef. We were also entertained by a strolling minstrel, for the evening.

The DFM website will be updated shortly with the presentations from the conference, and keep watching for information on the 2011 conference. Remember if you would like to join the planning committee you’re welcome to.

Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) is offering an opportunity for our tourism operators & partners to advertise travel offers on the Locals Know & Secretd’ici websites. Offers will be hosted in the Deals section.

This is a free opportunity to participate in the CTC’s Summer 2010 domestic campaign. The offers posted must be deals that reflect true value for customers. For example:

    Price point with added value *OR*
    30% off or more *OR*
    Bonus (2 for 1, 3rd night free, etc)

Deadline: March 8th 2010.

Any deal submitted after this date will be processed later in the campaign and will not be live for the launch.

3 easy steps to submit a deal:

     1. Create an account
     2. Enter the Deal(s) in both French and English in the system. You will also need to add a picture and your logo for each deal you submit. You have until March 8th.
     3. Submit – our team will review the deal & post it on the website, if approved

http://www.localsknow.ca/dm-login/

Below is a listing of some of the top farm blogs around, take a read though a couple and see if there’s something that you can implement at your operation.

• My Country Blog of This and That – This blog chronicles life on a small farm from a woman’s perspective. It covers subjects like the kitchen, the barn, the garden, and has some really amazing photos that she has taken. She also talks about her two basset hounds, roosters, goats, and more animals sharing the farm with the family. The site looks great and you can tell that she really enjoys life on her family’s farm.
• Lavender Chick – Lavender chick is a business woman that happens to live on a farm with registered longhorns (plus a husband, 6 dogs, 5 cats, and a cockatiel). She has some great pictures of some real Texas Longhorns including the birth of a claf. The pictures of the animals are really breath-taking. This one is a MUST SEE!
• Blessed Nation Ranch – This blog is all about raising godly tomatoes, 1 Dexter bull, 1 Jersey cow and bull, a Jersey cross bull, 3 pigs, lots of chickens, 1 dog, 1 cat, and more on the way. This is a very active blog with both a great Christian message as well as just some really well written stories. It’s a good read especially when you need a little cheering up.
• From London to Land Girl – What a great blog name! This blog is very well written and something that you are sure to enjoy reading. It details the life of a woman who got tired of living in London at a hectic pace and decided to do something about it. She moved to an eco farm and gave up some of the comforts of her big city life. She is really a gifted writer and her blog is simply a pleasure to follow as she encounters some things for the first time.
• Fruit of the Carolyn – This is another farm blog that will have you realizing just how talented some of these writers are. She writes about chasing four kids, living with and loving autism, gathering duck eggs, and milking Nubian goats. She is a writer and is currently working on a book. You can tell when you read her blog that her book will be a good one.
• Harvestin’ Blarney in Irish Grove – This blog had me reading post after post glued to my computer screen. It’s witty and interesting to see pictures of their farm and to follow along with the stories being told. He reveals a deep, dark secret that he does his morning chores in his PJ’s (pajamas). This is another gem for sure.
• David’s Farm blog – I’m not sure if this blog is more about adventure or farming. He has some great media on his site from combine demolition derby videos to pictures of pink tractors, they are a site to see for sure (especially the combine demolition derby video). He blogs about John Deere tractor pictures and clearly enjoys a good laugh. Now he is from Australia so check out David’s farm from down under.
• Farm Tales – She writes, she farms, and writes about farming everything that goes wrong and some things that go right. This blogger is an inkslinger (a gunslinger with a pen instead of a gun). Her articles are vivid and you can absolutely picture everything she is talking about. This is one farm blog that you will want to follow.
• Farmgirl Fare – From pictures of her dogs rolling around in the snow to cats and other farm snapshots, this blog is good, clean fun. She has an amazing number of really great recipes that both sound good and taste good (after sampling a couple… the Pear and apple crip dessert is amazing). There is a lot on this blog so set aside some time to give it a good visit, you will be glad you did.
• Backyard Homesteading – This blog is an interesting one with a great homepage and the writer has a very interesting writing style that really draws the reader in. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a lot of new articles on this blog in a while but it is definitely a great read complete with some interesting pictures of her kitchen and some views of her garden. Wait until you read about her force feeding peas to her husband… got to visit to get the rest of the story.

• Half Pint Farm – This farm is set in Vermont and there are some things on this blog that haven’t been seen in the other blogs (mulching the garlic is one blog entry). In addition, you can find some good recipes on this blog complete with step-by-step pictures as the finished product is being produced (very helpful).
• A View from the Green Barn – Well this is the greenest of the farming blogs, but not the youngest it’s been around since 2008 and has some great pictures from the farm and some wonderful gardening tips. Another great resource for recipes including how to make a homemade pumpkin pie (well the pie filling) and it looks really good so I hope you aren’t hungry. There is a good discussion about eggs on this blog as well as discussions about breeds of chickens and turkeys.
• The Fraudulent Farmgirl – How can you pass on a blog with that name? She has some good articles from selection of footware to waiting for the arrival of chickens on her farm. The articles are well written and she just sounds like a really fun person to get to know. You have to see the picture of her on her sunglasses, dog, and her ride. Fun!
• Tiny Farm Blog – The Tiny Farm Blog is not so tiny by blogging standards it’s packed with articles and pictures related to organic micro farming. The farm is an organic farm located in Ontario, Canada and he has gone through measures to become certified organic which is pretty interesting. He blogs all about it as well as selling his yield at a farmer’s market.
• Boucher Family Farm – This family farm is located in Highgate, Vermont and there is a great picture of the farm on the homepage of the blog. They have information on a wide variety of things giving you a pretty good feel for life on their farm from their walking pony to some of the food they sell at the farmer’s market.
• Eastside Farm Chronicles – Chicken Mama is the proud owner of this blog and it is different from many of the rest of the blogs in this list in that it really tries to chronicle for us life on the farm full of chickens, pets, and interesting anecdotes.
• Force Majeure Farm – This blog’s header states that they are “Losing Our Minds One Animal at a Time.” I think that pretty much tells you a lot about this farm blog. It’s just flat out funny! From jokes to just funny stories this one is full of good laughs! Plus where else can you find out if goats really eat tin cans?
• Diva Hick – Another small farmer/blogger with a good sense of humor. Her blog sub title is “Yes I play the spoons, but I do it with perfectly manicured nails…” I think I would like to see that. Her blog has some interesting pictures and details around their chicken coops and progression towards more farming (cows, barns, etc.).
• Farmer Geek – Well this farmer is “Doing what I am good at, so I can do what I want to.” One artcile details his philosphy of hunting. He has duck coops and describes a pretty interesting encounter with a rat in one of his articles. If you like guns, this is one farmer you will want to meet.
• Eklund Cattle Company – This is a family owned and operated farm that is focused on show cattle, farm raised beef, and high quality hay production. They have a blog with a couple of articles and a traditional website dedicated to their farm. It’s interesting to checkout their hay operation and to get a feel for another type of farming site with a blog.

• Life on a Sourthern Farm – This blog is very artistic with poetry and photo collages that are really inviting. This farm woman lives on a 100 acre farm with her husband, cows, goats, dogs, cat, guineas, chickens, ducks, geese, goat, and donkey named Jack.
• Rooster Hill Farm – this is a small farm specializing in pasture raised meats and eggs using local grains and all drug and hormone free. It’s an interesting blog that also has some poetry on it along with some great picture collages. You definitely get a good look at some roosters up close and personal.
• I Heart Farms – Tana Butler has some excellent stories on this blog along with some really good pictures of farms, farmers, and livestock. This is a very visual type of blog but the writing is also excellent and well worth some extra time. The first post was in April of 2005 and was simply “Naturally, I love farms.”
• Mad Bush Farm – Liz loves her family, her farm, her animals and her life and it shows in this blog. This blog has some great pictures of animals including a nice portrait of a horse on the homepage which I’m guessing she drew. She is a very talented artist and her writing is very descriptive and engaging.
• Old Shaw Farm – There are some great pictures of the kids, the pets, the farm, and more on this blog which invites us in to take a closer look at this farm in South Peacham, Vermont. The farm is a certified organic vegetable farm and is designed to contribute to a safe environment, a sustainable food system, and a diverse regional econmoy.
• Sugar Mountain Farm – Sugar Mountain Farm has quality meat & livestock and the blog has quite a bit more than that. You can get information on different facts of the farm but there are some very interesting off-topic posts on this blog as well making it a very well rounded and maintained blog. Walter defines himself as a bit eccentric and rather eclectic, that makes this blog a lot of fun.
• Baker’s Dozen – This blog is about the daily happenings of life on a Wyoming ranch. It details life with chickens, turkeys, ducks, cats, dogs, children, and one husband. It covers topic like surviving calving season, kidding season, and the arrival of a new baby… definitely a lot going on at this farm.
• Meat – This blog is about raising animals for food in Western Washington. Note it is ebeyfarm not ebay farms. Bruce King is the author and he clearly knows what he is talking about and does an amazing job of describing how his farm works. This is definitely more for the other farmers out there to read and enjoy as well as for people that want to dig into a farmers mind.
• Nature’s Harmony Farm – The about of this blog says it all. It’s about a family owned, pasture-based, local market sustainable farm in Georgia, we believe in orchestrating an environment harmonious with nature, where animals are treated with love and respect and are free to naturally express their characteristics. We are the exact opposite of factory farming. Really interesting look into a family farm.
• Jericho Settlers’ Farm – This is about a guy and a gal running a small family farm in Vermont they grow and market vegetables and flowers through the Summer and Winter CSA and two farmers markets. You can see pictures of their cattle being fed and other really interesting looks into the life of this very active farm. Have you seen a sheep being sheared before, if not take a look!

(Thanks Tim Handorf for creating this listing. Tim Handorf blogs at http://www.bestcollegesonline.net)

Manitoba Agritourism is getting noticed, just before Christmas we were asked to write an article on Agritourism for The Tourism Review an international tourism publication. There was also two Agritourism workshops held in the province and several articles written about them.

Here is our article from the Tourism Review;  

To see the whole magazine use this link, http://www.tourism-review.com/magazine_file.php?id=1179&order=1

What’s a webinar your ask? A webinar is a online presentation. From any Internet connection you can watch and hear the presentation. You are able to ask questions and interact with the presenter during the webinar.

If you’re looking for a Free training opportunity check out the Canada Farm Business Management Council’s webinar series.

Jan 25, @ 11:00, Top Ten Ways to Grow Your Business with Jane Eckert. Jane is the leading expert on Agritourism in North America.

Farming Further Afield . . .

Opening your gates to TOURISM

“The alternative crop of the future”

Are you looking for a new way to diversify your agricultural operation? If your answer is YES, then Agri-Tourism could be for you. To learn how to develop your agri-tourism business, plan to attend this full-day workshop:

Portage la Prairie

Fair Board Office (on the island)

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Workshop runs from 9 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Registration and coffee at 8:30 a.m.

Registration fee of $30.00 includes workshop manual, lunch and refreshments. (Plus the Cultivating Agri-Tourism book ($29 value) available for $10)

Please pre-register by January 27^th by sending a cheque payable to the Arborg Ag Society to: MAFRI Go Office c/o Joanne Galbraith, 25 Tupper St. Portage la Prairie, R1N 3K1 or call 239-3352

For more info contact:

angela.pearenburnside@gov.mb.ca  or call 204-871-7356

Five trends that will affect us in 2010;

1. Value, tourists will continue to use the Internet to find the best value for their tourist dollars.
2. The Internet is still tops for tourists looking for options. Look at revamping your website this year to incorporate Web 2.0 tools. If you don’t have a website setup a Facebook Fan page or blog.
3. The recession is still fresh in tourists minds. They’ll be looking for low cost opportunities, often closer to home. This is a prime chance to market your business and products to local residents and the urban market.
4. Environmentally Friendly tourism is coming. We’ve seen worldwide summits on climate and greenhouse gases. Tourists are starting to look for environmentally friendly venues to visit. Be careful though because most tourist surveys still say that visitors aren’t willing to pay a premium for being green, they just expect  operators to already be doing it.
5. Homecoming 2010, if you haven’t set up an event to take advantage of the Homecoming celebrations, it’s time to do that. Check www.manitobahomecoming2010.com to see where you can fit in.

One of the major highlights from the Manitoba Agri Tourism Strategy was the creation of a “Signature Manitoba Agri-Tourism” experince. This could be anything from a museum to a festival, but is somehting that needs to be developed from the ground up.

Welcome to all of our new subscibers, from the “Open Your Gates” workshops.

The idea of this blog is to help you with your Agri-Tourism ventures. The blog will feature stories of new ideas, upcoming events, and resources to help you do this.

Here are some things you can do, to make the most of this blog, ;

• You can comment on any post using the “Comment” link at the top of each article.
• Use the comments to start a discussion
• Email us questions you’d like answers to
• Suggest or write a topic for a blog post

Thanks again to all of our subscribers and we’re looking forward to hearing from all of you.