Nashville--- “During the month of February, state agri-tourism experts want to answer farmers’ questions, inform communities, inspire ingenuity and encourage careful, responsible planning, all with the goal to increase farm income,” says Stanley Trout, Market Development Chief of Marketing Services for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

Three agri-tourism workshops, one in each grand division of the state, will be led by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

The first workshop is set for February 12, 2004 at Jackson’s West Tennessee Experiment Station. The second workshop, slated for February 19, will be conducted at the Williamson County Expo Center in Franklin. The Holiday Inn Convention Center in Morristown is the site of the third workshop on February 25. The one-day workshop is free of charge and includes lunch.

The workshops are the latest effort in a major campaign to increase farm income, expand tourist income in rural communities and establish sustainable, longterm agri-tourism programs across Tennessee.

“These workshops are an opportunity for farmers and for representatives of rural communities to seriously consider ways an agri-tourism venture could be successfully implemented and sustained,” says Trout. “In one place, in a single day, farmers will have the chance to have answered their questions about insurance and farm safety issues, how to market their agri-tourism enterprises and hear personal success stories from other farmers across the state.”

“They’ll also find out what promotions and supports are already in place or being put in place to help them succeed, like Tourist Oriented Directional Signs along highways to help visitors find an agri-tourism operation, or the new cooperative agri-tourism Web site produced by the state departments of agriculture and tourist development.”

Agri-tourism is an activity, enterprise or business which combines the primary elements of agriculture and tourism, proving an experience for visitors which stimulates economic activity and impacts both farm and community income. Current successful agri-tourism enterprises in Tennessee include corn mazes, “pick-your-own” pumpkin and strawberry patches, orchards, farm tours, on-farm retail markets and festivals, on-farm petting zoos, on-farm bed and breakfasts and on-farm equine trails.

Pre-registration for these workshops is encouraged. To pre-register, contact TDA Market Development at 615-837-5182. On-site registration, which includes a continental breakfast, is from 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m at each workshop location. For more information, contact Trout at 1-615-837-5346 or e-mail to Stanley.Trout@state.tn.us.