Agritourism

amberskipper3 said:Yeah, I gotta say, I’d be pretty shocked if it wasn't Microsoft Excel—but honestly, probably a bunch of other PC programs too.
There's really no need to overcomplicate things.
Look, on most of these Agritourism spots, the owners go all out and raise their own livestock right there on the property, but honestly? It’s not like you actually need them to run the show. If you're looking to get your hands on fresh, local goods from nearby producers, it's seriously no big deal. You can find everything you need without any hassle.
The owners have everything out there—vegetable gardens, some farm animals, orchards, beehives... you name it.
The idea that an agritourism farm is just some glorified farming operation? That’s completely wrong. Seriously, it's a total misconception.

I'm right there with you. When we head out to the countryside, our main goal is just to unwind and indulge in some local treats. Honestly, whether those ingredients came straight from the host's garden or were picked up from a neighbor doesn't really matter to us—as long as they aren't frozen Ledo Sweets!
In essence, why bother overcomplicating things with zoning and land parceling? Wouldn't it be much better if a single small town functioned as a little ecosystem where every house specialized in something different? Imagine one place being the baker, another the butcher, a third running the local tavern, and a fourth providing fresh milk. You could even have an internet cafe or a little bookstore. It’s all about leveling up the local offerings.

Are we really trying to rediscover a way of life that worked perfectly fine for centuries before us? 🙄

Charles Ramos7 said:Maybe look at it this way:

http://www.villabornstein.com/

But just because something is agritourism doesn't mean it's automatically a farm stay.

I think we might be talking past each other regarding the terminology. Agritourism can technically cover just about anything 🙏 (and sometimes it’s more of an information-based concept than a physical one), but there is a very specific legal definition for what constitutes a farm stay under the Hospitality Law, and you obviously can't have one without an actual farmer on site. 🙂

That’s a fair point, but honestly, if the price stays exactly the same whether you stay for three days or seven, there's a huge missed opportunity here. What's missing—and I think this is the most important part—is the actual local flavor. Where is the selection of regional specialties and local products? If I'm traveling, why should I be forced to hunt down a restaurant every single night? It would be so much better if guests had the chance to actually cook in their own little cottage. Who knows, maybe you have a friend who happens to be an incredible chef and wouldn't mind whipping up something special in a home kitchen... that kind of experience is what makes a trip memorable!

In France, for example, you often see this incredible synergy between a home and its local community. It’s a beautiful way of doing things because that connection creates so much value for everyone involved.

This is essentially just a fancy version of Zimmer Frei...

Jesse Sanchez90 said:I'm right there with you. When we head out to the countryside, our main goal is just to unwind and indulge in some local treats. Honestly, whether those ingredients came straight from the host's garden or were picked up from a neighbor doesn't really matter to us—as long as they aren't frozen Ledo Sweets!
In essence, why bother overcomplicating things with zoning and land parceling? Wouldn't it be much better if a single small town functioned as a little ecosystem where every house specialized in something different? Imagine one place being the baker, another the butcher, a third running the local tavern, and a fourth providing fresh milk. You could even have an internet cafe or a little bookstore. It’s all about leveling up the local offerings.

Are we really trying to rediscover a way of life that worked perfectly fine for centuries before us? 🙄

The thing is, a farm stay is only required to offer garden produce. If you’re renting a room or an apartment in the countryside, they can legally serve Coca-Cola sweets, or they don't have to offer food at all, like in that link. You correctly noted it was Zimmer Frei. That's my whole point. I'm not saying Zimmer Frei has to be bad; I just want to clarify what things are so you know what to expect—and what you can legitimately complain about if it's not what you expected.
As for why there aren't any bakers or butchers... it's probably just market forces. There simply isn't the demand.

cosmicviper10 said:I was scrolling through Lemonade when I stumbled upon this article that basically forced my hand to start this whole thread Agritourism—still such a massive, untapped goldmine in our tourism industry

The Dalmatian Hinterland, the Midwest, the Mountainous Region... these are all parts of America that would absolutely fascinate European travelers who aren't just looking to sit on a beach for their entire vacation. If we actually made it possible for a tourist to wander into a small town in the Midwest, I’m convinced they’d eat and drink better than they ever have in their lives; they could actually see how an American farmer lives, check out local monuments, soak up the cultural heritage, and all that good stuff... But here’s the kicker: how is a tourist supposed to even find these places when the local farmer barely knows what the internet is, let alone cares about it? Nobody’s really stepped up to help them adapt to new technology or offer any actual guidance, you know? Personally, I grew up in the Midwest, so I’m speaking from experience, much like the author of that article who was talking about their lovely time exploring the areas behind the coast near a certain coastal town... Just imagine if someone organized a three-day trip to the Midwest for a tourist spending two weeks on the coast... I bet you anything they’d be coming back next year...

Right now, America mostly offers tourists loud clubs, mediocre restaurants, sky-high prices, and the same old stuff they could find anywhere else... I really feel like there are so many other qualities we possess that just aren't surfacing above the waterline... What do you guys think?

I guess, without wanting to be rude, it seems like you might not actually live in a tourist area, so maybe you don't know all that much about how tourism works. It shows a bit in the way you talk, like you think the government is basically obligated to just hand tourists to farmers on a silver platter. 🙄

I guess America doesn't really offer things to tourists... it's more like the local business owners in the tourism industry do.
The situation in the Midwest is just like this because everyone is waiting around for the government to finally step up and do something... I guess.
Maybe it’s a mistake to think that tourists only need greasy food from questionable places and a couple of little museums to be happy, I guess. Shopping, I guess. Maybe just a little bit. Maybe somewhere in Canada, I guess. 😳 Everywhere you look, it’s just small towns and mud... I guess I had a really bad experience in the Midwest, unfortunately. 😢

I guess maybe I should have mentioned California as a great example of how agritourism can really take off. Maybe I just missed it, I guess. 😍

briskseal32 said:I guess, without wanting to be rude, it seems like you might not actually live in a tourist area, so maybe you don't know all that much about how tourism works. It shows a bit in the way you talk, like you think the government is basically obligated to just hand tourists to farmers on a silver platter. 🙄

I guess America doesn't really offer things to tourists... it's more like the local business owners in the tourism industry do.
The situation in the Midwest is just like this because everyone is waiting around for the government to finally step up and do something... I guess.
Maybe it’s a mistake to think that tourists only need greasy food from questionable places and a couple of little museums to be happy, I guess. Shopping, I guess. Maybe just a little bit. Maybe somewhere in Canada, I guess. 😳 Everywhere you look, it’s just small towns and mud... I guess I had a really bad experience in the Midwest, unfortunately. 😢

I guess maybe I should have mentioned California as a great example of how agritourism can really take off. Maybe I just missed it, I guess. 😍

California is absolutely killing it.
We've been there a handful of times and we are blown away every single time:
Radovani
Bale
Brajkovići

But even folks in the Mountainous Region are starting to get their act together. We've stayed with the Prica family several times now.
There are some fantastic farm stays in the Small Town, USA area too.
But honestly, they struggle with everything...
I've heard some pretty grim stories.

Charles Ramos7 said:The thing is, a farm stay is only required to offer garden produce. If you’re renting a room or an apartment in the countryside, they can legally serve Coca-Cola sweets, or they don't have to offer food at all, like in that link. You correctly noted it was Zimmer Frei. That's my whole point. I'm not saying Zimmer Frei has to be bad; I just want to clarify what things are so you know what to expect—and what you can legitimately complain about if it's not what you expected.
As for why there aren't any bakers or butchers... it's probably just market forces. There simply isn't the demand.

Sure they can serve food, but that misses the point. We really want to encourage local food production for the specific region or municipality.
Look, not every "room only" stay is bad—not at all! But here, we’re specifically trying to discuss how to add value to a standard room-only booking.

True, but there’s no demand when there isn't any substance—meaning, there aren't enough people looking for actual things to do or see...
It looks like we’ve all fallen into the trap of Columbus's egg...🙄

briskseal32 said:I guess, without wanting to be rude, it seems like you might not actually live in a tourist area, so maybe you don't know all that much about how tourism works. It shows a bit in the way you talk, like you think the government is basically obligated to just hand tourists to farmers on a silver platter. 🙄

I guess America doesn't really offer things to tourists... it's more like the local business owners in the tourism industry do.
The situation in the Midwest is just like this because everyone is waiting around for the government to finally step up and do something... I guess.
Maybe it’s a mistake to think that tourists only need greasy food from questionable places and a couple of little museums to be happy, I guess. Shopping, I guess. Maybe just a little bit. Maybe somewhere in Canada, I guess. 😳 Everywhere you look, it’s just small towns and mud... I guess I had a really bad experience in the Midwest, unfortunately. 😢

I guess maybe I should have mentioned California as a great example of how agritourism can really take off. Maybe I just missed it, I guess. 😍

Hmm... I think you're leaning a bit too heavily into that strictly liberal-capitalist mindset.
The government should have a vested interest in creating the right conditions so that its citizens can actually find opportunities to start businesses for themselves. Right now, the trend we see is the state just handing things out—and that’s where the trouble starts. They provide subsidies, social assistance, pensions... but that's the catch: none of those things actually give you the baseline capital needed to build something that can grow and multiply.
Take a look at how they do things in places like the border regions near the Midwest or near Istenič—you'll see signs from vineyards stating that the project was funded by the EU. How? 😲 The government's role there was to inform its citizens about these possibilities and make sure those citizens could decide to invest. Essentially, helping them secure initial capital that is actually manageable to pay back with reasonable interest rates, rather than the mess we deal with here...
In the Netherlands, credit is handled so well that specialized loans carry interest rates as low as 2%. 😲 🙄
So, true "incentivizing" isn't just giving handouts. What we have now isn't actually incentivizing socio-economic growth; it's just encouraging dependency on mass consumerism. The whole economy feels like it's built on nothing but harvesting sales tax—it's basically just a constant shake-down.

As for the quality of the offerings—criticizing isn't enough; you need to be specific.

Of course, that kind of food would need to be strictly regulated by HACCP standards, which wouldn't take away from its authentic, local feel.

Jesse Sanchez90 said:Sure they can serve food, but that misses the point. We really want to encourage local food production for the specific region or municipality.
Look, not every "room only" stay is bad—not at all! But here, we’re specifically trying to discuss how to add value to a standard room-only booking.

True, but there’s no demand when there isn't any substance—meaning, there aren't enough people looking for actual things to do or see...
It looks like we’ve all fallen into the trap of Columbus's egg...🙄

It's not a Columbus egg at all. I know a guy in California who rents out a house with a pool in a tiny town where there isn't even a grocery store or a cafe nearby (you need a car just to survive), and he's doing so well he's already building another one further out. Personally, I wouldn't go there even if they paid me—not just because of that, there are other issues—but hey, the demand is clearly there. In fact, for someone offering food along with the lodging, that lack of options might actually be a huge advantage.

Regarding those famous subsidies and cheap loans... first off, they actually existed. When you mention the vineyards in California, back then they were incentivizing people to plant vines and olives. Even though those specific programs ended, you can still get olive saplings at a good price, and the government offers affordable land leases. Not to mention, farmland prices have dropped significantly. So, if anyone actually wants to "get their hands dirty," there's plenty of work to be done...🙂

As for the cheap credit, that’s really just down to the macroeconomic environment, and there isn't much more to say about it.

Charles Ramos7 said:It's not a Columbus egg at all. I know a guy in California who rents out a house with a pool in a tiny town where there isn't even a grocery store or a cafe nearby (you need a car just to survive), and he's doing so well he's already building another one further out. Personally, I wouldn't go there even if they paid me—not just because of that, there are other issues—but hey, the demand is clearly there. In fact, for someone offering food along with the lodging, that lack of options might actually be a huge advantage.

So, what exactly do you see as the issue here? Are our people just lazy? Too fearful of taking risks? Or do they just settle for less because it's easier to sit around and complain?

Jesse Sanchez90 said:So, what exactly do you see as the issue here? Are our people just lazy? Too fearful of taking risks? Or do they just settle for less because it's easier to sit around and complain?

I’d say they’re just cautious about investing. People are scared to start a business because of the bureaucracy, corruption, and those ridiculous fines for tiny mistakes while the big corporations get a free pass....
This isn't just an issue with Agritourism; it's a reflection of the overall state of the economy.

And honestly, if someone already owns property, I doubt they'd find it that hard to fix up two or three rooms for guests if they actually wanted to get into the game.

Jesse Sanchez90 said:So, what exactly do you see as the issue here? Are our people just lazy? Too fearful of taking risks? Or do they just settle for less because it's easier to sit around and complain?

Well, in the first round, you lose a ton of people who are basically just total slackers. They know that if they go the private route, they'll be working their asses off only for the government to swoop in and snatch a massive chunk of it. It feels way easier for them to just grab some cushy city job where they barely lift a finger, or take over family land where someone else ends up doing all the heavy lifting.

Then in the second round, you've got everyone who is terrified—and honestly, I get it 😁—of the bureaucracy. If you want to set up an LLC, you need at least $25,000 just to get the doors open, and then you're stuck paying sales tax upfront... and if you go the small business route, you gotta have a specific trade, but even then, the monthly fees and taxes feel like a literal mountain of paperwork.

Thirdly, there's everyone who finally realizes they aren't getting much help from the rural areas, the cities, or the federal government. Everyone’s out here asking for something, but nobody is actually giving.

The folks who actually manage to push through all that mess usually end up making a huge mistake—kind of like those people selling coats on a random web shop 😲—or they realize how exhausting it is to work non-stop and decide to only open up occasionally. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on people who require an appointment; it makes zero sense to sit in a house just waiting for guests to show up. But working only two or three days a week? That's 😲. Or, they just jack up their prices so high that it’s not even worth the trip for anyone anymore.

And yeah, that’s just a bunch of the problems right there.

Charles Ramos7 said:I’d say they’re just cautious about investing. People are scared to start a business because of the bureaucracy, corruption, and those ridiculous fines for tiny mistakes while the big corporations get a free pass....
This isn't just an issue with Agritourism; it's a reflection of the overall state of the economy.

And honestly, if someone already owns property, I doubt they'd find it that hard to fix up two or three rooms for guests if they actually wanted to get into the game.

Hmm... But it feels like all of this is starting to look a bit exaggerated. It seems strange that such a huge number of people would be afraid of something purely imaginary that doesn't even have much basis in reality.
Are people really so stuck in their ways, cemented by that sweet, cynical attitude of pampered city life, that they refuse to budge at all?

People have already talked about American entrepreneurship:

Charles Ramos7 said:People have already talked about American entrepreneurship:

Oh boy... 🤣 They really aren't pulling any punches—they claim Americans are such hard workers:
"If Americans were truly a hardworking nation, it would show in the fact that only two percent of them would work less or stop working entirely after receiving a large inheritance."

Can you imagine? We're faster than Speedy Gonzales when it comes to trying to jump into every possible retirement plan out there...

"A major reason for the lack of entrepreneurial spirit in America is fixed working hours (31 percent)" — which explains why our bars and pubs are always packed... (not to be too blunt!)

But this part right here is where the real issue lies: 🙄
"The skepticism toward entrepreneurship in America is best illustrated by the fact that only one-third (32 percent) view entrepreneurs positively. It’s concerning that nearly half of all citizens (47 percent) view them neutrally, and as many as 17 percent actually see them as negative influences. In stark contrast to Americans, 83 percent of Danes view entrepreneurs as a beneficial part of society, while only one percent view them negatively."

Jesse Sanchez90 said:Oh boy... 🤣 They really aren't pulling any punches—they claim Americans are such hard workers:
"If Americans were truly a hardworking nation, it would show in the fact that only two percent of them would work less or stop working entirely after receiving a large inheritance."

Can you imagine? We're faster than Speedy Gonzales when it comes to trying to jump into every possible retirement plan out there...

"A major reason for the lack of entrepreneurial spirit in America is fixed working hours (31 percent)" — which explains why our bars and pubs are always packed... (not to be too blunt!)

But this part right here is where the real issue lies: 🙄
"The skepticism toward entrepreneurship in America is best illustrated by the fact that only one-third (32 percent) view entrepreneurs positively. It’s concerning that nearly half of all citizens (47 percent) view them neutrally, and as many as 17 percent actually see them as negative influences. In stark contrast to Americans, 83 percent of Danes view entrepreneurs as a beneficial part of society, while only one percent view them negatively."

hahahaha...man...that is just gold...absolute perfection of a sentence...🙂)) But anyway, that's not really what we're here to talk about..🤣

Hey everyone!

I’m thinking about heading out with my partner for an agritourism getaway this long weekend.

I’m looking for a ranch where I could go horseback riding, he could spend some time fishing, and we could just enjoy some great food and long walks. Ideally, something that won't completely break the bank.

Any experiences or suggestions?

Joseph Thompson4 said:Hey everyone!

I’m thinking about heading out with my partner for an agritourism getaway this long weekend.

I’m looking for a ranch where I could go horseback riding, he could spend some time fishing, and we could just enjoy some great food and long walks. Ideally, something that won't completely break the bank.

Any experiences or suggestions?

Very nice 😉there are plenty of options like that

Brenda Myers said:Very nice 😉there are plenty of options like that

Short, sweet, and straight to the point, Mr. Spock. 😍

Last year, we kicked off our initiatives targeting kids—from preschoolers to school-aged children—as well as teens. Of course, families with little ones, organized groups, local associations, and anyone else interested are more than welcome.
Our primary mission, however, is centered on children with special needs. We are deeply committed to integrating them into the everyday life and fun activities of the broader community.

If you want a deeper dive into who we are and what we’re building, check out our blog (it’s still a work in progress, but we’re getting there...😉 )

Right now, we don't offer overnight accommodations. Our focus is on day trips—or more accurately, visits lasting a few hours. Every new venture has its growing pains, and so far, we've been running these projects mostly on pure volunteer spirit...

I’m eager to hear your thoughts, feedback, critiques, or suggestions... 🙂

P.S. If the moderators feel this is the wrong subforum, please feel free to move us to a more appropriate spot.😁

Here’s a quick look at some photos from our activities:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81sdgZ-kzTw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKKEzdPx-tU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAs_US-QsXQ