(WWJ) – Agritourism is becoming an “increasingly important” part of Michigan’s economy. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably played a role in that.
Whether it’s a night at the corn maze, a trip to a local “u-pick” farm or orchard, or a day at one of Metro Detroit’s countless cider mills, agritourism and “agritainment” are making waves in Michigan.
But what exactly constitutes agritourism? WWJ’s Erin Vee found out in an interview with Wendy Wieland of the innovation department at the MSU Extension.
“It’s basically, quite literally the smash up if you will, of two different industry clusters which are very important to Michigan both on their own, and that would be agriculture and tourism,” Wieland said. “When they combine, typically on a farm location, to do something beyond just selling those great Michigan agricultural commodities, it very often will be an agritourism sort of enterprise.”
She says at the heart of agritourism is “bringing the public or the consumer to a farm for some kind of a direct relationship with the producer.”
So while corn mazes and orchards – and all the other fun that comes with them – are at the forefront of agritourism, Wieland says it can be as simple as coming to a farm stand to buy fruit or eggs.
A nationwide survey just before the onset of the pandemic shows agritourism exists in every state. And she says it helped keep some places afloat during the struggles of the pandemic.
“It’s a really growing part of our agricultural economy. Increasingly important for farms that are of the maybe smaller scale doing things in a short value chain between the grower and consumer,” she said.
One of the budding ideas in agritourism is farms hosting concerts, such as Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour that came to Fowlerville earlier this fall. Other popular forms of agritourism include "glamping," wineries, craft breweries and farm recreation.
"It's increasingly popular all over the world and Michigan is so perfectly situated with all of the amenities that we offer in both agriculture and tourism," Wieland said.
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