By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The fall festival season is here and a number of farms across the state are getting ready for visitors, as part of the growing agritourism industry in Kentucky.
In fact, September is Agritourism Month for the 350 farms registered in the state’s program; that number is according to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA).
“I invite Kentuckians of all ages to join me in celebrating Agritourism Month,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said in a press release marking the occasion. “Go on an agritourism adventure this fall at a farm destination near you.”
And go, people will. The state’s 147 farmers’ markets alone generate more than $7.5 million each year, reports the KDA. But agritourism destinations include much more than just traditional fruit and vegetable markets. Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Certified Roadside Farm Market Program is evidence of that.
The program started in 1996 to help promote on-farm fruit and vegetable markets and now has 109 markets across the state that include greenhouses, wineries, livestock operations, fiber mills, Christmas tree farms and daylily farms, as well as traditional orchard and vegetable operations.
Stephen Fister, along with brothers Chris and Len, own and operate Bi-Water Farm and Greenhouse, which has grown over the years to accommodate the agritourism movement. But unlike many farms that had to diversify into more of a produce-oriented business, Stephen Fister said his family has always grown vegetables.
“It’s a family operation. My mom and dad bought the farm in 1959 so I’ve been here all of my life. We’ve always done vegetables, 60 to 80 acres of vegetables and used to raise hogs and tobacco,” he said. “But over the years, things have changed. Now we have four acres of greenhouses and in 1995, we built a farm market.”
Prior to that, his family shipped most of their produce out of the state – but as a way to control that, they built the on-farm store and now sell all of their produce right here. That move has brought many other ventures to their operation, many of which are geared toward family fun and entertainment.
“As far as the agritourism goes, we’ve been increasing it over the years. We took an old tenant house on the farm and turned it into what we call ‘Spooky Farm House’ in 1996,” he said. “We have added corn mazes, a play area for the kids and last year we put in miniature golf, the ‘Sky High Slide’ and a paintball target shoot. We try to add something new each year.”
This year is no different. Fister said they have added people spinners and the Bi-Water Farm ball park.
“We try to get fun stuff for people to come out and do. Through it all we talk about all the fun stuff, and that’s what gets us the recognition, but what we are doing is selling the products from the farm,” he said.
Those products include all kinds of flowers and hanging baskets in the greenhouse, tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, watermelons, cantaloupes and pumpkins, to name a few. Last year they added apples and the store is full of value-added products such as jams and jellies, baked goods, spices of all kinds and goodies for all ages.
Right now, the market stays open from April to Oct. 31, hosting many school groups. Its current Autumn Fest celebration started last weekend. The Fister farm is indicative of what many farmers have done throughout the state in order to keep their family farm alive and vibrant. The key difference is Bi-Water Farm has a history of growing produce.
“We have always been a produce farm. Of course, we did raise tobacco, but at that time for us tobacco was a sideline. Vegetables were the main thrust,” Fister said. That gave the farm an advantage when it came to making changes into more of an agritourism destination.
Fister jokes about being called “stupid” while in high school because his family raised mostly vegetables instead of all tobacco and cattle as the majority of farmers did.
But obviously, father Carl had much better foresight than most, setting the stage for the success of the farm for generations to come. In his honor, many of the products in the market are labeled “Grandpa Carl’s.”
While there is no doubt the farm is a place to have fun, Fister hopes for a deeper message to take hold for customers, especially the children that visit each year. “I’m seeing it as a way for them to grow up and understand where their food comes from and I think, in time as they mature, they’ll remember that,” he said.
“Hopefully, in the long term, we can teach the kids about preservation of farmland and that sort of thing because, even though they are not living on those farms, they’ll remember the fun times they had there and they know if it is not preserved, they’ll never have it for their kids.”
Fister added the adults are getting an education, as well seeing firsthand the benefits of buying local goods as that movement becomes more prevalent. He noted in a down economy that is keeping the public’s eye turned more toward staying closer to home, their produce business has seen an “up-kick” in fresh market sales.
For more information about Bi-Water Farm, visit www.biwaterfarm.com and for more information about Kentucky agritourism, go to www.kentuckyfarms arefun.com |
