Summer Camp on the Farm

Farm tours are not just for school outings or end of year parties. They can be a learning center all year long and an educational fun filled week during the summer. With more and more parents both working outside the home, there is more disposible income to provide for summer outings for their children. If you have an agritourism venture, consider hosting a day camp or summer camp with a theme. Click here to see what one camp in Littlestown, PA is doing.

It's Field Trip Time

With schools ending the year, many reward students with an educational trip off campus. Farm Day at LSU in Baton Rouge was a big field trip with 1,500 to 1,600 students participating. Small farm operations can do the same type of field trip and supplement their income. To learn more about the LSU field trip click here.

To learn how you can start your own, go to our website: www.lsuagcenter.com/agritourism

Farm Holiday

If you have a working farm, consider creating a farm holiday get-away for families who would like to experience the farm. This holiday could include anything from riding horses, baling hay to planting and harvesting. The North River Hobby Farm is doing just that. For more, click here.

This would be considered an agritourism event in Louisiana for more information on liability issues click here.

Butterfly Gardening

 

Butterfly gardens are a great addition to any agritourism ventures. They blend in with nature.
For more on agritourism click here.

The LSU AgCenter has a publication on butterfly gardening that includes all the information needed to begin our garden. You can create a butterfly-friendly environment with a few simple requirements: food, water, shelter and a place to reproduce. Click here to learn more.

Marketumbrella.org Good Resource for Farmers Markets

Dr. Kathryn Fontenot with the LSU AgCenter just shared the  Marketumbrella.org
website with me. I was amazed at how much research based information on starting, growing and maintaining a farmers market can be found on this site.

It literally takes a minute to sign up to gain access to resources and tools one can use to improve their markets.

Learn more about how farmers markets contribute millions to the local and regional economies by clicking here.

 

Commercial Vegetable Guide Available online

This publication contains recommendations for commercial production of vegetables ranging from artichokes, asparagus and beets to strawberries, tomatoes and watermelons. Among its guidelines for more than 30 different vegetables are recommended seeding rates, planting dates and varieties. It also includes information about days from planting to harvest, the approximate time from pollination to market and optimum soil temperatures for the various vegetables covered in this guidebook.

Gardening in Straw Bales

Recently I read a news article about Stanley Wise, a farmer in Mississipppi,  who farmed in straw bales. The picture in the paper showed Mr. Wise with tomato plants growing out of straw bales. I later learned that he along with others at Mississippi State University wrote a publication entitled, "Growing in the Bale."

There is also a You-tube video on the same subject.

For more information on gardening, visit our LSU AgCenter's website.

Starr Homeplace in Oak Ridge Offers Glimpse into Agriculture's Past

Starr Homeplace located in Oak Ridge, LA is a "must see" place. Joe Cooper Rolfe operates a museum of 19 buildings on nine acres of grounds and hosts monthly events.

Saturday, April 13th,  Starr Homeplace will host a  blacksmiths hammer-in from 8AM - 5PM.  The cost is a $5.00 admission. Lunch is available for a donation.

Learn more by logging onto:  http://www.starrhomeplace.org/  Click here for directions.

Coastal Ecotourism Workshop Video on You Tube

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share the You Tube link to our recently held Coastal Ecotourism Workshop at Stella Plantation in Braithwaite that was held in March. 

The footage shot and produced by our education partner, Mississippi State University's Natural Resource Enterprise program, highlights the  efforts of the NRE program and the LSU AgCenter to educate people on how to make supplemental income on their lands.

Hope you enjoy the video.

U-Pick-Ems

If you like to plant, but hate to harvest, a pick-your-own or u-pick-em operation maybe the best choice for you and your family. From the stand-point of a farmer, this type of operation provides income and eliminates the hiring of seasonal help which can be difficult to find. It also frees up time for the farmer by eliminating harvesting and transporting.

 Successful you-pick-ems offer an “experience” that includes interaction with the farmer. Visitors want to know about the planting process and the chemicals applied. They also may need harvesting lessons.

 

For information on planting, consult an LSU Agcenter county agent in your parish or view some of our on-line materials in the "Home Gardening" section.