Top 10 Marketing Strategies by Jane Eckert

Jane Eckert, nationally known agritourism speaker and consultant, in a recent article listed ten marketing strategies. Getting your message to the public is important; read Jane's suggestions by clicking here.

Farm Stays

Farm stays are a great way to put dollars into your pocket. People would love to follow a farmer or rancher around and participate in "real" chores throughout the day.

This has the potential to be a "win, win" situation. You have FREE labor helping with the chores.

Most farm stays provide lodging for the guest. If you have a barn or stable for horses,  convert an area into a bedroom and bath. Remember they are looking for that "experience."

Agri-tourists are not your traditional tourist.  They want to get dirty and have a story to tell when they return to friends and family.

Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Membership

If you grow fruits and vegetables, you will want to belong to the  The Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. LFVGA provides members with practical and research based information regarding the production of fruit and vegetable crops.

Dues: $25.00 per year.  

Benefits: Paid members receive a copy of the Vegetable Crop Guidelines of the Southeastern U.S. 2014.  This 200+ page glossy publication includes all the latest information on production as well as insect, disease, and weed control compiled by a cooperative effort of extension vegetable specialists across the Southeastern states.  Members are also invited to 2 meetings/ field days each year held at Burden Center (and/or a producer’s farm). 

Next field day:  Wednesday May 21, 2014. This field day will be held at Burden Center located at 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Information will be mailed closer to the date to paid members.

For more information contact: 

Eddie Romero

President, LFVGA

Phone: 337-380-0419

eddiepaulromero@bellsouth.net  

Kiki Fontenot

Secretary, LFVGA

Phone: 225-578-2222

Fax: 225-578-1068

kkfontenot@agcenter.lsu.edu

Allow Visitors to Experience, Not Just Watch

People are interested in agriculture. They are interested in where their food comes from, and most will buy straight off the farm while they visit.

When we think of tours, we often think of showing people what we have and allowing them to experience by watching. Today's travelers no longer want to watch, they want to do.


Those who like to experience by doing  can be very helpful. Why not let a group plant a row of a garden vegetable. Then suggest that they return in four weeks to see the sprouts. That's help with planting and repeat customers, a winning combination.

Coastal Eco/Agri-Tourism Workshop Planned for Lake Charles

Coastal Eco/Agri-tourism Workshop

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

LSU AgCenter Office

7101 Gulf Highway

Lake Charles, LA

(337) 475-8812

What will I learn? This one day workshop will provide landowners and current or prospective businesses with information on supplemental income opportunities from ecotourism/agritourism ventures.

Who should attend? Targeted participants include  landowners; farmers; charter and guide fishermen and hunters; marina owners; and swamp tour operators.

Agenda

Morning Session

8:00 Registration

8:30 Welcome and announcements
        Kevin Savoie, Louisiana Sea Grant

8:45 Revenue Potential from Natural Resource Enterprises
        Dr. Daryl Jones, Mississippi State University Natural Resource Enterprises Program

9:00 Yellow Rails and Rice Festival Success Story
        Kevin Berken, KMB Farms and Chairman of the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board
        Donna Dittman, LSU Museum of Natural Science and Avian Events Support Team
        Steven W. Cardiff, LSU Museum of Natural Science and Avian Events Support Team

9:30 Economics of Coastal Waters
        Jack Issacs, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

10:00 Break

10:20 Liability Issues
          Sea Grant Legal

11:00 Tourism Opportunities
          Twyla Herrington, Louisiana Sea Grant
          Dora Ann Hatch, Agritourism Coordinator, LSU AgCenter

11:30 Eco tour Success Story
          Capt’N Sammie Faulk

11:45 Lunch

Afternoon session

12:30 Load vans for field trip to Miller’s Lake Boat House

Afternoon speakers :

Creole Nature Trail
Anne Klenke

Cajun Ben‘s and Airboats and Alligators
Benny Welch

Birding/Photography
Dave Patton, Coordinator of Peveto Woods Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Native Plants
C.C. Richmond, Louisiana Environmental Research Center, McNeese State University

3:30 Return to LSU AgCenter Office

Closing Remarks/Evaluations

The cost of the workshop is $25 per person or $30 per couple. Send your check made payable to the "LSU AgCenter" on or before February 5th. Provide your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail.  Mail to: Twyla Herrington, Louisiana Sea Grant/LSU AgCenter, 479 F. Edward Hebert Blvd., suite 201, Belle Chasse, LA 70037.

Got Questions? E-mail or call any of us:
Dora Ann Hatch, agritourism coordinator (318) 927-9654 x 229 or dhatch@agcenter.lsu.edu
Twyla Herrington, Sea Grant, (504) 858-9826 or therrington@agcenter.lsu.edu
Kevin Savoie, Sea Grant, (337) 660-8519 or ksavoie@agcenter.lsu.edu

Upcoming Webinars

Mark your calendars to attend some great webinars offered by eXtension. All webinars begin at 1:00 p.m. central time and you can connect through this portal:
 https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop

January 9 - Crafting A Consistent Marketing Message!

Glenn Muske, NDSU Small Business Specialist and Connie Hancock, UNL Extension Educator

 Time: 1:00 p.m.
https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop

Getting the attention of customers is harder today than ever before.  Learning how to craft a marketing message that draws customers to your website where the information you provide benefits them personally.  Crafting the message involves understanding landing pages, call to action, and relating that to your marketing goals.  Glenn Muske and Connie Hancock will provide tips on how to Craft that Marketing Message.

February 13 - Blogging For Food

Presented by Jennifer Lewis, The Soup to Nuts Resource for Artisan Food Entrepreneurs

Starting your own business is not an easy task especially if you are involved with the food industry – after much research it was evident there were few resources where ‘foodies’ could ask questions and get helpful information. Jennifer Lewis will share her experience with creating a blog to provide resourceful knowledge to the artisan food community.   Learn how a blog could be useful for your business to engage with customers.

Time: 1:00 p.m.
https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop

March 13 – Incorporating Video into the Marketing Strategy

Presented by Jeremy Doan, Rolling Plains Adventures

Time: 1:00 p.m.
https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/etc-cop

Video today is as important today as content marketing.  Learn how Jeremy Doan, Rolling Plains Adventures uses video to explain what their business is about, how they can share customer experiences, and what it takes to create short video segments to benefit your business.

Webinars are recorded for your convenience and are archived at https://learn.extension.org/events/recent