Louisiana Agritourism: November 2014

Monday, November 17, 2014

Dealing with Complaints on Social Media

Megan Bruch Leffew, Marketing Specialist, Center for Profitable Agriculture at the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture, has recently authored an excellent fact sheet on “How to Handle Complaints and Poor Reviews on Social Media: Direct Marketing Tips for Specialty Crop Growers.” It’s worth a read if you are engaging your audience through social media. Click here to read more. Learn how you can effectively deal with complaints on social media.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

MS Agritourism Assocation Meeting

Our friends in Mississippi are hosting their annual agritourism association meeting on November 17-18, 2014 in Natchez, MS and they have invited us to come. The agenda looks great, see below:

Monday, November 17, 2014
12:30- Registration
1:00- Pamela Bartholemew: Organizing a Media Day for your Agritourism Enterprise
2:45- Break
3:00- Kathy Wise: Coming back to the farm
4:00- MAA Meeting
6:00- Welcome to Natchez Meet and Greet at the Natchez Welcome Center

Tuesday, November 18, 2014
8:00- Jan Miller: Retail and Merchandising Crash Course
9:00- Pamela Bartholemew: Hosting a Farm to table dinner as a Profit making & Showcase event
10:00- Break
10:15- Jan Holley: Hosting a wedding on the farm
11:00- Paige Hunt: Marketing and Advertising for your Farm
12:00- Close

To register complete the following:

Name and Title: _______________________________________________________________
Organization or Farm: _________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________________________
City: _________________________________________ State: __________ Zip: __________
Email: ___________________________________ Phone: _____________________________

Registration Fee $50

Make Check Payable to:
Mississippi Agritourism Association
Send Check Care of
Jo Lynn Mitchell
650 Leaf River Church Road
Collins, Mississippi 39428
Phone: (601) 606-0762
Email: jolynn.mitchell@yahoo.com

For lodging:
Accommodations Natchez Grand Hotel
Telephone: (601) 446-9994
Single $109; Double $109

Agritourism Law Limits Liability

In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature expanded the limitation of liability found in La R.S. 9:2795 et seq to include certain agritourism activities. The legislation authored by Representative Andy Anders and Senators Francis Thompson and Mike Walsworth provides that the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Foresty (LDAF) will develop a set of rules and regulations and that the LSU AgCenter will define a “plan of operation” for an agritourism venture and review those plans.

More about this law can be found on the LSU AgCenter Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com/agritourism

2012 Agriculture Census Shows Increase in Farming

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 –There are now 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Once every five years, farmers, ranchers and growers have the unique opportunity to let the world know how U.S. agriculture is changing, what is staying the same, what’s working and what we can do differently,” said Dr. Cynthia Clark, the retiring head of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, which administered the survey.

Eighty-seven percent of all U.S. farms are operated by families or individuals.
Principal operators were on average 58.3 years old and were predominantly male; second operators were slightly younger and most likely to be female; and third operators were younger still.
In Louisiana agritourism grew from 170 farms in 2007 to 361 farms in 2012.
In Louisiana onfarm agritourism sales jumped from $2,486 to $8,996 in 2012.
In Louisiana the definition of agritourism is broader than the definition in the census; meaning that numbers are greater.

Louisiana Agritourism

Monday, November 17, 2014

Dealing with Complaints on Social Media

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Register for the 2014 Women in Agriculture Conference

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

MS Agritourism Assocation Meeting