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Kentucky Agritourism Events

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Agritourism Resources

Agritourism is a growing industry in the United States and presents a number of opportunities for Kentucky farmers.  The links on this page provide various resources available to farmers and others interested in the agritourism industry.

2010 Job Creation & Agritourism Vendor Survey Results

2009 Kentucky Farms Are Fun Conference Wrap-up
Did you miss the 2009 conference or were you looking for those great presentations as a resource for your own business? If so visit the link to find all the great presentations given at the conference.

2009 Signage Information
J.R. Jarvis - (502) 227-0802
Steve Spradlin - (502) 564-4556 x3928

Agritourism Business Submission
The Kentucky Farms Are Fun website offers a free resource for Kentucky's Agribusinesses to promote their Agritourism Venue.

Agritourism Funding Opportunities
The Kentucky Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship provides a list of funding opportunities available from federal/state agencies and private organizations. 

 Agritourism Health and Safety Guidelines for Children
Along with opportunities in agritourism there are health and safety considerations. These include protecting visitors from injury, and providing proper facilities and sanitation to prevent spread of pathogens found on plants or animals (zoonotic diseases). The National Farm Medicine Center, working with a broad group of stakeholders, has developed health and safety guidelines specific to children for farmers involved in agritourism.

Agritourism Marketing

Agritourism Points to Consider
Agritourism is about marketing your products in a special and innovative way that reflects you and your family as individuals. Learn about Points to Consider as suggested by the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service.

Agritourism Policies and Procedures
The Policies and Procedures Guide will help agritourism operators and workers prepare and plan for emergencies, prearranged visits by groups, documentation, supervision of children, proper hand-washing, animal contact, traffic and parking, fires, tractors and display equipment, locations for barriers and fencing, pest control, and hayride operations. This checklist guide will help create, revise, or add content to the farm's own policies and procedures.

Agritourism Worksite Guide
The Worksite Guide will help operators check the physical operation's preparedness for emergencies, communication with guests, animals and hand-washing, fires, tractors and display equipment, walkways and structures, barriers and fencing, pest control, food handling, recordkeeping, along with hayride and corn maze operations. This checklist will help operators and workers perform a hazard identification walkthrough of the agritourism worksite to view and correct hazards before visits by guests.

Agribusiness Industry Network
The mission of the Agribusiness Industry Network is to assure that the economic growth potential of the diverse agribusiness industry is recognized and aggressively pursued. The mission of the Agribusiness Industry Network is to assure that the economic growth potential of the diverse agribusiness industry is recognized and aggressively pursued.

Farm Bureau Roadside Market Program
Kentucky Farm Bureau certifies and provides promotion for roadside farm markets in Kentucky which meet established standards for the program.  The program allows the market operators to obtain statewide advertising as a way to expand their market areas and increase sales.

KCED Entrepreneur Resource Navigator
This site provides an interactive tool to allow small business operators to locate the closest service provider for face-to-face help with their business.

KCED Kentucky Business Guide (pdf)
A directional tool for Kentucky's small businesses.

KY Agritourism Marketing Study (pdf)
A marketing study of the Kentucky Agritourism industry was conducted in 2005 by The Glengariff Group, Inc.

KY Business Environmental Assistance Program (KBEAP)
The KBEAP offers free and completely confidential air-quality environmental consultations to Kentucky businesses with less than 100 employees. Since its creation in 1994, KBEAP has provided on-site air quality assessments, permit application assistance and guidance on EPA regulations to more than 500 small businesses.

KY Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD)
KCARD is a non-profit 501(c)-3 organization established to facilitate agricultural and rural business development in Kentucky.  KCARD provides educational opportunities, technical assistance, and business support services to new and existing agribusinesses.

KY Marketmaker
Kentucky MarketMaker is an interactive mapping system that locates businesses and markets of agricultural products in Kentucky, providing an important link between producers and consumers.

KY Sign Program
Proper signage is an integral part of Kentucky’s Transportation system, with a primary purpose of guiding motorists to the desired destinations safely and effectively.


 KY Small Business Development Centers
The Small Business Development Centers in Kentucky provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations.

The Innovation Group (TIG)
TIG, an initiative of Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation, manages two state wide initiatives in Kentucky: a set of early stage investment funds called the Commercialization Investment Fund (CIF) and the Innovation & Commercialization Center (ICC) network that helps entrepreneurs define and prefect their ideas and helps them fund or license new and innovative technologies.

Taking the First Step: Farm and Ranch Alternative Enterprise and Agritourism Resource Evaluation Guide
This resource was prepared in response to requests from local advisors, farmers, and ranchers for a simple guide to the first step in identifying alternative income-producing agricultural enterprises and agritourism opportunities. The requests stipulated that the guide be useful in developing business and marketing plans to help entrepreneurs reduce risk through diversification of farm and ranch enterprises.

Valley Questing
Questing is a place-based education model of creating and exchanging treasure hunts in order to collect and share your community's distinct natural and cultural heritage -- your special places and stories. Teachers are incorporating Valley Quest into their classroom curriculum; parks and museums are using Questing as a compelling interpretive tool to educate visitors; and communities are using Questing to engage citizens, partner schools and civic groups, map precious community assets, and build social capital.

Business Planning

There are two basic reasons for preparing a business plan. First, it requires the entrepreneur to investigate thoroughly the factors that will have a bearing on the success of the business. Second, it will enhance the ability of the entrepreneur to secure financing by providing an organized overview of the venture for lenders and investors. It also provides insight into the entrepreneur’s ability to define and develop strategies for critical area of the business.

There are many resources to assist in writing a business plan. Several links are listed below: