Financial Express, India
02-23-07
City dwellers falling for Old MacDonald’s farm
It was no ordinary business outing for Erik Franks. Under a steely sky one recent
Saturday morning, Franks and some colleagues from a nearby law firm visited
Harley Farms, a nine-acre dairy farm here, for a tour and a crash course in the
art of making goat cheese.
First, though, came an up-close-and-personal introduction to 200 American
Alpine goats. The day began in a pasture, where a dozen goats surrounded
Franks and began chewing on his clothes. Later, in the paddock, he held a fourday-old baby. In the milking parlor, he used his thumb and forefinger to pinch a
goat’s udder and squeeze fresh milk into a bowl.
“The whole milking thing was a lot easier than I expected,” said Franks, 25, who
works at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, a one-hour drive away.
“Definitely not the way I spend an average Saturday.” The outing was arranged
by the firm as part of a team-building exercise.
Franks’ introduction to chevre is part of an effort that has farmers reaching out to
urbanites and suburbanites in new and creative ways. With farm income for
many family farmers still weak, many of them have been forced to diversify their
operations with nonagricultural activities just to survive.
Farmers describe these activities—on-site markets, seasonal festivals and
occasional overnight guests—as agri-tourism. Most of these endeavors begin in
the spring, making an already busy time of year even more hectic. The benefits
can be undeniable. At Harley Farms, for example, the owner, Dee Harley,
celebrates the arrival of baby goats by welcoming school groups, corporate
teams and independent visitors into her world for a few hours upon request. All
told, Harley gives two to 10 tours a week, year-round. The tours cost $10 a
person and comprise at least 25 percent of annual revenue.
“We couldn’t survive on tours alone, but the money we make from them certainly
allows us to stay small and dedicated to quality artisan cheese-making,” she
said. “It’s become a huge and irreplaceable part of our income.” Agri-tourism is
nothing new, of course. For years, American farmers have set up mazes of
maize to entertain children as well as “u-pick” apple, blueberry and strawberry
operations. These operations still exist.
What’s changed, however, is the economic climate that surrounds them. A recent
study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State
University indicates that over the last 30 years, farm income has remained flat
while farm expenses have more than tripled. To balance their ledgers, many
farmers have become dependent upon government subsidies and income from
second jobs known as “off-farm activities.”
For many farmers today, agri-tourism is a way to reduce the need for a second
job. Jane Eckert, president of Eckert AgriMarketing says, “We know that people
who are involved in agri-tourism have greater on-farm income to the extent that
they’re relying less on off-farm income, for many, this extra income can make a
huge difference in the quality of life.”
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