Agricultural Tourism

Unique Niches - Agritourism in Britain and New England

Section 4: Agritourism in New England

Area Characteristics

My interviews and visits focused on agritourism operators and the state or town/village officials who were involved in local agritourism.

Connecticut

Most of the 3.2 million people live in the greater Hartford area (1.5 million) while the rest of counties are generally rural. I focused my visits in the rural Eastern counties of New London, part of the Mystic Tourism District, and part of the Route 169 National Scenic Byway.

Connecticut's agriculture industry farmgate contributions are approximately $521 million annually. Traditional agriculture sectors such as dairy and egg production continue to consolidate. New London, the largest dairy producing county in the state, had 69 farmers in 1993. Today, the total number of dairy farmers in Connecticut is 265. The number of dairies will continue to decline in the Northeast (Vermont, New York, New Hampshire) as farms get bigger and western states continue to produce more milk. Dairying contributed $73.4 million to the economy in 1993 and utilizes 75% of the cropland for grain production. Field corn, hay, aquaculture, and specialty crops are other significant components of agriculture in Connecticut. Because of its location between Boston and New York, Connecticut can take advantage of the growing consumer demand for fresh, local produce.

The decline of rural and open space land has been dramatic. A farmland preservation program was passed by the legislature in 1978 and as of 1995, 25,635 acres of development rights had been purchased on 162 farms. Many of the farm tourism operators I interviewed mentioned their interest in purchase of their development rights. In one case, the money was needed to help capitalize their agritourism venture. Most farms are in the rural areas of the state, and the majority of the rural community are white collar professionals, a potential local consumer source for farmers.

Vermont

Vermont is similar to West Marin in its predominance of dairy agriculture. In the past 20 years Vermont has experienced tremendous upheaval as dairies have gone out of business or had to go through extreme transition in the way they do business. Many farmers have developed alternative sources of on-farm income as a result. In direct receipts to the farmer, agriculture in Vermont earned about $451 million in 1992; about 75% from dairy products. Second to dairy is beef, with 200,000 cattle marketed by producers.

Approximately 27% of the land in Vermont is devoted to agriculture. Because agriculture in Vermont maintains the scenic beauty of the countryside, it is recognized as a critical component of the economy. As Roger Clapp, head of marketing for the state Department of Agriculture briefed me, "tourism is the other largest industry in the state and the two fit well together as tourism is geared towards rural or farm tourist experiences."

Vermont leads the nation in development of specialty products. In the past 15 years the number of companies has blossomed from seven to 200. From Ben and Jerry's ice cream to maple syrup, specialty cheeses, and value added lamb products, Vermont agriculturists create successful niche markets to save its agricultural production.

New York

I focused my visits in Wayne and Oswego Counties in upstate New York near Lake Ontario. Wayne County is the fifth largest agricultural county in New York with 919 farms producing over $95 million in gross sales annually. Wayne County just finished developing a Farmland Protection Plan and agritourism is an important component of the plan. At 400,000 acres, with 89% of its land considered prime farmland, Wayne County feels the pressures of a rapidly urbanizing county. Farms are still small and family owned but a majority of farm families indicate that the next generation will probably not be in farming.

To the east, Oswego County has 740 farms, generating $65 million annually on 114,000 acres with dairy being the largest sector. Oswego is also famous for its muck vegetable industry. "Muck" soils are high in organic matter and ideal for growing onions, lettuce and other high value crops. Agriculture is also diversifying into equine operations and floriculture. There are 36 different Supervisors in Oswego County with 26 towns and villages and a population of 125,000. There is no zoning in many parts of the county.

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