Agritourism: Recent Episodes
Sylvia Burgos Toftness
Saturdays, 9:00-9:30AM Central, live interviews with guests who help connect the dots between what we eat and how it's grown. Sylvia Burgos Toftness - New York City girl turned 100% grass-fed beef farmer - chats with ranchers, farmers, scientists and educators, film makers, policymakers, marketers, chefs and authors - all describing the linkages between soil health and nutrition, agricultural practice and financial sustainability, animal welfare and environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture and community revitalization. Broadcast and streamed live at WPCA Radio 93.1 FM and on the Internet.
Wisconsin farmers describe why they welcome visitors, and especially during Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week and beyond.
Earlier this month, Wisconsin legislators introduced a bill to the Assembly to overhaul the state’s liquor laws. Unfortunately, this proposal contains language that would severely limit the ability for family farms to rent space for celebrations, such as weddings. Here’s a link to the AB 304 language that’s posing the deep concern. In this Deep […]
We love visiting farms during warm weather. But what about when the snow's 2 feet deep and there are ice crystals in the air?Winter's a perfect time to enjoy great food, family activities and adventure on Wisconsin family farms. In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Sheila Everhart, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, describes just how easy it can be to have fun and create lasting memories on any one of the scores of farms that regularly welcome visitors to their operations.I hope you enjoy this interview, and I urge you to visit the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association website to find your next ag-adventure, www.wiagtourism.com. PS. You're invited to visit my farm, Bull Brook Keep, for an afternoon of snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. Just give me a call, 651-238-8525.Sylvia
Autumn colors are on display all across the country. Kids are running through corn mazes and families are enjoying hay rides, picking apples and sipping cider at farms throughout Wisconsin. Wrap a scarf around your neck and you can still savor wine outdoors at a local vineyard or hard cider at one of the many thriving orchards now offering the best of local.
Pretty soon it'll be sleigh rides or snowshoeing across pastures. And then there's the cutting of your very own yule log.
All of these activities are parts of agricultural tourism -- relaxation, education, adventure, a meal or overnight stay at a farm that welcomes visitors.
This Deep Roots Radio chat with Sheila Everhart takes a look at this growing form of tourism, and celebrates Wisconsin's recognition of agricultural adventures. Sheila is the Executive Director of Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association.
Enjoy!
Sylvia
Bull Brook Keep is once again part of this Saturday's Eat Local Co-op Farm Tour.
It's a high point of our summer and you're invited to visit our cows as well as the livestock and festivities at nearby farms. Make a day of it! At our farm, you'll get a chance to meet the moos, sample our beef (and buy ground beef and delicious summer sausage), and learn about upcoming herb-hunting tours called Herbal Safaris.
21 farms from around the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and western Wisconsin are part of this annual event sponsored and organized by a collaboration of natural food coops. These are many of the sustainable and organic growers who provide food for co-ops, farmers markets, CSAs, and direct sales in our region.
In this Deep Roots Radio interview, organizer Jennifer Dean describes why the coops launched this event a dozen years ago, and how its gained in popularity.
Go to coopfarmtour.com for a downloadable guide and colorful map you can use for your self-guided tour.
I hope to greet you on the farm this Saturday.
Sylvia
Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week, Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2021
I grew up in Bronx, NY, in a city of 8 million, yet I couldn't be more excited about Amery, Wisconsin's launch of a special week dedicated to agricultural tourism. Agri what?
It's a term that covers lots of things you've probably already done. If you've ever enjoyed an afternoon picking crisp apples or juicy strawberries, petted a little lamb or held a squirmy piglet, walked a corn maze or selected "just the right" pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, walked near grazing cattle, or sipped wine at a winery, helped gather eggs, or helped your farmer pick your CSA box -- you're an agricultural tourist. Maybe you've attended a wedding or special event at a repurposed barn, or fished at a trout or catfish farm, or cut down a Christmas tree. That's agricultural tourism, too.
Why am I excited? Because my husband Dave Toftness and I raise grass-fed-grass-finished just four miles from downtown Amery, and a major part of our mission is to welcome visitors to our farm, Bull Brook Keep. We chat with well over 200 people a year, every month of the year. We appreciate the opportunity for walks across our pastures, explaining why we're committed to sustainable practices, introducing our moos, and learning about people's food journey. It's educational, fun and friendly.
In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Amery's Mayor Paul Isakson describes how the city is marking the launch of this very special week set aside by proclamation by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. It runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, 2021. Many thanks to the Governor and to Sheila Everhart, Interim Executive Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, for working for this recognition of the contribution agritourism makes to people's lives and local economies.
Earlier this year, the Mayor established a new page on the City's website just for agricultural tourism, making it easy to find an ag-based adventure in and around Amery, www.amerywi.gov/703/Agritourism. To find agricultural venues across the state, visit wiagtourism.com.
I hope you enjoy this interview. And I hope you'll come visit us. The trees are turning glorious, and the moos would like to meet you.
Sylvia Burgos Toftness
Is there anything cuter than a new lamb? Or softer than a day-old chick? Well, maybe it's the curly tail of a tiny piglet, or the agile jumps of a week-old kid.
All will be on display, and ready for a cuddle, beginning this weekend on John and Julie Govin's farm in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It's their annual Lambing Barn and Farm Babies event . "Our motto is - If it fits in your lap, we'll help you hold it," said John during our Deep Roots Radio chat. An easy drive from the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metro area, the Govins have welcomed thousands of visitors - young and old - to this event for the last 16 years.
The Lambing Barn runs four weekends in 2021: March 20-21; March 27-28; April 2-3, and April 10-11. This spring, he's taken extra COVID-19 measures to promote wellness and fun on the farm. If you're into agritourism, the Govin's farm offers many activities through the summer and fall.
I hope you enjoy this interview with John, and go online to purchase tickets to this spring time event. I'm going Saturday, March 20th, and hope to see your there!
Sylvia