By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

HARTVILLE, Ohio — It was a packed gathering as producers from across the state attended the third annual Ohio Agritourism Conference in Hartville. The event was hosted by Maize Valley Winery and offered advice galore, from how to increase profits with innovative marketing strategies to rules and regulations governing an agritourism venture.

“This was our third year for this conference, and this event highlights the opportunities for producers to see if they want to add agritourism to their farm operation,” said Christie Welch, Direct Agricultural Marketing specialist at The Ohio State University South Centers. “This lets these participants see what they’re getting into and what can or cannot be profitable.”

Attention-getting techniques were shared, as were revenue-enhancing and food sales ideas. But laws, rules, and regulations were foremost this day, and spearheading the discussion around the legal dos and don’ts regarding agritourism was Ryan Conklin, an attorney from Wright & Moore Law Firm. He specializes in agriculture and agritourism guidelines.

“Navigating the web of local and state governmental bodies can be a daunting task for your agritourism operation,” said Conklin, who grew up on his family’s small dairy farm in Plain City. “When it comes to producers and their engagement with agritourism, there are three areas of concern: building and zoning laws, liability management, and emergency preparedness.”

He explained Ohio state laws provide some exceptions in the areas of building codes, zoning codes, and fire codes, and too often farmers use a broad brush and liberally interpret these laws and guidelines rather than adhere to them by-the-book.

“We counsel farmers to work with local officials to remain on their good side by strictly adhering to laws as they’re written even though there are some exceptions to the rules,” Conklin said.

Self-protection was his second warning. “Liability management is a key issue. There might be thousands of people on your residence, and protecting oneself and one’s personal assets is so key. It’s so important to make sure one’s liability insurance is sound, and to be sure to display those agritourism law signs. It’s so vital to let people know you’re taking the necessary steps to protect yourself.”

Things can and do wrong with agritourism ventures, Conklin said.

“It’s so important to be prepared for any emergency that might occur on the farm. Producers must be prepared to handle injuries that occur on the land, have a plan in case of a fire and to train your employees how to handle the emergency at hand.”

He said with agritourism, the nature of the business and the activities lend themselves to be more conducive to accidents. “One needs to make sure if there is an accident, that you’re ready to roll as a unified staff,” he noted.

Four sessions and four roundtable discussions were on the agenda at this conference. Bill and Michelle Bakan, owners of Maize Valley Winery in Hartville, along with Rob Leeds, OSU extension agent in Union County, explained the art of developing relationships in one’s community.

In 1990, Leeds and his wife, Christy, added agritourism to their farm with much success and added revenue to their operation.

“Been there, done that,” he said. “There’s more competition now than when we started doing it, and doing it nowadays takes more planning and preparation.”

Leeds shared his agritourism experiences, which included a hayride through a 20-acre woods, bonfires, a three-acre sorghum maze, pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, a straw pile, and animal attractions including kittens, goats, calves, and pigs. Most popular for kids was a zipline and a pumpkin sling shot – the latter involved launching a pumpkin to “splat” one’s favorite Big 10 rival.

The Bakans and Leedses also discussed diversifying the farm income throughout the year, making money with food sales and some advanced activities that might fit in one’s operations.

Diane Riehm, owner of Riehm Produce Farm in Tiffin, provided some effective marketing strategies used to entice visitors to their farm and tactics they employ to engage their customers.

According to Welch, a majority of those who attended this conference are already involved in agritourism. One of the newest, most innovative ideas some farmers are engaging in, she said, is conducting an adult Easter egg hunt.