Jan 6, 2016

2016 Midwest Agritourism Expo to offer free admission

The 2016 Midwest Agritourism Expo, being held on March 10, at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence, Michigan will be free for attendees. The expo, which runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., will feature educational sessions on agritourism, liability, and marketing. Vendors, from packaging suppliers to farm store products, will be part of the expo’s trade show.

Anyone owning a farmstand, winery, u-pick produce operation, cider mill, corn maze, or pumpkin patch should attend, Laurie Cerny, executive director of American Agritourism Council (AAC), said.

AAC is hosting this year’s expo.

The general session on “Agritourism” will be a panel discussion lead by Cerny and will cover things like what agritourism is, what it isn’t, popular venues to add, and more. Panelists include Ron Goldy and Mark Longstroth, who are Michigan State University (MSU) Extension educators, and Beth Hubbard, Michigan Agritourism Association president.

Mark Epple will cover the liability of allowing the public onto a farm. Epple, who graduated from MSU with a horticulture degree, is a Farm Bureau Insurance agent. He also operates a 100-acre fruit farm in southwest Michigan.

The last session of the afternoon will be “The Top Five Ways To Promote Your Agritourism Business.”

Vendor tables, which are also free, are still available. For more information, contact AAC at [email protected] or call (269) 657-3842.