Dec 8, 2018
Owners of Klackle Orchards announce retirement

Changes are coming to a major Greenville, Michigan, agrtourism destination.

In a Facebook post Dec. 4, owners Steve and Rosemary Klackle announced they are retiring in spring 2019 from their roles as owners and operators of Klackle Orchards.  They have been operating the orchard and farm market for over 40 years.

In the post, they say they aren’t sure what is next for the farm, which is a tourist destination, especially in the fall. The Cornucopia Farm Market will remain open for the 2018 season through Dec. 15.

The Klackles plans to auction off the land the orchards are on in March 2019.

Here is the Facebook post:

“Friends, we have some news to share. After owning and operating Klackle Orchards for more than 40 years, Steve and Rosemary are retiring next spring. When we started this adventure in 1978, there is no way we could have imagined all that it would become. We are grateful for the wonderful staff that we have had the privilege of working with for the past 4 decades. While we aren’t sure exactly what is next for the farm, it has been an honor to be a part of so many family traditions throughout the years, and we will treasure the memories we have created with all of you. Thank you.

The Cornucopia Farm Market will be open through December 15 with donuts, pies, breads, cider, apples and a great selection of Christmas gifts. Be sure to stop in and see us!”

In an April 2015 story in Fruit Growers News, Steve Klackle said he has tried a lot of things in his time as operator of a third-generation fruit growing operation and seasonal farm market. He’s not shy about putting his hits and misses as an agritainment venue on full display to other farm owners.

His wife, Rosemary, helps with the farm, located near Greenville, Michigan, along with daughter Natalie, who had joined the business to manage the retail end, and son, Ryan.

Klackle Orchards grows 235 acres of apples, 8 acres of peaches and 35 acres of pumpkins.

“The main apple crop is sent to outside storage, packers and sales agencies,” Klackle told an audience at the2014 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO. “We have semi-dwarf and dwarf orchards with a usual production base in excess of 150,000 bushels. We operate a seasonal farm market and cider mill (mid-August through November). We put it to sleep the day before Thanksgiving.”

Klackle Orchards also has a fall agritourism component focusing on pick-your-own apples, pumpkins and agritainment.

“In the last few years we have also started to attend a few farmers’ markets in west Michigan (starting in peach season).

“On the farm, we also have an events/sports building (the Pavilion) with a summer focus of wedding receptions, expos and other special events and a winter focus of indoor sports including soccer, flag football and volleyball.

“That is really a different part of the business, sort of distant from the fall agritainment we offer,” he said.

Klackle joined the family commercial apple operation in the early 1980s, after a short stint as a civil engineer following college.

“Shortly thereafter I began my experiences with direct marketing. I started off with a little covered wagon by the side of the road with an honor system tin can, and it has progressed into the operation it is today. Our experiences in ag tourism and agritainment have grown along the way. It’s been quite a journey.”

Klackle’s talk focused on his observations of agritainment as a farm enterprise, focusing on fall season approaches and the operation of his farm’s agritainment area, “Klackleville.”

He has found many direct marketers are interested in expanding their operations to include other enterprises, but it should be “something that adds value to perhaps what you’re already growing, your farm property and perhaps even the staff you have employed.”

“It’s about diversifying with somewhat related businesses,” he said. “Ag tourism and agritainment is a realistic way to achieve this.”

Klackle described agritourism as combining farming with moneymaking activities and attractions for the public. It could involve producing food and providing open space and amusements – any activities that bring visitors to a farm or ranch.

“It’s creating experiences for families that they just can’t get anywhere else,” he said. “It could include farm-based activities, attractions, festivals, events, retail opportunities, lodging and meals.

“The interaction of the public with the farm family and its workers also is key,” Klackle said. “This is all about the progression of value – from a commodity to a product to a service to an experience. Agritourism is about the big picture of what this is all about.”

Klackle said farm operators need to capitalize on social trends that are in the industry’s favor, such as the “buy local” food movement. The consumer has a desire to learn where and how food is produced. The “disconnected” public is seeking to experience a real farm and make room for quality family time together.

“There is the desire to learn and experience the outdoor environment more, creating an eco-tourism uptick,” he said. “The individual wellness, healthier lifestyles approach is seen as important, as is the desire to support small, family run businesses.

“There’s a lot of things happening today in favor of agtourism,” he said.

Agritainment offers ‘specifics’

“Agritainment is what you do for them once they are there,” Klackle said of the distinction in terminology. “It’s the specifics.

“Major draws can certainly be viewed as totally separate enterprises – like farm markets, restaurant/concessions, cider mill/winery or ag processing facilities,” he said.

“You can also offer an experience-based activity – the top ones are PYO veggies, berries, apples, pumpkins, Christmas trees and the purchase of animal products. You could also include crop production/processing facility tours for individuals, schools and groups.”

Klackle said the agritainment target audience tends to be young families with two to four children looking for something entertaining to do.

Some operations have ventured beyond “simple agricultural fun” into an industry referred to as “outdoor adventure.”

“When you start adding aerial activities (high ropes courses, zip lines, climbing walls) and the extreme sports courses like Tough Mudder, it’s really more of an ‘adventure farm,’” and some even call themselves that.

“A key component of this type of activity is interactiveness,” Klackle said. “I also classify the ‘haunt business’ as sort of a different aspect of agritainment.”

There are a multitude of issues for farm operators to consider before moving into an agritainment approach.

“You need to ask yourself, is this stuff just a gimmick? Shouldn’t I just focus on production and selling that? Do I wish to move past just offering an ag product for sale? Do I deal with the general public well? Am I ‘tolerant’ of certain personalities/behaviors? Also, do I deal with employees well? Because agritainment needs lots.

“Also, do I have the time, resources and management to add agritainment to my operation? Am I, or people in my operation, entrepreneurial? Would we be willing to pick up any idea and tweak it to make it work for us? Am I able to look for new opportunities while remaining faithful to my operation’s core values?”

He said farm owners should scout out any “like competition” in their area. That can be a factor, but the real competition is the multitude of other entertainment options available to the general public that compete for leisure time and money.

“It’s also about the challenge of getting people off their sofas and away from their high-resolution, interactive video games,” he said. “This is serious competition for us and the traditional amusement park industry.”

Moving ahead

“There’s great potential to attract more customers to your farm as a destination,” Klackle said. “This means more of a ‘mass marketing’ type approach. You can start small, but as you add more activities, infrastructure and staff, you begin to think about volume. And volume certainly counts as you increase the overhead associated with getting bigger.”

Klackle said some aspects of agritainment might not yield a good match for an operation that is seeking to be smaller, more “niche” oriented and low-key. “Certainly, getting too big can come back to bite you, with some customers saying, ‘It’s gotten too big, too expensive.’

“There’s potential to make the guest stay longer at your farm – thereby perhaps creating additional opportunities for food sales and more fee-based activities for them to enjoy,” Klackle said. “There’s an opportunity to educate the public about your ag product – if you desire to do so. There’s potential to add a good amount of income to an operation if you charge an activity fee of some sort.”

The  basic farm products provide the base for any successful agritainment endeavor, he said.

“That’s why it’s called AGritainment , not just ENTERtainment.,” he said. “You have to have a big enough production base so you won’t run out of your product – either in the store or in the field (although there’s always the option to just purchase more from another grower).”

Klackle said agritainment works well in Michigan because of its large, diverse crop production near large, tourist-generating urban areas.

“We have the right products, experiences and the people to buy them,” he said.

Here’s a video report on the announcement from WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids.


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