| By David G. Jackson |
They have always been there: local food festivals like strawberry harvest celebrations, apple festivals, and barbecue contests in the smallest communities and on the outskirts of metropolitan areas. From the annual chili cook off at Terlingua, Texas to the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California to the Hatch Chile Festival here in New Mexico, Americans like to gather and sample local fruits, vegetables and other culinary fare. Every state has these celebrations, large and small, from growers markets to major commodity shows. 
| Fiery Garlic Calamari at
the Gilroy Garlic Festival |
Within the past two years this type of agricultural activity has been noticed, evaluated and given a new name: Agri-tourism. And it means much more to a greater number of people than it once did. Folks like farmers and ranchers, hunting guides and people who live in historic or cultural areas are looking for new ways to earn money from their operations. This is a nationwide phenomenon and it is being aggressively promoted by the Agricultural Extension Service of state agriculture universities, state tourism agencies, farm bureaus , historical societies, chambers of commerce and local community economic development organizations. Seminars are being held across the country to help interested parties to help make plans for events that will help communities and individuals to bring tourists to their areas. 
| Roasting chiles at the
Hatch Chile Festival Photo by Harald Zoschke |
Research has shown that people from the cities and suburbs love to go to a farm or ranch to see how things work, ride on a hay covered wagon pulled by horses (or a tractor.) They want to buy vegetables and fruit fresh from the field or orchard. They want to ride horses and see cattle on the range or being milked, to follow a trail into a remote part of the ranch or adjoining National Forest or other government lands such as those controlled by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. 
| Crowd at the Austin
Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival |
People are anxious to try new foods and recipes and the fresher, the better. In fact, food is the real key to most kinds of agri-tourism. But there are limits. Laws and regulations primarily concerned with health and safety are enforced by all states, with additional regulations often imposed by cities and counties. For example, any canned goods sold must be bottled under specified health and safety regulations. The ingredients must be listed, as well as other nutritional information on the container label. Home grown honey and organic foods must meet certain standards to be labeled as such. Most counties require that produce and fruits sold at farmers’ markets be home grown and not imported from commercial farms. Samples of food and produce must often meet certain standards. In many areas there may be insurance requirements. There must be adequate parking. And neighbors around the site must agree that any kind of festival, market, special occasion or public gathering does not constitute a public nuisance. 
| Fresh produce at a
farmer’s market festival |
It sounds complicated, but if enough neighbors can convince people that the occasion will benefit the community by attracting visitors from other locations, and encourage locals to show their products, there are organizations that will help with the planning and production of the event. And what, you may ask, does this mean to folks who like to consume fresh chile? There are thousands of gardeners who plant an almost infinite variety of peppers in all states of the union. Many of them give away the excess to friends and neighbors. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an event in your area where these pepper gardeners could sell their products along with all of the other fruits and vegetables that make life worth living? How about talking to your local county extension agent to see what can be done? Top of Page
Comments
 |
