Source: UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT submitted to NRP
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARMS WITH DIRECT SALES AND AGRITOURISM
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1015174
Grant No.
2018-68008-28091
Cumulative Award Amt.
$282,537.00
Proposal No.
2017-08714
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jul 1, 2018
Project End Date
Jun 30, 2021
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[A1701]- Critical Agricultural Research and Extension: CARE
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
(N/A)
BURLINGTON,VT 05405
Performing Department
Extension - Program and Facult
Non Technical Summary
The goal of this integrated research and extension project is to improve the viability of small and medium-sized farms by providing guidance and support for the implementation of best management practices for successful direct sales and agritourism enterprises. Specific objectives include:Identifying critical factors for success and failure of farms already engaged in direct sales and agritourism as well as farms considering adding new enterprises;Translating these critical factors into best practices with decision aids and tools that can be readily adopted by farms;Assisting farms with implementation of best practices that result in improvements in farm viability, including profitability and quality of life indicators.This project was developed in response to needs identified by stakeholders, and their collaboration has guided the project design. Continued collaboration with farmers, agricultural service providers, and other stakeholders is an essential part of this project throughout all stages. Research methods include interviews and surveys of farmers in four states (Vermont, California, Oregon, and West Virginia), which will provide data for identification of critical success factors. Decision aids and tools will be developed with input from stakeholders and will be disseminated throughout the country. Extension faculty will work with farmers to enhance adoption of best practices.The research component will be led by David Conner and the extension component will be led by Lisa Chase, both of the University of Vermont. Collaborators include research and extension faculty in California, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and West Virgina as well as farmers and other stakeholders.
Animal Health Component
70%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
70%
Developmental
30%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
60460303010100%
Knowledge Area
604 - Marketing and Distribution Practices;

Subject Of Investigation
6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3010 - Economics;
Goals / Objectives
Long-term goal. The goal of the proposed integrated research and extension project is to improve the viability of small and medium-sized farms by providing guidance and support for the implementation of best management practices for successful direct sales and agritourism enterprises.Objectives: Specific objectives include:Identifying critical factors for success and failure of small and medium-sized farms already engaged in direct sales and agritourism as well as farms considering adding new enterprises (research);Translating these critical factors into best practices with decision aids and tools that can be readily adopted by farms (research integrated with extension); andAssisting farms with implementation of best practices that result in improvements in farm viability, including profitability and quality of life indicators (extension).
Project Methods
Stakeholder Involvement. This project was developed in response to needs identified by stakeholders, and their collaboration has guided the project design. Continued collaboration with farmers, agricultural service providers, and other stakeholders is an essential part of this project throughout all stages.Specifically, stakeholders will:Advise on survey questions (year 1)Identify agritourism operators in their respective states for interviews and the web survey (year 1)Provide guidance for the development of decision aids and tools (year 2)Conduct outreach to farms to encourage implementation of best practices (year 3)Assist with evaluation of farms in their respective states (year 3)Stakeholder involvement is especially important for successful implementation and the likelihood of achieving expected outcomes. To formalize their involvement throughout the project, we will create a project advisory group (PAC) that will be kept informed at all stages with distinct opportunities for feedback. The project advisory group (PAC) will be composed of participating personnel in each state including collaborating investigators and stakeholders.Proposed Project Activities and Techniques Employed. To achieve the first objective, we will utilize mixed research methods. We will begin with a series of 30 key informant interviews of farms from each of the five participating states engaged in these activities. The PAC will help identify the initial pool of subjects. Maximum variability sampling will be used to select subjects, so that the respondents reflect the diversity (geographic, scale, experience, products, demographics) of activities.A semi-structured interview guide will be developed by Conner, Chase and the graduate research assistant (GRA) with guidance from the PAC. Questions will focus on direct sales and agritourism practices: what have they tried, what do they continue, which have they stopped doing and why, which are most directly profitable, which bring ancillary income and other benefits, how do they measure returns to these activities, what resources (labor, space, equipment) are needed, what external factors (policies, regulations, organizations, community support) contribute to or inhibit success, what other constraints do they face, and how is their quality of life affected.The GRA will conduct the interviews overseen by Conner. Interviews will be recorded and transcribed. To the extent that external factors (e.g., regulations, community support) emerge as important issues, we will conduct an additional set of interviews with regulators, tourism boards, or technical assistance providers to better understand these issues from their standpoints.All analysis will be done via thematic coding, using HyperRESEARCH qualitative analysis software to find patterns and relationships between, within, and among responses and to identify critical keys to success, lessons learned, and recommended practices. Results will stand alone as a deep account of respondent experiences as well as identifying important themes to be tested on a larger sample.Results from the interviews will guide questions on a survey to be administered to farmers in each participating state. Questions will focus on themes from the interviews as well as firmographic, geographic, and farmer demographic variables. Questions will be developed by Conner, Chase, the GRA and the PAC and will be pre-tested by stakeholders not involved in the PAC. Survey questions will be entered into LimeSurvey (an on-line survey platform). Subjects will be recruited via PAC contacts, farmer group membership, and databases on farms with agritourism and direct sales. We anticipate at least 100 respondents from each state. If the response rate from the online survey is low, we will follow up with a telephone survey.Data will be entered into SPSS statistical software. Univariate, bivariate and regression analysis will be used to count the prevalence of key themes and correlate themes with firmographic, geographic, and farmer demographic variables. Results will create profiles of successful practices: what is being done, by whom, where, on what types of farms, for how long, to what effect. Finally, USDA NASS data will be used to provide statewide and national estimates of the impacts of direct sales and agritourism. Analysis will focus on current levels of activity as well as projections of impacts if best practices are adopted with concomitant increases in farm viability, which is defined for the project as profitability and quality of life.The research methods will result in identification of critical factors for success and failure of small and medium-sized farms engaged in direct sales and agritourism. The results will be relevant for farms with experience in direct sales and agritourism as well as farms considering adding new enterprises. These critical factors may include a range of variables not limited to the following categories:Firmographic (e.g., size of the farm, years of experience)Geographic (e.g., proximity to urban areas, part of the country)Farmer demographic (e.g., age, education)Farmer skills (e.g., adaptability, entrepreneurship)Farmer motivation (e.g., income, jobs for family members)Resources (e.g., labor, space, equipment)External factors (e.g., policies, regulations, organizations, community support)The critical factors will be identified through qualitative and quantitative analyses and then ground-test with input from the PAC.After the critical factors have been identified, the challenge is then to translate them into best practices with decision aids and tools that can be readily adopted by farms. To appeal to different learning styles, tools will take a variety of forms online and in print. They will be shared through several channels including fact sheets and webinars distributed on the internet, through social media, through an agricultural television show in Vermont called Across the Fence, through eXtension's Communities of Practice, and in-person with farmers. Collaborating investigators in all five states will conduct workshops as well as one-on-one consultations with farmers to assist farms with implementation of best practices.Evaluation has been built into each aspect of this project, as a fundamental goal of this project is to develop and apply tools, resources, and technical assistance for farmers interested in incorporating agritourism and direct sales on farms throughout the U.S.

Progress 07/01/18 to 06/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Over the past three years, the Critical Success Factors for Small and Medium-Sized Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism project hasreached the following types of audiences: Academics (Y1-Y3) Graduate students (Y1-Y3) Producers with agritourism and direct sales, including new farmers (Y1-Y3) Extension professionals (Y1-Y3) Policy makers (Y2-Y3) Agricultural service providers and others supporting producers with agritourism and direct sales (Y2-Y3) In 2018-2019 (Year 1), the primary target audience was academics, Extension professionals, graduate students, and producers. Academic scientistsreceived professional development opportunities, such as IRB training and experience with data collection and research methods. Extension professionals also received professional development in the form of IRB training and experience with research methods and data collection. Graduate students received mentorship, along with field experience with qualitative data collection, and academic writing. Producers involved in the project through the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) provided guidance and feedback from the farmer perspective and received support for their participation. In 2019-2020 (Year 2), the analysis of data collected in Year 1resulted in presentations to a variety of audiences, including Extension, academic audiences, producers, and service providers at both national and international conferences. Additionally, the team conducted outreach via formal and informal networks ofagritourism and direct sales operators to promote the quantitative survey, which reached producers in all 50 states. Team members helped to publicize the study and the quantitative survey through 45 media releases nationwide. The results from the quantitative survey were disseminated to government agencies, producer associations, and agritourism organizations in Year 2 of the project. In this way, the project results reached Extension professionals, academics, agritourism and direct sales operators, policy makers, non-government organizations, and graduate students. It should be noted that travel during the latter half of this project period was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic. This reduced the project team's ability to disseminate research findings through in-person conference presentations and workshops with producers. Instead, the team use videoconferencing and remote means to disseminate findings and tools. Internally, the project efforts included graduate student mentorship, which resulted in application of research skills by students including in-depth interview skills, qualitative data analysis, qualitative research writing, quantitative survey development, quantitative survey data collection and analysis, and quantitative research writing. In 2020-2021 (Year 3), the project team reachedacademics, Extension professionals, service providers, policy makers, producers, agritourism operators, and others working in the broad industry of agritourism and direct sales. This was accomplished through: Presentation of data, results, and outcomesto academics, Extension professionals, and agritourism operators at national and international conferences (see Products). One-on-one mentorship and conversations with producers regarding results, outcomes, and best practices based on findings. Development and dissemination of resultsummaries and reports to service providers, agritourism operators and lay audiences. Development and production of 16webinars. Graduate student mentorship, and application of research skillsin data analysis, academic and non-academic report writing, academic conference presentation, and writing group participation. Over the course of the three project years (2018-2021), the project team reached1,834producersthrough the quantitative survey and 23 producers through the qualitative survey. Additionally, the project directlyconnected researchers, Extension professionals and graduate students across several states, and project materials have been disseminated widely to audiences both nationally and internationally.As a result of the study, the project team developed a network of researchers, Extension, and producers throughout the United States. The results of this project have been utilized to obtain additional grant funding through the USDA and other funding sources to further explore the data, and to continue technical assistance for producers. Additionally, activities resulted in a National Extension Excellence in Tourism Programming Award for Agritourism Multi-State Project (National winner 2021). Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All team members, including graduate students, received IRB training and learned about data sharing procedures through their respective administrations' sponsored projects offices. Graduate students were trained in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including instrument development, survey dissemination, data collection, data cleaning, analysis and interpretation, academic and research writing, conference presentation, and journal article writing skills. Project partners also received training in survey data collection procedures, including survey production. Emphasis was placed on mentorship for graduate and early career academics and professionals, including opportunities to attend conferences to give presentations andcontribute to academic scholarship through peer-reviewed journal publications.Additional professional training in outreach was provided to non-academic and producer participants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to communities of interest in different ways over the course of the project. Results were regularly presented to the project partners via the monthly multi-state collaborator meetings over Zoom. In Year 1 (2018-2019), the project team presented initial qualitative data findings and study proceduresat major national conferences for academic audiences. In Year 2 (2019-2020), the team presented quantitative findings at major national conferences for academic audiences. For non-academic audiences, the team disseminated results through webinars and one-on-one technical assistance sessions with producers, as well as through publications and news releases. The COVID-19 pandemic limited dissemination of results through in-person conferences and workshops in thelatter part of this project period (March through June 2020), although project partners made everyeffortto conduct and present this work virtually while travel restrictions were in place. In the final year, dissemination continued to be impacted by COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions; however, the project team adapted to the evolving situation and made every effort to develop virtual opportunities for dissemination through bothformal and informal networks. During this project period, the team participated in 19national and international conferencepresentations and produced 16webinars including: Nine webinars for Virtual Agritourism Gatherings between September 2020 and May 2021. Recordings and resources are available athttps://www.agritourismworkshop.com/gatherings-past.html: September 22, 2020, Welcoming Guests Back on our Farms and Ranches, 221 registered representing 27 countries, 98 attended representing 14 countries. October 8, 2020, Regenerative Tourism & Agriculture, 308 registered representing 27 countries, 159 attended representing 19 countries. November 19, 2020, Indigenous and Tribal Perspectives on Agritourism, 386 people registered representing 32 countries, 185 attended representing 18 countries. December 9, 2020, Creating Virtual Farm and Food Experiences, 507 registered representing 26 countries, 255 attended representing 14 countries. January 13, 2021, Farm-Based Education in Every City and Town: 4 Unique Stories, 310 registered representing 25 countries, 173 attended representing 15 countries. February 17, 2021, Agritourism within the US Racial Justice movement, 440 registered representing 19 countries, 246 attended representing 13 countries. March 16, 2021, Exploring the Diversity and Impact of Agritourism in Southern Africa, 172 registered representing 26 countries, 73 attended representing 17 countries. April 20, 2021, Culinary Lens on Agritourism, 361 registered representing 34 countries, 185 attended representing 18 countries. May 11, 2021, Regional Strategies for Promoting Agritourism and Community Economic Development, 375 registered representing 38 countries, 198 attended representing 25 countries. Seven webinars on agritourism safety and liability between May and June 2021. Recordings and resources are available athttps://www.uvm.edu/extension/vtagritourism/safety-and-liability-farms-during-covid-19: May 4, 2021, Getting Ready for Pick Your Own, 103 registered, 63 attended. May 11, 2021, Agritourism Operation Checklists and Self-Assessment, 51 registered, 29 attended. May 18, 2021, Crisis Management and Communications for Farms Open to Visitors, 34 registered, 17 attended. May 25, 2021, Liability Insurance for Farms Open to Visitors, 40 registered and 18 attended. June 1, 2021, Cultivating Farm and Food Safety for Visitors -- Guided Video Tours of Two Farms, 38 registered and 21 attended. June 15, 2021, Farm Tours and Overnight Stays, 37 registered, 26 attended. June 29, 2021 - Farm-Based Education in a Post-Covid World, 47 registered and 21 attended. For academic audiences, the teampublished 2 peer-reviewed journal articles, 1 conference proceeding, with 2 more journal articles under review and 1 journal articlein progress. For lay audiences, the team published 17 reports and summaries that are posted on the Vermont Tourism Research Center website (https://www.uvm.edu/vtrc/agritourism-survey). Of these 17 publications, US and state-specific (Vermont and Oregon) summaries and reports were developed that have been disseminated to policy makers at national, regional, state, and local levels. Similar reports are being developed for California and other partner states. Extension team members utilized findings to provide technical assistance for producers with agritourism and direct sales using videoconferencing platforms, phone calls, emails and other methods due to COVID-19 restrictions. Starting in May 2021, team members were able to conduct 19 in-person farm visits throughout the Northeast region to discuss challenges, barriers, and improvements needed regarding marketing, safety, and liability for agritourism operations. Locations like West Virginia have utilized the data findings to develop new farmer curricula that will be implemented in late 2021. Additional tools are under development, including updated guides for safety and liability during the evolving pandemic, a marketing toolkit, and a regulatory navigation decision tree for understanding permitting and licenses for agritourism operations. Many of the tools and resources developed for producers through this project are online athttps://www.uvm.edu/extension/vtagritourism. Activities and impacts resulted in a National Extension Excellence in Tourism Programming Award for Agritourism Multi-State Project (National winner 2021). The award will be presented to the multi-state team at the National Extension Tourism Conference in November 2021. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Wang, W., & Chase, L. (2020, October 16). Access to resources for agritourism operators in the US: A regional view [Conference session]. FoodTreX Research Summit, World Food Travel Association, virtual conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Conner, D. and Feenstra, G., et al. (2020 May) Critical Factors to Agritourism Success: Multi-State Perspectives. Abstract accepted for 2020 Annual Agricultural Food and Human Values Society Annual Meeting.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Conner, D. (2021, June 12). Critical success factors for agritourism: Results of a national survey. Lightening presentation at the Just Food 2021 Joint Annual Conference of Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS), Agriculture, Food and Human Value Society (AFHVS), Canadian Association for Food Studies (CAFS), and The Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition (SAFN), The Culinary Institute of America and New York University, virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hollas, C., and Chase, L. (2021, June 16). Agritourism: Challenges and opportunities for the rural future. Presentation at Uncharted Territory: Reimagining Tourism for a New Era, 2021 Annual Conference of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA), virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hollas, C., Chase, L., and Lamie, D. (2021, July 12-15). Agritourism and Community: Findings from a National Survey on Agritourism. Peer reviewed presentation, Community Development Society Annual Conference (virtual).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Arogundade, T., Dickes, L., Lamie, D., and Schmidt, C. (2021, August). Agritourism and Entrepreneurial Motivations: Evidence from a National Survey, National Perspectives of Critical Factors for Success and Risk Mitigation in Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism track session for 2021 Joint Conference of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association and Western Agricultural Economics Association, Austin, TX, hybrid.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Singh-Knights, D., Conner, D., Lamie, D., and Chase, L. (2021, August). Factors Contributing to Agritourism Revenue and Profitability: Results from Regression Analyses, National Perspectives of Critical Factors for Success and Risk Mitigation in Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism track session for 2021 Joint Conference of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association and Western Agricultural Economics Association, Austin, TX, hybrid.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Schmidt, C., Dickes, L, and Arogundade, T. (2021, August). The role of women in agritourism entrepreneurship, National Perspectives of Critical Factors for Success and Risk Mitigation in Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism track session for 2021 Joint Conference of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association and Western Agricultural Economics Association, Austin, TX, hybrid.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Wang, W., and Chase, L. (2021, August). Accessibility of resources and supports for agritourism operators: Comparison of US regional perspectives, National Perspectives of Critical Factors for Success and Risk Mitigation in Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism track session for 2021 Joint Conference of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association and Western Agricultural Economics Association, Austin, TX, hybrid.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2021 Citation: Singh-Knights, D., and Quella, L. (2021, October 8). Cultivating Success on Farms with Agritourism and On-Farm Sales  Lessons on Successes and Challenges. Peer reviewed presentation, National Farm Viability Conference (virtual).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Lamie, D., Stewart, M., Qian, X., Quella, L., Hollas, C. (2021, November 7-10). Agritourism successes and challenges: Results from a national survey of farms and ranches open to visitors. Peer-reviewed presentation, National Extension Tourism Network, Savannah, GA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Singh-Knights, D., Leff, P. (2021, January 28). Agritourism around the US: Findings from a National Survey, presented at the National Extension Tourism Network webinar series, virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Singh-Knights, D., and Leff, P. (2021, April 21). Agritourism Success Factors for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, presented to the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals webinar series, virtual.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Schmidt, C., Hollas, C. (2021, May 15). Agritourism development and research in the USA, presented at the International Conference on Agri Tourism, virtual.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hardesty, S. & Leff, P. (2020) Californias agritourism operations expand despite facing regulatory challenges. Published online October 20, 2020. California Agriculture 74(3):123-126. https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2020a0026
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Quella, L., Chase, L., Conner, D., Reynolds, T., Wang, W., & Singh-Knights, D. (2021). Visitors and values: A qualitative analysis of agritourism operator motivations across the U.S. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(3), 115. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.103.010
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: University of Vermont. (2021). Agritourism survey results. Agritourism Survey Results | Vermont Tourism Research Center | The University of Vermont. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.uvm.edu/vtrc/agritourism-survey.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Hollas, C., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Overview. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_Overview.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Quella, L., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Hollas, C. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Motivations and goals. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_Motivations.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Wang, W., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Hollas, C., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Challenges. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_Challenges.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Hollas, C., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Vermont overview. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/VT_Overview.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Wang, W., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Hollas, C., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Supports. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_Supports.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Hollas, C., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Comparison of selected states. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_StateComparison.pdfhttps://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_StateComparison.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Hollas, C., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Comparing male and female responses. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_GenderComparison.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Quella, L, Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Hollas, C. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Vermont motivations and goals. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/VT_Motivations.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Wang, W., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Hollas, C., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Vermont challenges. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/VT_Challenges.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Wang, W., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Hollas, C., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Vermont supports. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/VT_Supports.pdf
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Hollas, C., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Agritourism revenue and profitability. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_RevenueProfitability.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Hollas, C., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Regional summary. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_Regional_Summary.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Hollas, C., Conner, D., Stewart, M., Leff, P., Wang, W., Quella, L. (2021). Survey of agritourism including on-farm direct sales in the United States: Comparing Vermont to the US. University of Vermont Tourism Research Center. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/VT_US_Comparison.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Wang, W., Bartlett, R., Conner, D., Quella, L., and Hollas, C. (2021) Agritourism and on-farm direct sales survey: Results for Vermont, University of Vermont. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/VT_Survey_Report.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Quella, L., Chase, L., Wang, W., Conner, D., Hollas, C., Leff, P., Feenstra, G, Singh-Knights, D., and Stewart, M. (2021). Agritourism and on-farm direct sales interviews: Report of qualitative findings. University of Vermont. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_Interview_Report.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Wang, W., Bartlett, R., Conner, D., Hollas, C., Quella, L., Leff, P., Feenstra, G, Singh-Knights, D., and Stewart, M. (2021) Agritourism and on-farm direct sales survey: Results for the U.S. University of Vermont. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/US_Survey_Report.pdf
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Stewart, M., Comerford, A., Sorte, B., Anima, S., Chase, L., Wang, W., Bartlett, R., Conner, D., Hollas, C., Brittain, C., Quella, L. (2021). Increasing farm viability through agritourism and on-farm direct sales: An Oregon producer survey. Oregon State University Extension Service. https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/OR_Survey_Report.pdf
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lamie, R. D., Chase, L., Chiodo, E., Dickes, L., Flanigan, S., Schmidt, C., & Streifeneder, T. (2021). Agritourism around the globe: Definitions, authenticity, and potential controversy. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(2), 15. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.002
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hollas, C., Chase, L., Conner, D., Dickes, L., Lamie, D., Singh-Knights, D., Quella, L. (Under review). Factors related to profitability of agritourism in the United States: Results from a national survey of operators. Sustainability.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Quella, L, Chase, L., Conner, D., Reynolds, T. (Under review). Farm attributes and perceived success in agritourism: Results from a national study. Tourism Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Wang, W., Chase, L., Conner, D., Kolodinsky, J., Singh-Knights, D. (In progress). Challenges for the US agritourism industry: Regional comparisons of access.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Singh-Knights, D., L.C. Chase, and P. Leff. Critical Success Factors for Small and Medium-Sized Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism  Results from a National Study. Peer-reviewed poster presentation. Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Center Conference (virtual), March 24, 2021.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Chase, L., Singh-Knights, D., Wang, W., Leff, P. Challenges and Resources for Agritourism Operators: Findings from a national survey. Invited presentation (virtual), North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) International Agritourism Association, February 4, 2021.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Chase, L.C., L. D. Lamie, L. Dickes, E. Chiodo. Design and implementation of training and certification courses of skills on sustainability. Invited presentation, World Agronomists Association Online Conference  Agenda 2030, July 2, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hollas, C.R., & Chase, L.C. (2021) Agritourism: Challenges and opportunities for the rural future. Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally. Research Papers from the 2021 International Conference, June 14-6, 2021. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/ttra/2021/research_papers/8


Progress 07/01/19 to 06/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:This project period (July 2019 - June 2020) we were able to present qualitative and quantitative data to a variety of audiences, including Extension, academic, producers, and others through national and international conferences, although several conferences were cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. The team also reached farmers and Extension professionals through promotion and outreach for the quantitative survey (November 2019-February 2020). This was a result of work through both formal and informal networks in agriculture. Additionally, more than 45 different press releases across the country were published to increase outreach for the quantitative survey. At the time of this report, the Vermont quantitative data summary report had been released to the national team for review, as well as Vermont-based government agencies and agritourism organizations. Changes/Problems:Due to COVID-19, conference presentations planned for April (Vermont Tourism Summit) and May (Agriculture Food and Human Values Annual Conference) were canceled. The conference presentation in June (NACDEP) will be online instead of in person and will be scheduled in the fall. Additionally, plans to present at the International Workshop on Agritourism scheduled for October 2020 will be move to an online presentation and then delivered in person in 2021. In terms of the team, the COVID-19 quarantine restrictions have made it more difficult for partners to obtain needed data analysis software, outreach opportunities to share findings and to get feedback from other professionals and producers. We are continuing to make progress using remote meetings and online presentations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All team members have received IRB training. Additionally, all team members have been trained in the data sharing process through each organization's Sponsored Projects offices.In Vermont, one graduate student was trained on general survey research methods, improved skills in interviewing, learning qualitative coding and analysis, academic writing and presentation skills, creating and administrating online surveys, and quantitative survey data collection. The student also received mentorship and instruction on working with multistate partners and team collaboration. Oregon partner received updated training in Qualtrics survey processes, including survey production. Additionally, two technicians were trained: one trained in outreach and one trained in Qualtrics processes, which helped to finalize the survey instrument and interpret responses. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated to the research team in the various states through monthly multi-state collaborator meetings. Additionally, the team has presented initial results at three conferences as noted in Target Audience and Products sections (Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Conference, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, andAgriculture, Food, & Human Values Society and Association for the Study of Food and Society Joint Annual Conference). These presentations reached academic, Extension, government agencies and others. The Vermont PI has participated in two farmer/practitioner events where the project has been discussed. These include the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont Winter Conference and the Vermont Fresh Network Annual Meeting (both listed in products). Additionally, the PI was invited to speak at the Annual Vermont Tourism Summit in April 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from conferences, Vermont has engaged farmers through the Agritourism Networking and Potluck retreat in January 2020, where the quantitative survey was discussed. Additionally, information about the project's quantitative survey and its implications has been included a number of press releases and discussed during the UVM College of Agriculture and Life Science's WDEV Radio Seeds to Society Podcast (November 14, 2019; also included in Other Products). The West Virginia partner used traditional and new social media communication methods to conduct outreach to service providers and farmers about the quantitative survey. Additionally, WV presented information about the survey in various agritourism presentations around the state. The California partner created marketing materials to encourage Extension professionals and other farmer support professionals to promote the survey in their states, and also shared these materials at the National Extension Tourism (NET) conference (Oct 2019). Information about the quantitative survey was disseminated through regional agritourism networks and local leaders in agritourism organizations. Key informant interview was presented to UC Extension professionals to inform outreach activities. Additionally, the CA partner included announcements for the quantitative survey in their CA agritourism newsletter that is published monthly and has a small farm audience, which reached over 3,000 individuals involved in CA agritourism. Additionally, personal emails were sent to 23 leaders of county and regional agritourism associations in CA, sharing the survey link and encouraging the leaders to share the link and rally their farmer/rancher members to participate. Oregon partners developed an Oregon-specific survey instrument in order to optimally engage OR farmers in the national survey. Along with this, OR conducted an extension outreach campaign over the course of several months leading up to and during survey implementation.Outreach channels included emails, U.S. mail, newspapers, social media and announcements in person at gatherings of farmers. Specifically, OR wrote and disseminated three news releases and enlisted the help of editors and reporters to market the survey. Ultimately, the story was picked up by Capital Press, the Northwest's agriculture weekly, state and county tourism departments, and agricultural non-profits such as Oregon Farm Bureau Fed. This effort made individual and networks of Oregon farmers aware of the survey and helped them understand the importance of their participation. The entire team enlisted the action of partners who sent the information out to networks, which included tourism boards, state agricultural departments/agencies, Extension networks, and other agritourism-related networks. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period (2020-2021), the team plans to continue to study the critical factors found in the first two years through the qualitative and quantitative data collection. These factors will be translated into best practices for farms and the team will develop dissemination materials, such as webinars, online-based aids and tools, and other materials that can be easily adopted by farms, to be shared nationally. We will also continue analysis of the quantitative data and begin the comparison of the NASS agriculture census 2017 results.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In the second year of the grant, the project team developed and implemented the quantitative survey using qualitative data collected in Y1 (2018-2019) and input from farmers and agricultural service providers including the Project Advisory Committee. The survey was implemented between November 2019 through February 2020 nationally and included questions about farm activity relating to agritourism and direct sales, firmographic information (including years of operation and basic financial information), as well as challenges, supports, and needs of the farm. Descriptive data has been analyzed and further analysis is being conducted, which will help identify critical factors for success and failure of small and medium-sized farms already engaged in direct sales and agritourism. The team has developed a Vermont report to share with local agencies and organizations working with agritourism policy; the report has been shared with the national team to discuss and edit in preparation for the national report.Additionally, the team is working to conduct the comparative analysis of the collected data with NASS Agricultural Census data.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Conner, D. and Feenstra, G., et al. (2020 May). Critical Factors to Agritourism Success: Multi-State Perspectives. Abstract accepted for 2020 Annual Agricultural Food and Human Values Society Annual Meeting. Athens, GA. [Cancelled due to COVID-19]
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Chase, L., Wang, W. Conner, D., Leff, P., Messer, C., Quella, L., Singh-Knights, D., Stewart, M.(2020). Agritourism Success Factors for Entrepreneurship and Community Development. Peer-reviewed presentation at the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) Conference. Portsmouth, NH: June 1-4.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Chase, L.C., and L. Berk. (2020) Agritourism 2.0: Relevant, Innovative and Inclusive. Peer reviewed presentation. 37th Annual Vermont Tourism Summit. Killington Grand Resort, Killington, Vermont. April 15-16, 2020. [Canceled because of COVID-19].
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Pereira, T., L.C. Chase, L. Berk, and M. Bulger. (2020). Leveraging the Vermont Brand for Agritourism and Direct Sales. Peer reviewed presentation. Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) Winter Conference, Burlington, Vermont, February 15-17, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Chase, L.C. (2020). Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism. Invited presentation for the Windham Grows online course, February 12, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Chase, L., Leff, P., Messer, C., Singh-Knights, D., Stewart, M., Conner, D., Quella, L., and Wang, W. (2019). Multi-State Survey on Critical Success Factors for Agritourism. Peer-reviewed presentation at Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Conference organized by the National Extension Tourism Design Team. Astoria, OR: October 8-12, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Quella, L., Chase, L., Conner, D., Wang, W., Leff, P., Stewart, M., Singh-Knights, D., Reynolds, T., & Messer, C. (2019, July). Critical success factors for agritourism on small and medium farms: a multistate lens. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, Atlanta, GA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Quella, L., Conner, D., Chase, L. (2019). Critical Success Factors for Agritourism and Direct Sales on Small and Medium Farms. Peer reviewed presentation at the Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society and Association for the Study of Food and Society Joint Annual Conference. Anchorage, AK: June 26-29, 2019.


Progress 07/01/18 to 06/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during the reporting period from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019 have been primarily individuals representing Extension and research/academic institutions via conferences (see Products section). At this point, none of the data collected have been disseminated to farmers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In the 2018-2019 reporting year, this project has provided training to one graduate student based at the University of Vermont. In the role of graduate research assistant, this student has been trained in critical thinking and research skills. These include gaining knowledge and expertise in the area of developing and conducting semi-structured interviews, as well as coding and analysis of qualitative data. Additionally, the graduate student has learned how to manage projects with multiple partners in different areas of the country. Finally, the student has gained proficiency in presenting and disseminating academic research through posters, presentations, and academic papers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project overview has been presented at the University of Vermont Student Research Conference. Results will be disseminated to academic and Extension professionals over the summer and fall of 2019 through presentations at the following conferences: Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society; Agriculture & Applied Economics Association; and the National Extension Tourism Conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the 2019-2020 reporting period, the project team will design the online survey using the data from the qualitative data collected during the 2018-2019 reporting period. From there, the team will be working collaboratively to contact stakeholders (farmers) not involved in the PAC to help pre-test the online survey. After the pre-test, the team will use the database of farms that have direct sales and agritourism activities to disseminate the survey. The team will also use telephone survey methods as needed for those who do not respond using the online link. The data collected will be entered into SPSS software for univariate, bivariate and regression analysis. Concurrently, the team will also be working with USDA NASS data to provide state and national estimates of the impacts of direct sales and agritourism. Using the data collected and the NASS data, the team will identify critical factors for success and failure of small and medium sized farms engaged in the aforementioned activities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Project team has made progress on Objective 1 (identifying critical factors for success and failure of small and medium-sized farms already engaged in direct sales and agritourism, as well as farms considering adding new enterprises) by accomplishing the following tasks: Creating a project advisory committee (PAC) in each state. Team members representing the five states participating in the project each provided names for a PAC member. Team members helped to build a semi-structured interview guide, which asked farmers about the different types of agritourism used, the importance of agritourism to the farm/ranch, the benefits of having agritourism activities for the farm/ranch, other contributions of agritourism, connections to local community, advice for farmers/ranchers interested in pursuing agritourism activities, and the role of agritourism in sustainable development. In total, 24 key informants were interviewed, including farmers/ranchers from Vermont, West Virginia, California, Oregon and Minnesota. Farm/ranch type ranged from diversified vegetables, maple, flowers, aquafarm, orchards, livestock, and more. Saturation was reached within the 24 interviews. All interviews are currently being analyzed. Two researchers have already open coded for best practices and these codes will be applied to all interviews. The result of analysis will help to inform the quantitative survey, which will be conducted in year 2 of the grant. Additionally, the team has been working on collecting names of farmers with agritourism and direct sales in participating states to create a database. These names will be included in the farms that will receive the quantitative survey link.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Conner, David, Quella, L., and Chase, L.(2019, June). Critical success factors for agritourism and direct sales on small and medium farms, presented at the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society annual conference, Anchorage, AK.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Quella, L., Conner, D., Chase, L., Wang, W., Singh-Knights, D., Leff, P., Stewart, M., Messer, C. (2019, expected July). Critical success factors for agritourism and direct sales on small and medium farms, expected presentation at Agricultural & Applied Economics Association annual conference, Atlanta, GA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Quella, L., Conner, D., Chase, L., Wang, W., Singh-Knights, D., Leff, P., Stewart, M., Messer, C. (2019, April). Critical Success Factors for Small and Medium Farms with Agritourism. Paper presented at the University of Vermont Student Research Conference, Burlington, VT.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Chase, L., G. Feenstra, P. Leff, C. Messer, D. Singh-Knights, M. Stewart, D. Conner, L. Quella, and W. Wang. Multi-State Survey on Critical Success Factors for Agritourism. Peer reviewed presentation. Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Conference organized by the National Extension Tourism Design Team, Astoria, Oregon, October 8-12, 2019.