Create Revenue, Keep Rural Tranquility: How Agritourism Could Reshape Farm Life In The Region

One of Leelanau County’s own graces the cover of Michigan Agritourism’s just-released 2021 Discover Michigan Farm Fun guide: the four-year-old daughter of Cedar's Tom and Kathleen Koch holding a duckling on her family’s lakeside farm, Polish Heritage Farm, in Cedar.

The Kochs raise pork and eggs and tend a market garden to fill their stand during the summer months. When possible, they lead tours and “help people get back to appreciating real food the way it should be grown.”

Another among working farms welcoming the public is U-Pick sweet cherry orchard Hallstedt Homestead Cherries. Its owners are currently asking the Leelanau Township planning commission to consider the use of specified agricultural property to host overnights or “farm stays.” Says Phil Hallstedt, “a limited number of campsites would enable families to see the workings of a farm, and it would be an important stable source of revenue to offset the uncertainty of crop production.” The township will soon be surveying residents on this topic.

The peninsula has long been a place where agriculture and tourism intersect, and now growers are seeking new opportunities to create authentic local farm experiences. We checked in with Michigan Agritourism’s Executive Director Janice Benson about how agritourism is making a difference in farmers’ lives — and livelihoods — across the region:

Leelanau Ticker: Though agritourism is booming, a lot of people still aren’t exactly sure what it is. Can you talk about how it got its start?
Benson: Agritourism has been going on pretty much since the start of farming. I kind of look at the little roadside stand as the first kind of agritourism. People would take their Sunday drives and stop for sweet corn or strawberries, and in my mind those were the beginnings. It’s really as simple as that, and it grew from there as farms needed to market their products and invite visitors to their farms. It kind of got its name in the last decade or so, though even five years ago people didn’t know the name. I’d have to spell it out — agriculture plus tourism. But really it’s anything. Cideries, Christmas tree farms, wineries, petting farms, ranches, vineyards. Farming has really evolved, and as weather changes have become an increasing problem and created market fluctuations, farmers have looked for ways to diversify their incomes. So hosting visitors to their farm can provide revenue, for some even year-round. So what might have started as a seasonal roadside stand has now become a year-round business.

Leelanau Ticker: Who were some of the pioneers in Michigan and here in and around Leelanau?
Benson: Wineries are the ones most people have noticed, and people are surprised Michigan can produce such wonderful wine. So that gains a lot of attention. Don Coe [co-founder of Black Star Farms] is of course a pioneer in this region for all he’s done with Black Star Farms and the industry. I also think about beloved pioneer Sandy Rennie of Rennie Orchards [in Williamsburg], who had been inviting kids to visit their little farm and orchard for many years. He just really loved having the public visit and to find ways to have fun and educate. So many school groups went out there. And I think about a personal experience: My husband and I were picking cherries there a few years ago, and we were standing around talking to Sandy. Meanwhile a family was loading up their station wagon with cherries and laughing. Sandy looked over and he was just beaming. He turned to me and said, “Janice, you know, it would be a heck of a lot easier to sell to a processor. But that is why I do this.” It gave him so much satisfaction to see a family enjoying something he spent years growing. It’s great for the public and financially for farmers, but we sometimes forget that the farmer loves to see the people enjoying their products. You know, it’s kind of a thankless job, and they often don’t get to see their customers.

Leelanau Ticker: So when and why did your organization get started?
Benson: In 2007, when farmers and farm marketers realized there wasn’t an association out there to support their needs. They all had issues like bathrooms, parking, customer service versus just selling to processor…they needed to form an association to support the industry. And at the same time, the Michigan Department of Agriculture was supporting the publishing of a U-pick directory. So they said, “You can take our directory.” So with the help of Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Insurance, we got our start. We help farmers and educate the public.

Leelanau Ticker: And I’m guessing agritourism is literally saving some small farms…
Benson: Yes! I think about a farm that grew pumpkins. They were doing okay, but the owners were aging and looking at retirement. The daughters were thinking they might like to do something at the farm like selling donuts and other things. And then coincidentally, someone asked them, “Could we borrow your barn for the weekend? Our daughter is getting married.” The next thing you know, they realized “People really enjoy being on our farm!” So they were able to slowly expand, and now they do weddings every Friday and Saturday — usually two each day — year-round. The three daughters came back to run that operation, and they have fall activities and pumpkins but also a great other source of revenue.

Leelanau Ticker: Is there an “all-star team” of players in your world, maybe even some here in northern Michigan?
Benson: One is Grow Benzie. It’s been just amazing what they’ve done from having a farmers market, educational workshops about canning, beekeeping…it’s become a hub of excitement. Josh there does an amazing job. [In and around Leelanau,] there’s Gallaghers and Jacobs Corn Maze. With Gallaghers, you think of that traditional farm market to get your cherry turnovers and pears and local produce. They’ve done a great job keeping that vibrant. And then right across the street is Jacob’s Corn Maze. They now have food and beverages and events. Another fun one is Buchan’s Blueberry Hill on Old Mission, an original blueberry farmer and U-pick farm that now has ice cream and also a location in Suttons Bay.

Leelanau Ticker: Isn’t there a risk to some that there might be “too much of a good thing?” I think about the issue the winerieis are having on Old Mission, battling to be able to serve food and host events and expand.
Benson: It depends on where you live. In some areas like the Upper Peninsula, they want you to come and build your business, but closer to urban areas and places as beautiful as Leelanau and Old Mission, complicated and heated and challenging. Agritourism has really been such a bright spot for the industry and in many ways is the future for farming, but yes, not everything works in every community. What works in Ann Arbor might not be right in Alden or Northport. It’s always a balance a community has to figure out: what works and what doesn't. But farms are true local treasures, and if you took those away, what would Traverse City be and have? We have to keep them thriving. We have to be cognizant and have everyone work together, including homeowners, business owners, townships. It’s important that these conversations continue, because farms are such a driver to our statewide economy.

Leelanau Ticker: And isn’t part of your mission helping farms who are thinking about finding new ways to attract visitors?
Benson: Yes, we take calls from a lot of people, many members or even non-members. They’ll ask, “What am I getting into?” One called me thinking about doing hard cider. Sometimes people will think, “This is the hot new trend,” but not everything is for everyone. I tell them, “Find your special thing. That’s what’s going to be your success. Listen to your gut.” Some grew too quickly, always looking to the next big thing, and lost their identity and now they’re not enjoying it anymore. 

Leelanau Ticker: Any idea how many Michigan farms incorporate agritourism, or what percentage?
Benson: Not exactly. There was a study within the last ten years that estimated that 4,000 farms were doing some type of it. We are trying to get that data. But in northern Michigan certainly a majority have some aspect of it.

Pictured: Polish Heritage Farm in Cedar