AMES, Iowa – Building on the success of last year’s inaugural agritourism bus tour, the Visit Iowa Farms Program with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host a second “Exploring Iowa Agritourism Ventures” tour on Monday, Aug. 28.
Five agritourism locations in central Iowa will be featured, including a flower farm, produce farms, livestock farm, and farms that host on-farm events.
The tour bus will depart from Ames at 8:30 a.m. and return to Ames at 4:30 p.m. The tour is free and includes lunch, although registration is required.
The stops and presenters are:
- Willow Flower Farm, Amanda Septer (Prole).
- Kaysen Family Farm, Tara Kaysen (St. Charles).
- Lone Oaks Farm, Luann Gilman (Winterset).
- Speckled Hens Farm, Kris Miler (Winterset).
- Rinehart's Family Farm, Gary Rinehart (Boone).
“We are excited to host a second Exploring Iowa Agritourism Ventures Bus Tour featuring these five agritourism destinations in central Iowa,” said Kendra Meyer, agriculture and natural resources extension specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Whether you currently have a farm or you are just interested in learning more about agritourism, this tour will provide a great outlook at the opportunities in agritourism and the benefits of diversifying your operation.” 
Topics will include financial sustainability through on-farm business and marketing, on-farm conservation practices, community engagement and risk management best practices.
Attendees will have the chance to interact with small farm specialists from ISU Extension and Outreach, during the bus ride between stops.
Seating is limited to one bus, so participants should register as soon as possible by visiting https://www.visitiowafarms.org/register.
For more information, contact Christa Hartsook, small farms program coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach, at 515-294-4430 or hartc@iastate.edu
The bus tour is based on work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through a grant received through the North Central Region SARE program.
Shareable photo: Barn at Lone Oaks Farm, one of the tour stops.
