Interest in Agriculture Keeps Growing
agriculture, agritourism, business, chamber of commerce, tourism,
Agritourism in Dickson County is growing, no pun intended.
The overall agriculture industry itself continues to flourish in the county, with a total of 1,285 farms – albeit mostly part-time operations.
As people become more interested in visiting farms and experiencing farm life, farmers in Dickson County are taking advantage of all the attention.
“There are so many people in our current society who have never been on a farm, which is why schools often book trips to local farms,” says Mike Henry, Dickson County Farm Bureau insurance agent and chairman of the agriculture committee for the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce. “Kids see things there that amaze them. In addition, there are a lot of requests from senior citizens groups who want to see farms and perhaps bring back fond memories of when they were growing up.”
With that rising interest in farm visits comes a bolstered interest in the agritourism industry. One popular annual agritourism event that occurs each July is the Dickson County Farm Tour, which features a number of buses transporting 200 people to several farms in the community.
“The tour shows people new practices in agriculture as well as new commercial products, proving that farming is still alive and viable in our county,” Henry says. “The event is limited to 200 people, and we always have a waiting list for the one-day tour.”
Henry adds that agritourism in Dickson County ranges from pumpkin patches and corn mazes to Christmas tree farms. The Dickson County Farm Bureau even schedules an Ag Day each spring.
“All fourth-graders are invited out to Dickson County Fairgrounds for an Ag Day to see and touch animals, and to learn about agriculture at a variety of 10-minute information stations,” he says. “In addition, private places like Three Creeks Farm in Charlotte offer actual farm visits and classroom settings for students to further learn about agriculture.”
Henry says another popular agritourism endeavor is the Dickson County Farmers Market, which runs from May to November behind the Dickson County Public Library.The farmers market has a new Web site, www.dicksonfarmersmarket.com, to help promote the growing effort.
“Agritourism is being promoted more and more these days because the list of agricultural attractions is expanding for the public to see,” he says. “With changing times, agritourism has become an added source of income and interest in the overall farming economy.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
