January conference focuses on agritourism business

A two-day conference in early 2009 will offer education for people who want to enter agritourism, extension agents and those who are already agritourism operators.

Titled "The Future Looks Bright", the 2009 Missouri Agritourism Conference is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, AgriMissouri and the Missouri Farmers' Market Association and will be Jan. 16-17 at Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark.

"Missouri's agritourism businesses continue to provide families with a multitude of educational and fun day trips or weekend adventures that cannot be found in urban areas," said MDA Director Don Steen in a news release. "Visitors to an agritourism operation have many opportunities to learn more about agriculture, pick their own fruit, tour a working dairy farm, pet a variety of farm animals, take a hay ride into a pumpkin patch, get lost in a corn maze and discover Missouri's wine country."

Topics to be addressed during the event include business planning, conducting tours, running retail farm operations and food safety.

On Jan. 17, the Missouri Farmers' Market Association will hold its annual membership meeting in conjunction with the conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to lean about heirloom tomatoes, sales skills, marketing and 2008 success stories.

Registration information for the 2009 Missouri Agritourism Conference is available by clicking the link below.

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