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Visit Iowa Farms


 

Welcome to the site where tourism and agriculture meet! Agritourism is a growing segment of the rural economy in many areas of Iowa. This website is your guide to rich and educational agricultural experiences in Iowa.

Examples of Iowa agritourism include bed and breakfasts, Christmas tree farms, farmers' markets, fruit and vegetable u-picks, hiking for a fee, hunting/fishing for a fee, mazes for a fee, retail stores, trail riding and wineries. These diverse businesses market a wide variety of produce, products and services to a wide variety of consumers that often value the experience of visiting a farm or rural area as much as the merchandise they purchase along the way.


Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference Welcomes Beginning Farmers, Agritourism Interests
The past decade has delivered some changes in Iowa agriculture, including more farmers being involved in fruit and vegetable production. That's why the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association will include a distinct track for beginning farmers during its 2010 annual meeting and conference, Jan. 29-30 at the Holiday Inn - Des Moines Airport/ Conference Center.

The conference is being organized jointly by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa State University Value Added Agriculture Program's Visit Iowa Farms project. Both are providing funds and staff to help educate beginning farmers about the opportunities in fruit and vegetable production.

The conference theme, Sustaining Our Environment, Our Livelihoods, and the Future of Our Industry, includes the educational track for beginning farmers, sessions on both fruit and vegetable production issues, food safety, marketing produce, and marketing experiences by creating farmer-to-consumer relationships.

Information about the conference is online at www.iafruitvegetablegrowers.org. Register by calling Dorothy Lewis, IFVGA Executive Secretary at (515) 232-5801.




Agritourism funding is provided in part by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the North Central Risk Management Education Center.