The Agri-Tourist, My Journey Back to Agriculture

Send us Fan Mail There is nothing like the taste of a real, authentic New England maple syrup. This one is not located in Vermont - it’s located right in the Berkshires!  And I even had the chance to spend a few hours touring and tasting my way through this amazing farm. Justamere Tree Farm is located in the town of Worthington MA.  The land was purchased in 1982 and owned by JP and Marian. They f...

Send us Fan Mail Today we are chatting with Donna Del Rey, owner of Relish Culinary Adventures. Relish Culinary Adventures (love the name!) is a culinary program that brings together talented chefs and fabulous cuisine at a variety of captivating rural locations including farms and orchards, to create one-of-a-kind authentic cooking classes, culinary tours and excursions, and catering services. Ba...

Send us Fan Mail I have been doing a lot of local traveling, really digging into the northeast US where my agriculture focus seems to be currently taking me.  I visited a bean festival at a farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts (MA), located in the southern part of the Berkshires. The Berkshires or Berkshire County is located in Western Massachusetts, with New York State very close to the west, Connect...

Send us Fan Mail We left New York and it was 27 degrees Fahrenheit and mild.  We arrived in Grenada a little over four hours later and it was 78 degrees, partly sunny and fairly humid.  Earl, our driver, was awaiting our arrival.  He drove us in his car to the ‘countryside’ on the north west side of Grenada.  The roads were thin and very windy with spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea.  Houses w...

Send us Fan Mail Brian Sullivan, Gayle Okumura Sullivan and son Patrick Sullivan purchased Dry Creek Peach in 2000 and are approaching 25 years with the farm.  Dry Creek Peach, located in the heart of Dry Creek Valley of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, California is surrounded by wine country. They are the last remaining fruit farm in the valley with 1000 peach trees. They are the only dedicated, cer...

Send us Fan Mail Steve and Sandy are the inspiring founders of East Tennessee Homestead Alliance.  Sandy reached out to me about the podcast a few months ago.  We ended up speaking on the phone about homesteading and what it really is all about. Many people, including myself who is close to farming and all about sustainability, have this impression of homesteading as a far reaching goal that we wo...

Send us Fan Mail Rachael Callahan is currently California’s Statewide Agritourism Coordinator focused on the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program through UC Davis.  Originally from Delaware, Rachael stumbled into sustainable agriculture from her graduate studies and has focused on local and regional food systems.  She spent time in Belize working on a demonstration agroforestry f...

Send us Fan Mail Before she turned 10 years old, she already knew all about zucchini, white eggplant, garlic scapes, heirloom tomatoes, how to tell basil vs. mint vs. oregano, when to plant garlic, and what to pair lavender honey with.  My daughter Anna just turned 20-years old in September 2024 and is pursuing a college major in Economics and minor in Sustainability. She also just finished a summ...

Send us Fan Mail Laurelee Blanchard, Founder and President of Leilani Farm Sanctuary, and author of “Finding Paradise”, left a lucrative career at a Commercial Real Estate Firm to devote her life to animal protection and humane education. In 1999, she cashed out her life savings and moved from Orange County, California, to Hawaii to the island of Maui. Laurelee acquired an eight-acre parcel of lan...

Send us Fan Mail Apple picking season probably generates fun memories for many people; it does for me.  Apple picking definitely embodies agritourism.  And Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont is an eco-certified heirloom apple oasis.  The farm is rich in history - it was settled in 1791 and the orchards were planted in 1911 and now bear over 130 varieties of apples, many of which are heirloom. Scott...

Send us Fan Mail This is our WWOOF Part 2 podcast with Pattie Baker. Pattie is the author of "Round America with a Duck" where she traveled across America right before her 60th birthday via bike, buses, trains and WWOOFing! If you want to learn more about WWOOFING catch Episode 19 from last week. Pattie’s Book moved me. Her adventure was full of lots of learning, inspiring moments, such...

Send us Fan Mail When I was visiting Crayfish Bay Organics, an organic cacao farm on the island of Grenada, there was an open air cabin filled with ‘WWOOFers.  I had no clue what that term WWOOFer meant at the time.  WWOOF stands for WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms . Basically a WWOOFer is a person who is working/volunteering on an organic farm and in return gets free room, board, and foo...

Send us Fan Mail I have always had an interest in growing herbs and learning more about the medicinal qualities of different herbs and plants.  This topic fascinates me.  I know the power of mint and ginger in solving digestive issues and I know that there are so many other natural remedies.   So, I was really looking forward to my interview with Linda Shanahan, Herbalist and Registered Nurse, fro...

Send us Fan Mail I had the pleasure of interviewing Suzie Spahr, the Executive Director of NAFDMA - The North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association.  NAFDMA was founded in 1986 and is a membership based non profit trade association solely focused on advancing the farm direct marketing and agritourism industries.  NAFDMA is made up of entrepreneurial farm families who invite customers to vi...

Send us Fan Mail We are headed to Tassie today….that’s Tasmania for those who are not familiar.  And we are chatting with Tim Parsons. Tim and his wife Jane are 6th generation Tasmanian Farmers who own Curringa Farm, Tassie's favorite farmstay with national award winning cottages, farm tours, and group bbq meals.  Curringa Farm is a 750-acre farm focused on raising sheep, growing crops for se...

Send us Fan Mail We all know that things happen for reasons.  And many times, those reasons do not reveal themselves until years later.  Kim & Chuck Goodling moved their family from Vermont to Pennsylvania, in order to eventually make their way back to Vermont and find their current historic farm property, Grand View Farm, in Washington, VT.  Grand View Farm is a diversified Gotland sheep farm...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Agri-tourist Podcast, we are headed all the way to New Zealand with my guest Marijke Dunselman from Agritourism New Zealand. Originally from the Netherlands, Marijke has lived in many countries and speaks 4 languages, but decided to build her roots in New Zealand, another country I did not know much about until now! Marijke’s journey starts in marketing, tra...

Send us Fan Mail My inspiring guest is Dr. Valeria Klitsounova from Belarus.  Yes, Belarus! That might sound surprising to many, especially during the current times.  But, when given the introduction, I thought this was a very important opportunity to listen and learn.   Obviously my conversation is focused on agritourism. However, the bigger issues of today are at the core of our discussion. Dr....

Send us Fan Mail I was joined by Beth Kennet, owner of Liberty Hill Farm and a pioneer in the world of agritourism in the state of Vermont and probably worldwide. The farm experience that Beth and her family offer is truly an immersive farm-family experience.  What does that mean?   Well her multigenerational guests, many of whom are returning for over 30 years now with grandkids, truly become par...

Send us Fan Mail The Blueberry Treehouse Farm is a family-friendly, fun, and picturesque event space created by owners Jyl and Rico Rivera in the rural, vibrant community of West Falls, NY (near Buffalo). They have taken a historic farm growing blueberries for over 35 years to the next level by opening it to thousands of visitors.  They combine the farm with their business and passion so visitors...

Send us Fan Mail It was February 2014 and I left New York in a blizzard, arriving one day early for my first agritourism experience and agricultural chocolate tour in Belize. Our group was staying at the Cotton Tree Lodge in Punta Gorda, Belize.  The hotel was very rustic, located right by the Moho River, surrounded by jungles. All of our meals were served in the main lodge area.  While eating din...

Send us Fan Mail Dori Scofield is the Founder of Save a Pet Animal Rescue in Long Island, NY - a non profit that has been serving the Long Island community when it comes to dog and cat rescue and rehoming for over 24 years.  Dori’s connection and compassion for animals is and will always be a significant part of her life journey.   I have known Dori for many years - I have watched her lead, innova...

Send us Fan Mail I had the pleasure of interviewing Rachael Jones from Locavore Farm.  I have to admit, I didn’t know what Locavore meant before prepping for this interview.  If you don’t know the definition, you will learn about it  real soon!  My interview with Rachel was very compelling.  I related to her on many levels.   Rachael and her husband had successful careers and lived outside of Chic...

Send us Fan Mail Will Culler, PhD from Clemson University is the Lexington County Extension Coordinator and also the Director for the South Carolina Ag & Art Tour.  The tour is the largest free farm and art tour in the nation with over 85,000 visitors participating since 2012. The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is a self-guided tour of farms and markets featuring local artisans at every stop! Du...

Send us Fan Mail My former organic vegetable and sunflower farm had a few revenue channels. The one revenue channel that probably required the most labor was the numerous farmers markets. It was so exciting to make a new connection and add a new market, especially with our mobile farm stand truck. Being a marketer at heart, creating new connections was my favorite part!   However, I recall the ant...