I’ve always been an entrepreneur, regardless of the industry. Whether helping to bolster the community’s workforce or giving hunters a way to safely process their wild game, my priority is identifying possibilities and turning them into opportunities.
Florida excels in the hospitality and entertainment industries, there’s no denying that. Its expansive theme parks and ever-growing attractions help to make the state the number one destination for domestic tourism and number 2 destination for international tourism. But you and I know there’s more to Florida than meets the tourist’s eye, and it’s that opportunity that makes way for agritourism.
That same feeling of opportunity is what drove me to become the inaugural president of the Florida Agritourism Association when it formed in 2016. At that time, the association was little more than a small, fledgling group of like-minded ranchers and farmers who saw a chance for those in the ag industry to generate a new stream of revenue. For the smaller farms, that revenue could be the difference between staying in business or folding.
I even started agritours at my own ranch, Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch in western Highlands County, which I also opened as a venue for weddings and other events.
What I found is that people crave this sort of organic Florida experience. It offers them the chance to see where their food is grown or raised, and it gives them the opportunity to speak with an honest-to-God farmer to better understand Florida agriculture.
And as it turns out, the growers and ranchers get more than just the dollars. They not only get to educate the public in intimate, small group settings, but they get to share the passion for what they do with visitors.
It’s impossible to pin a monetary value on that kind of experience, for both the visitor and the farmer.
