Under outdoor lights strung from post to post, nearly 100 people dined al fresco on the grounds of Fifer Orchards in Camden. The early fall event featured a menu of lobster pot pie, applewood smoked brisket and pumpkin baklava prepared by Nage Restaurant of Rehoboth — a farm to table feast that is the new face of agritourism.
The agritourism menu is broader than the seasonal plant and produce markets housed in the outbuildings of Delaware’s better known farms. It also includes sustainable dining, Christmas tree farms, you-pick produce events, and the fast-growing winery and brewery industries. As the intersection of ag-based products and activities and tourism, agritourism has almost doubled since 2007, according to the Delaware Department of Agriculture.
In 2010 the Delaware Tourism Office joined forces with the Delaware Agritourism Association and the Department of Agriculture to offer a strategic plan for helping farms increase their income opportunities. Nearly 25 percent of Delaware’s 2,300 farms offer agritourism events.
To date, that initiative includes workshops, traditional marketing tools and a purposeful move toward inclusion of both legacy farms and the state’s growing brewery and vineyard industries as well as a focus on farm to table ingredients at area restaurants. While farm stands and markets are not new, the marketing effort behind them is reflective of this growing industry.
Agritourism rose from 24 farms to 43 businesses in 2012 with new vineyards and breweries comprising a chunk of those numbers.
“I think it’s a combination of things with the farms,” said Holly Porter, deputy principal assistant at the state Department of Agriculture. “It’s diversification and it’s a marketing opportunity. Sometimes, it’s another way to allow the next generation to stay on the farm.”
The Tourism Office sponsors three ag-related events as part of its “Delaware Trails” program: the Delaware Culinary Trail which features 24 iconic restaurants from around the state, many who utilize farm-to-table Delaware ingredients; the Delaware Beer, Wine and Spirits Trail, a collection of seventeen breweries, wineries and distilleries; and the Delaware Geocaching Trail which includes historic sites and parks.
Delaware is home to eight breweries, a ninth under construction in Smyrna.
Ryan Telle, vice president of marketing for Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company in Dover said that craft beers have been on the rise nationally, with more than 2,400 in operation. Still, it accounts for only about six percent of the beer industry.
“They call us “˜Small State, Big Beer,'”
said Telle. Affordable real estate and the draw of big names like DogFish Head in Milton have opened doors for other breweries in Delaware. Related events boost agritourism figures.
Harvest Ridge Winery in Marydel opened in November, 2013. Located on the Mason-Dixon line, it’s the 4th winery in Delaware, and Lindsey Pollard, tasting room and events manager said that tourists from as far away as the Carolinas have paid a visit.
Delaware breweries and vineyards count on events to engage customers, drive numbers and boost revenues. But for farmers, diversifying markets may be less about revenue and more about building relationships in a community that simply supports and loves their neighboring farms.
Thomas C. Smith is a fourth generation owner of T.S. Smith & Sons Farm in Bridgeville with his brothers. The 800-acre farm is the oldest apple, peach and nectarine operation in Delaware. A seasonal market stand has been a mainstay of the operation for more than 60 years, and an early nod toward diversification of the operation that was really about selling apples that had fallen to the ground and were no longer fit to package.
“It’s not significant, but it’s a very important part of business because we have people that stop every week,” said Smith.
A more intentional marketing move for the Smith farm was the construction of a rustic pavilion against the woods on their property. With trusses made from recycled wood from chicken houses and a tin roof, the structure is an ideal location for weddings, meetings, and family reunions. A two-hour rental of the pavilion runs $150.
“We were looking for different ways of generating cash flow and we had a site on the farm, a stream close at hand with an old plank bridge and a peach orchard on one side,” explained Smith.
It was his brother Charles that led the charge to diversify, looking to eek out additional cash flow from a market that runs dry in the off-season.
“Food prices are volatile, and we were trying to find something that was more entrepreneurial,” said Smith. “We only have four months of the year where we have money coming in.” Smith & Sons sells their fruits and vegetables at various market stands in Delaware and Maryland.
Smith said the most lucrative farm stands dot the Rt. 404 corridor, a rural artery that moves tourists from the beaches to Baltimore and Washington. Their profits are buffered by beach tourists heading home and want to end their vacations with bags of fresh produce.
Fifer Orchards in Camden-Wyoming is also a mainstay of the Delaware Farming Community. Founder Charles Fifer knew all about diversification when he bought the 2,000-plus acre property back in 1919, opting to grow an assortment of fruits and vegetables rather than follow the path of his neighbors who grew and harvested just one fruit.
And he was glad he did ““ especially when the Peach Yellows came and wiped out entire orchards, according to his great-grandson Mike Fennemore.
“Luckily the farm was already diversified” said Fennemore. “He lost his peaches but he had other things to get him by. It’s not just about being diversified in what you grow but in how you sell it.”
It’s a strategy they still employ. The farm grows fresh-market fruits and vegetables ““ the core of large farming operation. But free tours that Mike’s mom offered to school children in the “˜80s has grown to include full schedule of strawberry, blueberry and strawberry festivals, a peach ice cream day and a fall festival with a corn maze as its centerpiece. Fifers also host farm-to-table dinners with food catered by local restaurants that use locally-grown ingredients.
Fifer Orchards also opened a second market and café in Dewey.
Both T.S. Smith & Sons and Fifer Orchards host websites that showcase their products and events. But they are quick to point out that while agritourism is no financial boon to their business, it is a small sliver of their work that plays an important role in their respective communities3
“It’s agritourism, not Apple Computers,” joked Fennemore. “It’s a component of our whole business. Eighty percent of what we do is growing, packing and shipping to grocery stores. But it helps us give our community a taste of farm life.”
The Delaware Office of Tourism also offers a “Farmfresh App” that lists the closest farm-fresh produce to the users location and provides an interactive map showing 80-plus farm stands and markets throughout the state.
