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South Coast Strong: Agritourism a growing niche

GENEVA MILLER For The World Jul 22, 2017

Who says a grocery run is boring? Shopperson the Wild Rivers Coast Farm Trail get adestination experience while they stock upon fresh, local grub.

The 2017 Farm Trail is open for business,with nine stops from Bandon to Port Orford.Farm stands such as Valley Flora, u-pick,specialty food sellers and a plant nursery

2017 Wild RiversCoast Farm Trail

South CoastStrong 2017

BUY NOWJenine Manning, co-owner of Dragonfly Farm, one of the stops on the 2017 Wild Rivers Coast FarmTrail.

Geneva Miller

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include long-time businesses, such as theJensen’s century blueberry farm, as well asrecent start-ups. Farmers markets in Bandonand Port Orford bookend the trail, with awide variety of seasonal produce, meat andfish, plus baked and preserved goods. Thetrail fills a niche for locals and visitorshungry for homegrown products and uniqueexperiences on the Southern Oregon Coast.

First-hand experiences on local farms arememorable, said Cathy Boden, Eat Freshand Local action team leader. Farm trailexplorers can visit one destination at a timeor tour several in one day. Either way, thetrail gets shoppers up close and personalwith farmers and food producers.

“Farmers share who they are, what they’redoing and what they’re proud of,” saidBoden.

The official farm trail season is June throughSeptember, but many businesses are openyear round. Find the farm trial list atbandon.com/farm-trail.

Farm to Table

“The farm trail gives people one morereason to stop in. It doesn’t just reach thetourists but people from the area, too,” saidJenine Manning, co-owner of DragonflyFarm and Nursery.

Visitors to Dragonfly find an eye-catchingretail nursery nestled in a wooded settingjust off U.S. Highway 101 north of Langlois.Manning and the Dragonfly staff cultivatemany of the nursery’s ornamental and edibleplants on site. And, she rounds out her retailselection with additional products grown inthe region.

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Manning got a jump on the 2017 gardeningand tourism season in May. She staged herretail space, sold herb and vegetable starts ata mini farmers market hosted by SouthernCoos Hospital. And, she organized an EarthDay weekend celebration with other localfarmers and craftspeople. Manning said theEarth Day event drew close to 500 people,on Saturday alone, who shopped Dragonflyproducts as well as her guest vendors’ wares.

Manning was just establishing the Dragonflybusiness when she attended a Rural TourismStudio series for communities in South Coosand North Curry counties. She foundinspiration in discussion of successfulOregon agritourism hubs and trails, such asthe Hood River Fruit Loop. She knew itwould take a few years for the farm trail todevelop into a regional attraction, but she’spleased with the progress. And, sheappreciates the marketing boost from farmtrail promotions.

“It’s great exposure for us,” said Manning.

Agritourism niche

Agritourism is a growing niche that bridgesculinary, heritage and outdoor experiences.Interest in Southern Oregon Coastagritourism is consistent with visitor trendsreported by the state’s destination marketingagency Travel Oregon.

The Rural Tourism Studio is a professionaldevelopment program presented by TravelOregon to strengthen tourism in ruralregions throughout Oregon. Local steeringcommittees work with Travel Oregon staff toorganize workshops and networkingsessions. Participants identify tourismopportunities and recruit action teams forongoing product development. The Wild

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Rivers Coast Farm Trail had its genesis inthe 2013-14 studio series. Boden, who is theFoodshed Program Coordinator with theCurry Watersheds Partnership, signed on asan action team leader. The Eat Fresh andLocal team started work on the farm trailconcept and launched the first trail season in2015.

A baseline assessment commissioned for the2017 Southern Oregon Coast Rural TourismStudio presented a cross-section of tourismand travel information. Forty-two percent ofsurvey takers said they are more likely toreturn to destinations where they can buylocal food products, according to a 2010market study by Travel Oregon for itsOregon Bounty program. The 2017 studiosteering committee noted that the region ishome to hundreds of farms and has areputation as a “delicious place to visit.”

“Tourism is about economic development,not just being a great host,” said Boden.

A visitor-friendly infrastructure includesmultiple elements, from ODOT-approveddestination road signs, to staff recruitment.Boden envisions each stop on the farm trailas an opening to other businesses on thetrail. Visitors who tour the trail shouldcollect a series of memorable experiencesthat entice them to return to the region andstay longer.

Guests who stay in commercial lodgingmake a significant impact on the localeconomy, according to the 2015 TravelImpacts report by Dean Runyan Associatesfor Travel Oregon. The report showed CoosCounty visitors staying one day less than theaverage tourist stay state-wide. Notsurprisingly, outdoor, beach and waterfrontattractions are the most popular visitoractivities on the coast.

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Travel data indicates potential for agriculturebusinesses to capture more visitorcommerce, however. Visitor interest inculinary, cultural and heritage activities onthe Oregon Coast increased from 2011 to2015, according to Longwoods Internationalreports.