MSU To Host Montana Agritourism Conference

In November, Montana State University will host the second annual Montana Agritourism Conference.

Agritourism?  What the heck is that?

It's a combination of agriculture and tourism, where ag is used is used to attract visitors to a farm, ranch, or related business.

If you're like me, you probably never thought of agriculture as a tourism draw, but it is a thing.  I'm a former farm kid myself, and until I started watching travel shows during the COVID lockdown, I was pretty much convinced the only way a farm or ranch could be a tourist destination was as a dude ranch.

Then again, that may have been the result of what kind of farm I grew up on.  I couldn't (and still can't) imagine people willingly paying money to come look at wheat fields in eastern Montana.

Although, in all honesty, we've been participating in agritourism here in Montana for ages, we've just never referred to or thought of it as such, mainly because we aren't leaving the state, so we don't consider it 'tourism'.

Don't believe me?  Look at the definition I listed up above.  Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, even picking huckleberries, those are all examples of agritourism.  A brewery tour also qualifies.

Enough about that.  Tell us about the conference.

The two-day conference is a collaborative effort between MSU, the MT Dept of Agriculture, and Western Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education.

Some of the planned events include tours through farms in the Gallatin Valley area that are working agritourism farms, so participants can see one in operation.  The next day will be full of discussion panels, with topics grouped together based on the estimated experience levels of the intended audience, so there are different options for people looking to get into agritourism, those who've already started, and those who are thinking longer-term.