'Exciting period' for agritourism as farmers encouraged to open their gates

Many commercial farms in Victoria and Tasmania are opening their gates to hoards of tourists from urban centres in Australia and as far away as Hong Kong.

Tasmania farmer Tim Parsons, Hamilton, was co-owner of Curringa Farm, alongside his wife, Jane.

The couple have been developing their farm stay business for the last 40 years after it was first started by Mr Parsons' parents.

The 300 hectare farm holds several accommodation units, 1200 Suffolk breeding ewes and a cropping enterprise.

Ewes lamb in spring with the majority of lambs turned off to a trader before Christmas.

Over the last 30 years, cabbage, carrot, onion, shallot and turnip seeds were grown on the farm with exports going to the Netherlands, Germany, France, Japan, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine and the US.

The Parsons facilitated farm tours to showcase this operation where 100s of visitors arrived every day to witness farm life and enjoy a country meal.

Often a sheep was shorn during such tours, making the family $1000, significantly more than the average ewe's clip.

"Right now, the tourism industry of Australia, is recognising agritourism as a platform for diversification, for educating, for telling that farm story," Mr Parsons said.

The farm's income is split three ways with each enterprise - prime lamb production, accommodation and farm tours - making up an equal portion.

Mr Parson said the collapse of Australia's wool sector first led his parents to build on-farm accommodation for tourists.

While the farm stay enterprise expanded, the farm got smaller and the ewe-flock was reduced.

"We have a very nice product pitched at the greater Asian market, southeast Asia, greater China and we've found a niche there," he said.

"Our point of difference is there are lots of farm stays that are on a smaller holding with some pet animals around but we are a working farm.

"Our enterprise mix is interesting enough to tell a real farming story."

Mr Parsons said since Covid-19 and lockdowns, people were "thinking a lot more about where their food comes from" and were seeking real life farm experiences.

"A lot of tourists who come to Tasmania, it's not their first time coming to Australia," he said.

"So, they're branching out and they want to chase that food and fibre story."

He said for many visitors, the farm was "absolutely different to their daily existence".

"Our consumers think that they get food from the shop and the shop gets it from the farmer - end of story," he said.

"We tell the story as to the process of growing seeds, rearing lambs.

"We get right down into that level of detail and then they start to think."

Steve Young, New Horizons Farm Stay, Smeaton, said this food production education was "definitely" a good thing, particularly for the kids who stay with them.

"They find out that eggs don't come from a carboard box," he said.

He said the families visiting the farm from Melbourne and Sydney help to diversify his farm income.

Mr Parsons said farmers had a good story to tell and there were plenty of people who wanted to hear it.

"The tourism industry for the last few years, they talk about paddock to plate," he said.

"But the media, the restaurants, society, the markets, the festivals, the fairs, everyone celebrates the plate.

"You put your strawberries in a cellophane box and you put a bow on it and a price sticker.

"The plate gets celebrated all the time but the innate being of us farmers is that we're not good at celebrating the paddock."

He said farmers needed to get into the mode of talking about the labour of farming and their work to overcome climate, pest and disease challenges.

"People think they want the wrapped up package on the plate but when they hear the paddock story, it's the story that engages them and excites them."

Fellow farm stay operators, Margit and Henry Smith, Longford, Tasmania, agreed with Mr Parson's outlook.

Their farm stay, Cressy Farm House, was a younger enterprise than that of the Parsons, having been set up as recently as 2016.

Some 5500 ewes were run on the 1200ha along with several crops.

Ms Smith said the majority of guests came from New South Wales and Victoria, with a few coming from Brisbane following the introduction of direct flights.

She said victors liked to "unwind, relax and get away from the busy life in the big cities".

"They get to experience big open paddocks, mountain views and rivers," she said.

Ms Smith also said many guests were keen to learn about the farm, the history of the place.

"They're certainly learning things about sheep that they never knew were happening," she said.

"It's a great way for me to communicate to city people what it's like in the country."

Mr Smith said the transparency brought with allowing guests to stay on the farm was "great".

"Most people are really interested and if, for example in June, we're shearing, or whatever is going on, sometimes, they come and have a look," he said.

He said it was "fantastic" to see non-farmers learning about food in this way.

"The things we take for granted, they certainly thrive on," he said.

Mr Parsons agreed and suggested that all farmers should up their standards to showcase their farms.

"All farmers should lift that bar and should have a high standard of delivery but when you're delivering to the public face, that standard has to be a bit higher as well," he said.

He explained how a farmer interested in setting up farm stays or facilitating agritourism would have to first do a six month tidy up of the farm yard and fences and install car parking and other facilities.

Overall, he said agritourism and farming were two separate jobs, which could go hand in hand.

"We love doing it and you've got to have that passion and enthusiasm," he said.

Mr Parsons said agritourism diversified farm income and had other sustainability benefits.

"The cash flow and the profitability of the business, it's got to be a very important driver," he said.

Just recently appointed co-chair of the Australia and New Zealand branch of the Global Agritourism Network, Mr Parsons was optimistic about the future for the sector.

"Right now, we're in the mix of this whole exciting period of agritourism, education, awareness and understanding," he said.

"[We're] taking a farm and identifying what that farm can do to invite visitors to come have a look and generate some more cash flow."

He said this agritourism cash flow was particularly important during tough periods, such as Tasmania's recent drought and poor sheep prices, and more farmers should explore the option.

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got," he said.

"Sometimes stepping out of that comfort zone to have a totally different enterprise mix or way of promoting your product is necessary."