California Agritourism News May 2020
News and notes for the agritourism community from UC SAREP
Greetings!

Thank you for all you're doing . We hope you and yours are staying safe and well.

In this newsletter:
  • Opening for visitors? Some ideas and best practices
  • Guidelines for summer day camps
  • Peer-to-peer experiences and lessons learned
  • Agritourism COVID-19 Operation Restart Best Practices guide
  • Notes from here and there
  • Free children's story from Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm
  • Partner with Sagra to build your agritourism operation?
  • Reconnecting markets; Feeding Communities initiative
  • New Sierra Nevada Geotourism website
  • New government funding program: CFAP
  • Please add & share: "Shelter-in-Place Direct-from-Farms" website
  • UC agritourism directory & event calendar - www.calagtour.org
  • Resources for COVID-19 survival
  • Useful agritourism resources

Please stay in touch; share your stories or news or thoughts for the next issue.

Sincerely,
Penny Leff
Agritourism Coordinator
UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
Opening for guests? - ideas & best practices
As California counties slowly move into Phase 2 of COVID-19 reopening, summer day camps are allowed to open, following guidelines for child care facilities recently released by the CA Department of Social Services.
Experienced agritourism operators who are members of the North American Farm Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) recently shared their experiences and lessons learned in offering modified visitor services. Watch the webinar here .
Best Practices for Re-opening
The folks at NAFDMA also kindly shared with us a useful guide that many of their members found helpful. The guide is called Agritourism COVID-19 Operation Restart Best Practices .

It was created by the Audience Media Group. Topics include:
  • Admission and ticketing
  • Farm Cleanliness
  • Prevention Procedures
  • Public Relations and Communications.
Notes from here and there...
book cover
Free children's story
from Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm
Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm created a children's story that can now be viewed or downloaded as a PDF for free.The story helps to remind us to look for the good amidst this historical life change for everyone in the world with the rise and spread of COVID-19. Even though many of our favorite places are closed during the pandemic, there are ways to stay connected to those around us and to our local communities.

Partner with Sagra for your agritourism operation?

Looking to create or expand the agritourism on your farm but don't want to manage the buildout and operations yourself? Sagra can help.
 
Sagra is a hospitality business whose mission is to bring awareness to regenerative agriculture and support the farms that practice it. We are partnering with operational farms to connect people to agriculture and provide simple accommodations and culinary experiences to further that connection, while supplying operational farms with another source of revenue to sustain their work. 
 
While we have entered a new era in hospitality and agritourism there is evidence that interest in individual accommodations and domestic travel will return with enthusiasm. 
 
Sagra will develop and operate the agritourism business and jointly educate guests on your farming and sense of place in the California agricultural community. To learn more see an overview of our business here and contact us at david@sagrafarms.com to discuss how we can bring agritourism to your farm.
RECONNECTING MARKETS,
FEEDING COMMUNITIES
Are you seeking new markets and new customers during the COVID-19 crisis? Have you lost sales outlets? Do you want to sell into a programs that are helping feed those most in need? Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) can help!

CAFF is launching the “Reconnecting Markets, Feeding Communities” initiative to support sales for California family farmers during the COVID-19 crisis. Right now, there’s a surge in new market opportunities for California farms, with numerous federal, state, local, and privately-funded programs arising in response to COVID-19 with a focus on purchasing locally. These programs include farm boxes, food bank purchasing, independent grocers, meal delivery to seniors, school meal pick-ups, and other community feeding and local purchasing programs.

Preparing the Sierra Nevada for Visitors to Return
Please join Sierra Nevada Geotourism and the Sierra Business Council in rebuilding Sierra's economy and preserving its cultural, historic, and of course, natural wonders for generations to come by providing up-to-date information on all your favorite businesses, outdoor recreation destinations, and other places of interest. Here are some quick links to learn more and participate:

 
 
A new federal funding program that will benefit some farmers
CFAP - Cornoavirus Food Assistance Program is NOW OPEN!

Available to agricultural operations regardless of size with qualifying losses due to COVID-19.
Recipients of PPP, EIDL or any other USDA program are ELIGIBLE for CFAP!
 
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FSA OFFICE TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT
 
Visit Farmers.gov/CFAP to learn more about the program & watch the 15mn webinar about the program.

These forms can be started now - listed on their site. If you already work with FSA, they may have these on file for you:
·     CCC-901  ( Also Available in Spanish ) – Identifies members of a farm or ranch that is a legal entity. Member Information will be completed by legal entities and joint operations to collect the following:
·    member names, addresses, and Tax Identification Numbers
·    citizenship status
·     CCC-941  ( Also Available in Spanish ) – Reports your average adjusted gross income for programs where income restrictions apply.
·     CCC-942 – If applicable, this certification reports income from farming, ranching, and forestry, for those exceeding the adjusted gross income limitation.
·     AD-1026  ( Also Available in Spanish ) – Ensures compliance with highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation.
·     AD-2047 – Provides basic customer contact information.
·     SF-3881 – Collects your banking information to allow USDA to make payments to you via direct deposit.
 
Payouts will be based on actual losses agricultural producers experienced in response to price declines and supply chain disruptions. January 1 through April 15: producers will be compensated for 85% of the price loss. April 15 through the next two quarters: producers will be compensated 30% of expected losses.
.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All payments are based on wholesale commodity prices - no added losses based on price of direct sales, value added or agritourism. Read more from CAFF
Please add & share - online sales, CSAs, etc.
Help update & share our " Shelter-in-place Direct-from-farms " resource page
Sonoma County Farm Trails Shelter-in-Place Resources
During this COVID-19 emergency, as most agritourism operations canceled events and on-farm activities, many refocusing on direct sales - selling to their local community members directly through on-line sales, CSAs, and pick-up and delivery services.

UC SAREP is helping consumers purchase directly from local farms, ranches and wineries by sharing connections to local farmers all over California on the new www.calagtour.org webpage, COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Direct-from-Farm Resources. It links to local groups and individuals, connecting consumers with farms, ranches, breweries & wineries offering box deliveries, farm stands, online ordering, delivery and pickup services, organized by region.

We need you! Please help grow these connections.

If you are an organization promoting local direct sales by farmers, ranchers, wineries or breweries, or if you are an individual farmer or rancher who would like to be included on this page, please contact Penny Leff, UC SAREP agritourism coordinator, at paleff@ucdavis.edu or reply to this email. Please share any resources or organizations that connect community members with local agricultural producers who sell directly.
CAN VISITORS FIND YOU?
FREE LISTING AND EVENT PROMOTION (online events welcome)

We invite California farmers and ranchers operating agritourism businesses or events to complete the  directory application  or event listing form  online.

Already listed? Please check your listing and send us any changes using the update form .

Or - just add  paleff@ucdavis.edu  to your email blast list to share your event news - we'll grab what we can for the calendar.

Resources for dealing in Covid-19 times
Some guidance & resources









  • Finally, Coronavirus HR Comms & Resources Guide a crowdsourced collection of resources for HR and business leaders to help inform and support Coronavirus response plans. Here you’ll find a curated collection of public Coronavirus response communications, templates, news, remote work, hiring impact, and resources.
General Agritourism Resources
  • California Agritourism - a UC ANR website compiling information and resources for farmers, ranchers and everyone involved in California Agritourism into one easy-to-use location

  • Agritourism Intensive 2019 - agendas, handouts and presentations from the 3-session agritourism planning class offered in Calaveras and Santa Cruz Counties, Jan-Mar, 2019






  • Farm-Based Education Network - A free international member network established to strengthen and support the work of educators, farmers and community leaders providing access and experiences of all kinds on productive working farms.

  • Farm Stay U.S. -The website of the U.S. Farm Stay Association, promoting farm and ranch stays in the United States and providing resources for farm stay operators and visitors.

  • Hipcamp Landshare - rural accommodations marketing site - If you are legally permitted to offer camping, cabins, or any kind of farm stay or guest ranch on your land, these San Francisco based folks may be good marketing partners.

  • Harvest Hosts - a program that connects farms and wineries with RV owners. Invite Harvest Hosts' RV owners to park overnight on your property and benefit from the goodwill that motivates them to make purchases.


  • AgritourismReady website - Created by Ohio State University Extension: A One Stop Shop for preparing your emergency management plan

  • North American Farm Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) - a membership based trade association dedicated to providing endless peer-to-peer learning opportunities, connections and resources, for farmers who are passionate about the business of agritourism and farm direct marketing.