Learn to Keep your Agritourism Business Looking Bright at 2009 Conference

The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) will host the 2009 Missouri Agritourism Conference, themed “The Future Looks Bright”, on Jan 16-17, 2009 at Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Mo. The conference will be a two-day learning experience for those who are looking to enter the agritourism industry, are agritourism operators or are extension agents.

The conference is sponsored cooperatively by MDA, AgriMissouri and the Missouri Farmers’ Market Association.Conference participants will hear on topics including: Identify Your Potential and Business Planning, How to Conduct School Tours, Running a Retail Shop on Your Farm, Romancing the Media, Bragging Rights: Successful Missouri Agritourism Operations, How to Use Social and Online Media to Brand Yourself, Adding Haunted Attractions: The Pros & Cons, Food Safety and much more.

The Missouri Farmers’ Market Association will hold their annual membership meeting in conjunction with the conference on Jan. 17. Farmers’ market masters and market vendors are encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more about growing heirloom tomatoes, gain salesmanship skills, innovative marketing ideas and hear the 2008 successes of markets and vendors across the state.

Farmers’ market participants need to register with Missouri Farmers’ Market Association Secretary Eileen Nichols at eileennichols@sbcglobal.net. For more information about the conference program, contact Sarah Gehring or Lane McConnell at (573) 751-4339 or via email Sarah.Gehring@mda.mo.gov or Lane.McConnell@mda.mo.gov .