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News • Arkansas • United States • 2011-08-18

Agriculture and Tourism Partnerships Add Up to Big Business in The Natural State

LITTLE ROCK, AR (August 18, 2011) – In partnership with the Arkansas Agriculture Department and Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism released a new agritourism brochure this week. “Arkansas Grown: Good Times” guides travelers on a fact-filled agricultural tour of The Natural State.

“Agritourism is growing in popularity and provides a wonderful means for getting our visitors off the main roads so they can experience the treasures of rural Arkansas,” said Richard Davies, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Combining the state’s rich agriculture with fun things to see and do, agritourism is a travel trend that provides an additional source of income for farmers and rural communities. The 50-page publication, which includes maps, crop identifiers, fun facts, and over 90 photographs, is available at state Welcome Centers.

“This booklet does a great job of highlighting two of the state’s leading industries, agriculture and tourism, which contribute almost $23 billion yearly to the state’s economy,” said Richard Bell, Arkansas’s secretary of agriculture.

Many farmers, rural community leaders andrested in starting or growing agritourism in their areas will attend the Arkansas Agritourism Conference August 18-19 in Little Rock. The meeting is sponsored by the Arkansas Agritourism Initiative, a partnership among the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, National Agricultural Law Center, Arkansas Agriculture Department and Arkansas Farm Bureau.

“We are seeing great interest from the agri-curious, those who want to know more about food production: crops and livestock raised in Arkansas and how our farmers and ranchers provide a safe and healthy food supply,” said Randy Veach, president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, himself a cotton, soybean and rice farmer from Manila. “We hope this helps more people experience the role of Arkansas’s farmers and ranchers.”

For more information about the conference, contact Aly Signorelli at asignorelli@uaex.edu or 501-671-2072. For more information on the agritourism brochure, contact Dena Woerner at dena.woerner@arkansas.gov or (501) 682-7606.

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