Travel Tips & Trends

Tourism is new crop for Colorado farmers

If you enjoy the thought of exploring the rural countryside, you aren't alone. More than 800 farms and ranches in Colorado work at least part-time to cultivate the interest of travelers, reaping the benefits of a growing new cash crop known as agritourism.

While there is no formal definition of agritourism, it can be summarized as anything that connects visitors with the heritage, food or natural resources of a particular rural area.

Colorado is a natural hothouse for agritourism, due to its variety of outdoor summer recreation (including fishing, hunting, horseback riding and wildlife viewing) and varied agricultural industry. In 2002, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, recreational opportunities were offered by 867 Colorado farms and ranches for a total of more than $12 million in farm income.

Spring brings blossom festivals, farmers' markets and farm tours. Summer ushers in fruit and vegetable festivals. Fall is a busy time for the state's many wineries, and for farms with corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hay rides and other harvest festivities. In winter, many farms sell Christmas trees. A list of Colorado agritourism locations of many types can be found at www.ag.state.co.us/mkt/agritourism/agritourism.html.