Fields of Gold Insider. - Central Shenandoah Planning District

Winter 2014
Welcome to the Fields of Gold Insider!
Fields of Gold Insider is a quarterly newsletter filled with information,
opportunities and tips for growing your agritourism business.
Whazzit Again?
Fields of Gold is a regional agritourism program designed to collectively market
and promote the Shenandoah Valley’s agritourism sites and activities. The goal
is to create a coordinated tourism experience for the traveling public, to brand
the region as an agritourism destination and to create jobs on and off the farm.
Photo credit: Lexington and Rockbridge Area Tourism,
All rights reserved.
160+ Strong & Growing
Aeyles Farm
The Fields of Gold agritourism program now
spans eight counties and five cities in the
Shenandoah Valley region. Representing
agricultural activities ranging from open farms,
wineries and breweries, roadside stands, farm
B&Bs, farmers’ markets, farm-to-table
restaurants, festivals, and much more, the Fields
of Gold program offers valuable promotional,
educational and networking tools for area
agribusinesses. More than 160 agritourism
operators and businesses have joined the Fields
of Gold program so far!
Back Home on the Farm
What is an Agritourism Business?
Any farm or business with farm-related activities that is open to the public and encourages visitors and
residents to visit, participate, celebrate and support the economic resiliency of the
Shenandoah Valley’s rich agricultural heritage.
Join Fields of Gold!
If you or a business you know has not completed the Fields of Gold Agritourism Survey, visit:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/Fields_of_Gold and become a Fields of Gold member!
LIKE us on Facebook and we’ll help share your events, activities and photos with our fans!
www.facebook.com/fieldsofgold.agritourism
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Signature Events
Grow Your Agribusiness
56th Annual Highland Maple Festival
March 8-9 & 15-16, 2014
Stay in touch with latest trends in farming, food
regulations, agribusiness development &
marketing. Attend upcoming training sessions!
Take a step back in
time to Highland
County, "Virginia's
Switzerland” during
the 56th Annual
Maple
Festival!
Celebrate
the
"opening" of the
trees, observe the
process of making
maple syrup and
soak up the best of
local flavor with
sugar camp tours, traditional entertainment, and amazing
food. Come see why the Highland Maple Festival was
designated a “Local Legacy” by the Library of Congress in
1999!
For a schedule of events and the history of this agritourism
gem, visit: www.highlandcounty.org/maplefestival.html
showcase
o
t
t
n
a
w
We
& events!
ls
a
iv
t
s
e
f
r
you
What: Food Regulations for Entrepreneurs
Food safety regulations and best practices for running a
food business.
When: March 19, 2014, 6pm – 8pm
Where: CSPDC Office, 112 MacTanly Pl., Staunton
Price: $10
Register/More Info: tracey@stauntonfund.com,
www.cspdc.org/fieldsofgold/events.htm
What: 2014 Growers Academy
An 8-session learning series focused on sustainable farming methods and business models.
When: February 25 – April 1 • Tuesdays, 6-9 pm
March 15 and March 29 • Saturday, 9am – 1pm
Where: Virginia Tech Roanoke Center in the Roanoke
Higher Education Building at 108 North Jefferson Street
Price: $225 Inquire about limited scholarship availability
Register/More Info: (540)553-2311 or jnease@vt.edu
www.cpe.vt.edu/grac/
What: 7th Annual Berry Conference
When: March 13, 2014 8am-4:30pm
Where: Virginia State University Gateway Dining Hall,
Petersburg, VA
Price: $20/person
Register/More Info: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/tevents.shtml
What: Young Farmer’s Institute
When: March 20, 2014 9am-4pm
Traditions Family Restaurant
Where: 625 Mt. Clinton Pike, Harrisonburg, VA
Price: Free
Register/More Info: www.farmcreditofvirginias.com/
Send Us Your 2014
Agricultural Festivals & Special Events
We are compiling a farm-related festival and special events
calendar for the new Fields of Gold website! Do you host an
event at your business? Please send us the info and we’ll add
it to the list! Email: kimberly@cspdc.org
Want to be highlighted in
the Fields of Gold marketing campaign?
Send us pictures that showcase your business or farm name,
type of business, people enjoying your product/service, or the
scenic beauty of the Shenandoah Valley.
Email: kimberly@cspdc.org
What: Virginia Urban Agriculture Summit
Where: Holiday Inn, Lynchburg, Virginia
When: April 15 -16, 2014
Price: $75
Register/More Info: christie.young@vafb.com (804) 2901035 or spencer.neale@vafb.com (804) 290-1156
www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=URBA10E&OID=50
Wondering what else is going on
around the Fields of Gold region?
Visit: www.cspdc.org/fieldsofgold/events.htm
Fields of Gold Insider│Winter 2014
2
Fields of Gold Toolkit
News & Tips
What’s in the Fields of Gold toolkit
to help you promote your agribusiness?
Virginia Tourism Marketing Grant Awarded
Interactive W
ebsite
The Fields of Gold program was among
42 programs/organizations around the
state to receive a grant from the
Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC). Grant
funding will be used to develop a marketing and
advertising campaign to promote the Fields of Gold and
collectively highlight the 160+ participating agritourism
farms and businesses. The purpose of the advertising will
be to direct visitors to the Fields of Gold website, and
ultimately, to the region's agritourism businesses,
destinations, and events. Partners that provided matching
funds for the VTC grant include: Farm Credit of the
Virginias, Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce, Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce,
and Bath County Tourism.
Tourism and Your Agribusiness
State agencies offer advice and support for
building your agritourism business.
A dynamic website that brings agritourism opportunities to
life for residents and visitors is central to the Fields of Gold
marketing strategy. Content will include an interactive map of
the region's
agricultural businesses, search/browse
capabilities, "Farm Trail" trip planning, "Meet the Farmer"
features, and an agriculture-related events calendar. Fields of
Gold members will have password-protected access to
documents, videos, webinars and the ability to easily manage
their own content on the site. Website construction is well
underway and is expected to be completed in late March!
chure
Promotional Bro
Where does tourism fit into my farm plan?
Detailed planning ideas and formats for agribusiness
ventures from the Virginia Cooperative Extension:
www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/310/310-003/310-003.html
Am I listed on state agritourism search sites?
Make sure you are listed and information is current!
Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
agritourism page:
www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/c-tourism.shtml
Are my events listed on the state tourism site?
Open an account & list your event! www.virginia.org/
The Fields of Gold informational brochure will be used to
educate and attract visitors to the Fields of Gold website.
Copies of the branded promotional piece will be distributed in
Visitor Centers and Tourism offices as well as at participating
Fields of Gold locations. Watch for copies this spring!
Showalters Orchard and Greenhouse
Fields of Gold Insider│Winter 2014
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Meet the Locals
Each quarter we will introduce a few of our participating
Fields of Gold businesses to the Insider community.
Send us ideas for featured businesses!
Posey Thisisit Llama Farm is a
27-acre farm located in
beautiful Shenandoah County between
Massanutten and Little North
Mountain. A family-run working,
teaching farm open to the public by
appointment year around (weather
permitting), Posey Thisisit offers fiber
classes, birthday parties for all ages,
space for club meetings, and quality
llama products. Visit them online at:
www.poseythisisitllamas.com/
Did You Know?

The Virginia Horse Center in Lexington serves over
500,000 people and 100,000 animals and holds 115
events (most free) each year.

Horses are the 8th largest agricultural
commodity in Virginia according to cash
receipts, and Virginia ranks 12th in the nation for
numbers of horses.

Cyrus McCormick Farm in Raphine, also known as
Walnut Grove, was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1962 and is owned by
Virginia Tech.

In 2012, Virginia was ranked among the top ten wine
travel destinations in the world by Wine
Enthusiast Magazine.
Botetourt County Joins Fields of Gold Program
Located on a beautiful
250-acre dairy farm in Fairfield,
Vi rgi ni a (Roc kb rid ge C ou nty ) ,
Mountain View Farm Products,
currently milks around 120 Holstein,
Jersey and cross-bred cows twice
daily. Products are made from milk
fresh from their cows and processed
right on the farm. Raw milk aged
cheeses, fresh cheeses, butter and a
variety of other dairy products, plus
USDA inspected beef born and raised
on the farm with no added hormones
or antibiotics is currently available at Mountain View Farm
and at local farmers markets and restaurants. For more
information visit: www.mountainviewfarmproducts.com
Fields of Gold is a program of the
Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission
112 MacTanly Place
Staunton, Virginia 24401
Phone: 540•885•5174 Fax: 540•885•2687
E-mail: cspdc@cspdc.org
Website: www.cspdc.org
www.fieldsofgold.org
Funding for this program provided by:
Virginia Department of
Agriculture
and Consumer Services
Virginia Tourism
Corporation
Virginia Department
of Housing
and Community Development
Fields of Gold is expanding to Botetourt County in 2014.
The County’s agricultural businesses, activities, farm
retailers and restaurants featuring local products will be
surveyed in order to inventory and map them for inclusion
in the award-winning Fields of Gold program.
Botetourt County residents who operate a business suitable
for agritourism marketing seasonally, year-around, part-time
or full-time are encouraged to fill out an online survey at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Fields_of_Gold
Fields of Gold Region
Localities in the Fields of Gold Region:
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Augusta County
Bath County
Botetourt County
Highland County
Page County
Rockbridge County
Rockingham County
Shenandoah County
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Buena Vista
Harrisonburg
Lexington
Staunton
Waynesboro
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