Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
ANDY BARTH: EACH YEAR OKLAHOMA AGRITOURISM HOLDS A BUS TOUR AROUND PART OF
THE STATE, WHICH IS ALWAYS ONE OF OUR FAVORITES HERE AT HORIZON; AND THIS YEAR,
IT WAS MY TURN TO HOP ABOARD.
ANDY: IT'S ALL ABOARD IN NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA, AS AGRICULTURALISTS BECOME
TOURISTS.
BECCA LASICH IS THE EASTERN REGION AGRITOURSIM COORDINATOR, AND SAYS THE
BUS TOUR IS A NETWORKING HOTBED.
BECCA: THE BUS TOUR IS JUST SUCH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO,
A--NETWORK; I THINK THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING.
THEY SIT ON THE BUS, THEY TALK TO EACH OTHER; THEY GET IDEAS.
WE HAVE A GOOD MIX ON THIS TOUR OF BASICALLY EXISTING PRODUCERS WHO ARE ALREADY
WORKING WHO ARE ALREADY SUCCESSFUL AS AGRITOURISM BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE WHO
ARE INTERESTED IN STARTING SOME KIND OF A BUSINESS.
SO THIS GIVES THEM IDEAS, THEY CAN SHARE IDEAS BACK AND FORTH.
IT GIVES THEM A WAY TO GO, JUST GENERATES A LOT OF IDEAS AND A LOT OF
SUPPORT.
THE AGRITOURISM COMMUNITY IS REALLY SUPPORTIVE.
THEY SHARE THEIR IDEAS; THEY WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO SUCCEED.
AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHAT MAKES US A REALLY UNIQUE PART OF AGRICULTURE
AND PART OF TOURISM AS WELL.
ANDY: WELL AGRICULTURE IS THE TOP INDUSTRY IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA, BUT
FRUIT PRODUCTION DOESN'T RANK HIGH ON THE LIST IN TERMS OF NOTORIETY.
BUT TODAY WE ARE AT THE LIVESAY PEACH ORCHARDS WHERE FRUIT IS ABUNDANT
AND OUR NEXT STOP IS THE STONE BLUFF CELLARS.
OKLAHOMA'S WINE INDUSTRY HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE YEARS.
AFTER THE DUST BOWL ONLY 6 REMAINED IN THE STATE, WHILE TODAY, THERE ARE
MORE THAN 50 ESTABLISHMENTS STATEWIDE.
AND ACCORDING TO STONE BLUFF CELLARS' DEE SELBY, A LARGE PART OF THE
SUCCESS IS.
DEE SELBY: WORD OF MOUTH.
THESE PARTICULAR FOLKS ARE ALL INVOLVED IN AGRITOURISM INDUSTRY.
AND SO IT'S ALSO A GOOD WAY TO SHARE IDEAS AND TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE AND SAY
OKAY THIS WORKS FOR US, THIS DOESN'T WORK FOR US.
AND SO THAT'S WHY A TOUR GROUP LIKE THIS PARTICULAR ONE IS SO GOOD BUT TOUR
GROUPS IN GENERAL, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE FOLKS WHO ARE FAIRLY LOCAL
THEY SAY YOU KNOW I NEVER KNEW YOU WERE THERE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK OUT THERE.
AND THAT JUST HELPS BUSINESS ALL IN ALL.
ANDY: ELAINE FLAMING IS A FELLOW BUSINESS WOMAN IN THE WINE INDUSTRY AND IS A
PARTICIPANT IN THE AGRIBUS TOUR.
ELAINE FLAMING: WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY INTERESTED SINCE THE
BEGINNING WHEN THEY INVENTED OKLAHOMA AGRITOURISM.
AND WE HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED THE ROLLING WORKSHOPS.
NUMBER ONE, IT'S NETWORKING WITH OTHER PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE
STATE, SEEING DIFFERENT DIVERSIFICATION THROUGHOUT THE FARMING, RANCHING,
CHRISTMAS TREES, BLUEBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, SO VERY INTERESTING.
ANDY: AND EACH TOUR OFFERS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY.
ELAINE: HEARING THE DIVERSIFICATION AND SEEING ON THE BLACKBERRIES AND
BLUEBERRIES, THERE ARE SOME SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THAT AND THE GRAPE GROWING
THAT WE DO BUT YOU STILL LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE DEPTH OF WHAT
CARE THAT THEY HAVE TO GIVE TO THEIR BERRY CROP, OR THEIR BLACKBERRY CROP,
AND THE WORK THAT GOES INTO IT, WHICH I WAS NOT AWARE OF.
AND THAT REALLY ENFORCES WHATEVER CROP YOU GO INTO; THERE'S ALWAYS THAT
KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU NEED TO OBTAIN IN ORDER TO COME OUT WITH A QUALITY
PRODUCT.
ANDY: MAKING CONNECTIONS, WHILE ROUNDING THE CORNER TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES.
NOW FARMING IS A TOUGH CAREER, BUT VITAL FOR OUR NATION AGRITOURISM ALLOWS
THESE FAMILIES TO GENERATE MORE INCOME BY UTILIZING THEIR EXISTING RESOURCES.
AND, AS SOCIETY MOVES FURTHER AWAY FROM THE FARM; IT GIVES PEOPLE THE
CHANCE TO COME BACK TO SEE WHERE THEIR FOOD COMES FROM.