WEEKLY HARVEST

Eastern Iowa couple draw thousands to alpaca farm
AgriNews via The Associated Press
From a distance, on the hilltops, brown, tan and gray shapes can be spotted combing through the tall, green grass. The furry livestock isn't the typical animal found on most farms in the Midwest, but a herd of woolly alpacas lazily grazes the hundreds of acres at Irish Meadows Alpaca Farm.

Vermont agritourism moves online
WCAX-TV
Vermont agritourism is going digital. The UVM Extension had to postpone its first international workshop until next August. Hundreds of experts were expected to attend. So, instead, it is hosting a virtual series of conversations with farmers from around the world. UVM Extension Professor Lisa Chase says Vermont's working landscape is essential for both Vermont's rural and urban areas, and many people aren't able to have those experiences where they live.

Agritourism businesses hopeful for a bump in attendance this fall
WBRC-TV
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many entertainment venues and typical family activities to be canceled this year and Alabama's agritourism industry is no exception. But as students and parents continue to be stuck inside their homes for school and work, farmers are optimistic for this year's fall season. "People are going to be hesitant to think about where they should go, but I can't think of a more safe, wholesome and educational opportunity than going out to an agritourism operation in the state," Hunter McBrayer told ADN.

U-pick farms growing to be great escape from pandemic
Growing Produce
The mom from nearby Columbus, Ohio, looked up from the "Nova" red raspberry bush she and her young boys had just picked clean. With 6 feet separating her and the owner of Champaign Berry Farm, she shared a bucketful of gratitude through her cloth face mask: "We've been coming here the last four or five years, and I was SO glad to hear you were open this year."

Wisconsin's largest drive-thru offers up state fair staples
Gazette Xtra
The swine, goat and cow barns are empty, the SkyGlider idle and the hucksters touting newfangled mops, cleaning agents, knives and cookware are nowhere to be found. Thankfully, there are a few familiar smells sans manure that are bringing State Fair Park partially back to life and helping restore a slice of normalcy to an abnormal summer. With the Wisconsin State Fair and most other county fairs around the state canceled, the Fair Food Drive-Thru is providing a calorie-packed, artery-clogging alternative to add to our COVID-19 waistlines.

Consider glamping to diversify income from your scenic pastures
Cornell Small Farms Program
In the early 2000's, I had the joy of spending a memorable 4 days with Bill Burrows, a 6th-generation rancher and Holistic Management practitioner from Northern California. Bill told us the story of how his family very nearly lost the ranch in the 1980's when the bottom fell out of the cattle market, and how a change in his thinking helped them recover, by developing multiple new enterprises, including hosting small groups of guests for weekend-long hunting expeditions.

Farms innovate fresh models for COVID-19 agritourism
Mountain Xpress
Picking baskets of blueberries, gathering armfuls of sunflowers and getting personal with sociable goats are all normal summertime activities in Western North Carolina. Many of the area's small farms depend on welcoming the public for tours, dinners, U-pick adventures, workshops and overnight stays as a fundamental income stream.