Celebrating Dairy Month in June and Ice Cream Month in July, dairy farmers open their farms to thousands of visitors for tours, breakfasts on the farms and other large events. These are great opportunities to share what we do and our love for dairy. Hosting large events like these do come at a cost. A cost of time, labor shortages, space, weather and the fear of bringing so many people to your place can be overwhelming for many. But what if we scaled back all the big productions?
On our farm we do just that. Several times a month we give tours to small groups and families for a nominal fee. Just $5 per person gets a visitor an hour tour of our farm. Visitors are encouraged to ask as many questions as they would like. They see the milk house, the milking parlor, the milk cows and of course the calves. Since we have been doing this for years, the script is engrained in our heads. We don’t even need to think about what we will say.
Something new we started this year were gift certificates for tours or cheese tasting events. This started when a college woman wanted to give her sister, who loves farm animals, a meaningful gift and decided to contact us. So for Christmas the sister was presented with a gift certificate to come visit our farm and taste some of the cheese our milk is made into. What a great idea!
According to a Harris Corp. study sponsored by Eventbrite, millennials value experiences over things. In fact, 78 percent of millennials surveyed said they would rather spend money on a desirable experience versus a desirable object. Millennials are also spending more of their total income on experiences than any other generation. As millennials continue to mature in their careers and spending power, the opportunity for experience-based businesses is expected to explode.
Why can’t your dairy farm partake in these opportunities as well? Our farms provide people with a close connection of where their food comes from and the farmers who do the work. Of course we all aren’t going to be the next Fair Oaks, nor should we be, but providing experiences on your farm can be one way to earn additional income. Additionally, it is my opinion that these small types of tours and experiences are also a vital part of any farm risk management plan. Let me explain.
After people visit our farm, we see an uptake in engagement on our Facebook page, opening responses to our email newsletters and an increase in Google reviews. We consider these people allies and friends of our farm. When we need support, like when a vegan group organizes a protest on our farm, these allies are there for us. Yep, that happened.
Bringing people to your farm for an experience doesn’t have to be crazy big. Typical group sizes for us are four to six people. We limit school groups to 80 kids and divide and conquer between the four of us who live and work on the farm.
I would encourage you to start thinking about how you can use your farm as an experience to earn additional income, gain allies and most importantly promote the dairy industry that we all love. 
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Emily Zweber
- Dairy Producer
- Elko, Minnesota
- Email Emily Zweber
