Jeff Probst鈥檚 family has owned farmland in Warren County, northeast of Cincinnati, for 85 years. Over the generations, they鈥檝e tried all kinds of things to keep it profitable: from row-cropping to raising cattle and hogs.
But about 25 years ago, when Probst and his parents were starting to think about the price tag of a college education, they decided to venture into a new realm: agritourism.
鈥淭hey decided [to plant] an acre of strawberries,鈥� Probst said. 鈥淎nd mom loved flowers, so they built a little wooden framed greenhouse.鈥�
The original plan was to start a you-pick strawberry operation, coupled with a small garden center. But then, they expanded, hosting festivities in the fall and staffing a roadside produce stand to bridge the gap between berry and pumpkin seasons.
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鈥淲e failed a lot in the beginning,鈥� Probst said. 鈥淲e made tremendous mistakes.鈥�
But Probst and his family were at the forefront of an industry about to take off. Between 2002 and 2022, the number of agritourism operations in Ohio .
鈥淓xplode wouldn't even indicate what we're seeing in growth,鈥� Probst said.
By 2022, the most recent year data from the national is available, Ohio had nearly pulling income from agritourism activities. That鈥檚 more than any other Midwestern state.
What鈥檚 driving the agritourism boom?
Farms across the country are facing an inflection point, said Suzi Spahr, the executive director of the North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association.
鈥淣ow, whether that is due to, they've been doing commodity crops or wholesale crops for many years, and the revenue margins are not really cutting it,鈥� she said.
Or maybe a son or daughter wants to work the land too, but the farm doesn鈥檛 earn enough revenue to sustain multiple households.
鈥淪o they are looking for a diversification model that allows them to find new opportunities,鈥� Spahr said.
Agritourism offers farmers that option, at a time when the cost and availability of land makes expanding often unthinkable.
鈥淎s the population increases, it鈥檚 harder to buy land,鈥� said Ohio State Extension worker Kate Hornyak. 鈥淢uch of the increase in agritourism is driven by the suburbanizing state that we鈥檝e become.鈥�
The industry has proven profitable in Ohio. Over the past two decades, income from agritourism operations in the state has jumped more than .
The model has allowed family farms like Jeff Probst鈥檚 to stay in business. Today, their farm market is thriving 鈥� complete with you-pick berry patches, you-dig potatoes, a petting zoo, beer garden and on-site bakery.
New faces in agritourism
But these days, the industry is also attracting plenty of newcomers.
Jason Pratt, for example, didn鈥檛 grow up farming, but when he retired from the marines and moved back to Fairfield Township, where he grew up north of Cincinnati, he wanted to try something different.
鈥淚 was like, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 not moving around anymore. Let me get some beehives,鈥欌�� he said.
Then, once he figured out how to harvest and sell honey, he moved on to blackberries. He planted the crop near his mom鈥檚 horse barn about 10 years ago.
This summer, his bustled with families trying to fill baskets to the brim with juicy blackberries.
鈥淵ou see how these are nice and round and black and shiny,鈥� he said, holding a berry between his fingertips. 鈥淭hese are going to taste a lot different than the grocery store ones.鈥�
He believes his business, and other you-pick berry operations, are flourishing for a reason.
鈥淧eople want to see how their food is grown,鈥� he said.
But non-food agritourism enterprises are blossoming in the area too. On the other side of Cincinnati, Anne Sullivan works on her newly planted .
鈥淲e're very much in summer annuals right now,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o that would be things like sunflowers, zinnias, asters.鈥�
She sells bouquets at farmers markets across the city. But someday, she envisions hosting photo shoots among the blooms, partnering with local restaurants for make-your-own-bouquet nights and even holding weddings on the property.
Right now, those ideas exist only in her field of dreams, but with Ohio鈥檚 steady agritourism growth, she鈥檚 hopeful that eventually, they鈥檒l become a reality.
