WV Farm Bureau Magazine February 2016 | Page 2

bytes Two Opportunities Remain to Participate in Agritourism Workshops Helping local farmers create and profit from farm-based tourism opportunities is the idea behind West Virginia University Extension Service’s Agritourism Initiative, a training program for aspiring and beginning agritourism operators in or near the Greenbrier Valley. registration is available on a first-come, firstserved basis. Your cost of the entire course package is only $30 and includes course materials, meals and snacks; other costs for the program are being offset by grant funding from a WVU Community Engagement Grant. The day-long training session covers such topics as risk-management, marketing, hospitality management and business collaboration. The final two workshops are offered from 9.00am to 3.30pm at the Greenbrier Valley Visitors Center, on April 9th and May 14th. “Farmers are exploring agritourism and farm-based education as an opportunity to help diversify farm income and improve cash flows,” Dee Singh-Knights, WVU Extension Service agricultural economics specialist, said. “The challenge is the lack of education-specific resources and expertise to help them effectively evaluate and exploit this new opportunity.” To register, please go to www.eventbrite.com and search “WV Agritourism and Farm-Based Education.” Alternatively, you may register through the Monroe County WVU Extension Service, 304-772-3003. Classes are limited to 20 participants and For more information, please contact Dee Singh-Knights at [email protected]. edu or 304-293-7606, or Allison Tomlinson at [email protected] or 304-772-3003. Articles for NewsBytes must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Time-sensitive announcements must be submitted no less than 8 weeks prior to the date of the event. Electronic submissions, including photos, are preferred. Send to [email protected].