How Agritourism Thrives in Wealthiest U.S. County

Loudoun County, Virginia, has a population of roughly 450,000 people and a median income close to $150,000, according to its government site. How is its agritourism industry thriving?

Pamela Jones, co-owner of Gathering Springs Farm, shares how.

Photo Source: GatheringSpringsFarm.com

Gathering Springs Farm is a 13-acre farm less than an hour’s drive from downtown Washington, D.C.. Jones and partner Sarah Obuchowicz primarily rely on a vegetable community supported agriculture (CSA) program, in addition to selling at farmers markets and hosting events.

“We are leaning into agritourism more and more,” Jones said. “Not only because we have to, to weather the crazy influxes in the market, but also because there is a huge demand.”

Agritourism events range from sourdough workshops and foraging classes, yoga sessions and seed starting tutorials. Jones and Obuchowicz, both potters, have especially found success with pottery classes. During Christmas, guests can make clay ornaments imprinted with branches they select from the farm.

“Pottery classes sell out straight away,” Jones said. “It’s almost like people want to be on the farm, but the clientele we’re catering to doesn’t want to be directly involved with production agriculture.”

As Jones and Obuchowicz were conducting their annual farm business review, they realized the value of events.

“They are far and away the biggest bang for our buck,” Jones said. “We don’t have to plant vegetables and weed anything in order to earn money. We just have to offer an event and an experience people are looking for. It is capitalizing on our personal expertise.”

Jones and Obuchowicz met while working at eco-centric Potomac Vegetable Farms. Jones is a paralympian athlete, and Obuchowicz is a registered dietitian. They established their farm to “create a place where food was the means to the end of meeting people, creating community, and sharing in good health,” according to their farm website.

Farming in Loudoun County doesn’t come without challenges. Jones describes her farm as “landlocked,” due to the development around them. Expanding would mean renting land several miles away, which would present challenges with livestock. For them, it’s about concentrating their efforts on their existing farm.

“We’ve not even scratched the surface in terms of how much produce we can produce,” Jones said of the two acres of their farm dedicated to vegetable production. “We’re always going to be striving at getting better at growing produce, but we’re also looking at events and how we can diversify our income.”

Gathering Springs Farm is part of a larger trend in Loudoun County. According to the Loudoun County Economic Development website, the number of farms increased 6% since the 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census.

Helpful Resources Alert

If you’d like to learn expand events on your agritourism farm, we found this PennState Cooperative Extension factsheet to be a hidden gem. It’s ### pages absolutely jam-packed with practical details.