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INVESTIGATOR: Qu, H.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA 74078

STATEWIDE INVENTORY AND POTENTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF AGRITOURISM BUSINESSES IN OKLAHOMA

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: For several years, the profit strain the farmers and ranchers have been experiencing in the U.S., low commodity prices, increased input costs, a large increasing in global competition along with global farm policies, and trade negotiations have made farming an extremely risky endeavor in many respects. Many small and large farmers and ranchers are now facing the choice of deciding whether to cease their operations for good or seek innovative ways to supplement their revenue streams. The former choice would imply an abandonment of the farming communities and a migration of population to urban areas to seek better options for employment. The latter choice entails a serious effort on the part of the governmental agencies to educate the farmers and ranchers about marketing and revenue diversification methods. The growing success of agritourism across the globe and nation has prompted the development of a statewide agritourism program. Agritourism's growth has been driven by both demand and supply. On the supply side, cost/price pressures have forced farmers and ranchers to augment their income through diversification, both within agriculture itself, and through non-agricultural pursuits. On the demand side, increases in discretionary income and demand for more specialized forms of vacation experiences have stimulated growth for tourism and recreational activities in rural areas. In order to assess the potential for Agritourism in Oklahoma, it is important and imperative to conduct a preliminary inventory (supply side) and market (demand side) analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this project are to: 1) Establish a detailed and complete database of the inventory of statewide Agritourism businesses; 2) Identify the urgent needs and major barriers for Oklahoma Agritourism development; 3) Discover current Agritourism visitors' characteristics, purpose of the visits, visiting behavior and expenditures; and, 4) Make recommendations of potential enterprises for the future development of Agritourism in Oklahoma.

APPROACH: Objective One: Establish a detailed and complete database of the inventory of statewide Agritourism businesses. A process will be developed and implemented to develop an inventory of Agritourism businesses in Oklahoma. The target population of the survey will be each county's OSU Extension Educators, and Directors of the Chambers of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureaus. The focus group interviews / investigations will be conducted in each county with Extension Educators, and Directors of the Chambers of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureaus and agritourism businesses. The interview data collected will be transcribed and analyzed using content analysis. Information collected in this step will be used to conduct three focus groups studies for Objective Two and design the survey questionnaire for Objectives Three. Objective Two: Identify the urgent needs and major barriers for Oklahoma Agritourism development. Three focus-group studies will be utilized. Two studies will include 10-12 Agritourism business owners each and the third study will be with 10-12 staff members from the State Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry, Department of Tourism and Recreation, Department of Wildlife Conservation and USDA Rural Development. The specific goals of the focus group studies are to list/identify potential Agritourism attractions/activities/amenities/resources and identify the major barriers and urgent needs in developing Agritourism in Oklahoma. Objective Three: Discover current Agritourism business characteristics and expenditures. A survey will be conducted in each county's Agritourism businesses to solicit data that will be used for Objective Three. The target population for the survey will be all the Agritourism businesses in Oklahoma. Two sources of information will be utilized including 1) Collaborate with the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives to publish an article in Oklahoma Living (the OAEC's monthly publication to over 300,000 rural electric customers) announcing the compilation of the Agritourism inventory and encouraging Agritourism businesses to submit their names and contact information to the principal investigator; and, 2) from the OSU Extension Educators, Directors of the Chambers of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureaus identified in Objective One. Some on-site interviews/investigations may need to be conducted in some counties. Objective Four: Make recommendations of potential enterprises for the future development of Agritourism in Oklahoma. One of the important aspects of this type of research is its wide ranging applicability and usefulness. Following the completion of Objectives One through Three the information and knowledge gained through this research will be used to make recommendations for potential enterprises.

PROGRESS: 2006/10 TO 2007/09
OUTPUTS: There are four objectives for this project. Two objectives have been successfully completed. Objective One: Establish a detailed and complete database of the inventory of statewide Agritourism businesses. A database was established which included 310 Agritourism businesses in Oklahoma and is comprised of 41 in Northwest OK, 42 in Southwest OK, 78 in Central OK, 41 in Southeast OK, 26 in Southcentral OK and 82 in Northeast OK. In addition to the name and contact information, each agritourism business also has been classified into the following agritourism businesses categories: Vineyard/Winery, Hunting, Guest Ranch, Trail Riding/Western Experience, Bring your own horse, U-Pick, Maze, Farm Stay, Specialty Crops or Product, Group Tours, Museums, Farmers Market and other. Based on the information collected, two focus groups studies were conducted to achieve Objective Two: Identify the urgent needs and major barriers for Oklahoma Agritourism development. One focus group study included 10 Agritourism business owners and the other group included 10 staff members from the State Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry, Department of Tourism and Recreation, Department of Wildlife Conservation and USDA Rural Development. The purposes of the focus group studies are to: 1) list/identify potential Agritourism attractions/activities/amenities/resources; and, 2) identify the major barriers and urgent needs in developing Agritourism in Oklahoma. Audio transcriptions were produced from two focus group study recordings: 1) 62 pages of agritourism business focus group audio transcription; and, 2) 57 pages of agritourism government official focus group audio transcription. An executive summary of two focus group studies was produced to highlight the urgent needs and major barriers for Oklahoma Agritourism development perceived by Agritourism businesses and government officials. A comparison analysis was conducted to identify the different perception/viewpoint on the urgent needs and major barriers of Oklahoma Agritourism. Objective Three: Discover current Agritourism business characteristics and expenditures has started. Based on the results of two focus group studies, a comprehensive questionnaire was developed to find: 1). Basic background information of the Agritourism business; 2). Attractions offered; 3). Wildlife based recreation and services provided; 4). Amenities offered; 5). Rank order of the perceived major barriers of operating an Agritourism business in Oklahoma; 6). Rank order of the importance of the resources/help/services needed; 7). Rank order of the critical success factors for Agritourism business in Oklahoma; and, 8). the enterprise owners' demographics. Both the online and mail surveys were started in December 2007 and data input will be completed in January 2008. PARTICIPANTS: Hailin Qu (PI), Professor, School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, OSU, Coordinator of the project; Direct the focus group study and compile the transcriptions; Develop the survey questionnaire; Conduct online and mail survey. Abby Cash (CPi), Director of Oklahoma Agritourism, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, Collect database information; Reviewed and provided comments on focus group studies and survey questionnaire; Provide venue and nominate names for the focus group studies. Renee Daugherty (CPi), Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of HDFS, Cooperative Extension Service, OSU, Review and comment on focus group studies and survey questionnaire; Reviewed and provided comments on focus group studies and survey questionnaire. Radesh Palakurthi (CPi), Professor, School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, OSU, Conducted focus group study as a moderator; Reviewed and provided comments on focus group studies and survey questionnaire. Bill Ryan (CPi), Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, OSU, Conducted the focus group study; Reviewed and provided comments on focus group studies and survey questionnaire. TARGET AUDIENCES: Oklahoma Agritourism, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry, Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation, Collaborating with establishment of the database, focus group studies and survey questionnaire PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No modification was made for the project.

IMPACT: 2006/10 TO 2007/09
The results of two focus group studies are summarized as follows: 1. Government focus group themes: Activities/events considered Agritourism: Farm visits and stays; Anything that happens on a farm/ranch; Horses - riding/maintenance; Anything with nature or natural resources; and Recapture memories. Major barriers to developing Agritourism: Signage; Insurance - liability; Lack of awareness of potential business owners; Perception of the agri-business in the community; Lack of internet access and cell phone coverage for guests/owner; and Roads - infrastructure. Urgent needs related to developing agritourism: Education of potential agri-business owners and government agencies; Education of businesses that deal with agri-business; Resources to attract people to agri-business; Communication with neighbors and local community; Marketing; and Need to tap into existing groups and organizations. 2. Business focus group themes: Activities/events offered by agritourism entrepreneurs: Anything that is an experience outside of the city limits; An Oklahoma experience; Land-based and Nature-based activity; Educational aspect; Recreational; All are some form of entertainment; Way of life - quality of life; Impact the economic development of local community; Authentic experience; Hunting and fishing; Outdoor recreation - horses, camping, off-roading, boating; Vineyards/winemaking; and An emotional experience - adventure and making memories. Major barriers to developing agritourism: Insurance - liability; Competition with others and other attractions in the state; Oklahoma state government does not understand the business; Local government does not understand benefits to community; Rules and regulations; World's perception of Oklahoma; Animal rights groups opposed to hunting; Current gas prices; Labor market; Signage; and Roads. Urgent needs related to developing Agritourism: Marketing - internationally, working with other groups; Educate the Oklahoma state government; Need political power - a lobbying group/organization; and Signage. 3. Similarities and Differences of Focus Groups: Both groups considered the following to be Agritourism activities or events: Anything that happens outside; Wildlife - hunting and fishing; Traditional way of life/living; Nature activities; and Memories - creating or recapturing. The following barriers were mentioned by both groups: Signage; Other related entities not educated on how to work with Agritourism; Infrastructure - roads; and Oklahoma legislature - laws and regulations. Both groups recognized the following urgent needs: Education of agritourism businesses - extension needs to make personal visits; Signage; Networking; Marketing; and Education of government entities. The only notable area where the two groups differed was their opinion on competition. The findings of the study provide very useful information and impact to: develop the survey questionnaire; provide important information to the state government to the issues raised by both agritourism businesses and state government officials; and have a big picture of the understanding from both Agritourism businesses and government officials on OK Agritourism industry.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2006/10 TO 2007/09
1. Qu, Hailin & Dunn, Greg (2007). Agri-tourism - The Linkage of Local Tourism and Agriculture Industry, in Ning, Zhe Qun and Bing, Wang (Eds.) "Modern Leisure Practices and Tourism Development", China Tourism Publisher, 280-302.
2. Qu, Hailin & Dunn, Greg (2006). Building your Dreams: Agritourism, The International Academic Symposium on "Leisure Practices & Tourism Development", November 13-15, 2006, Beijing, China.

PROJECT CONTACT:

Name: Qu, H.
Phone: 405-744-6711
Fax: 405-744-6299
Email: h.qu@okstate.edu