A Fair Follow-up: Keillor and the NY Times

I tried to entice you to visit your local state fair a few weeks ago, but in case my words didn't take, I thought I'd let a couple of professionals take a stab at it.

First, Garrison Keillor tells of a Sunday spent at the Iowa State Fair with such a familiarly smooth rhythm that you'll swear the radio's on and his voice is drifting out from it.

Keillor serves up the state fair in living color, but colors that have been softened by his folksy sensibility and unwavering wholesomeness. It's the midway in slo-mo, every detail caught by a master storyteller.

Here is a crowd of overheated people in shorts and sneakers watching a green pepper being sliced and minced by a barker who made it seem thrilling. And next door, the hysteria of the auction ring, the old man in the big white hat and his bidibidibeebidy ululation, the shouts of his spotters, the old man hollering "Here we go!" and "It's only money! It'll only hurt for a little while!" and then "Sold for fifteen hundred dollars!"

[Sidebar: Keillor found his way to Iowa's fair just days after I mentioned their butter sculptures. Coincidence? Maybe so, or maybe he actually reads InfoFarm. If so, I'd be honored.]

Then, this past weekend, the New York Times dropped us on the midway at the Minnesota State Fair, with the "many who toil in the fields of the republic by serving the fruits of their labors on a stick."

For the writer, the trip to the fair represents more than just a family tradition, tinged with a hint of nostalgia. It is, for him, a yearly pilgrimage and a needed ritual.

For many of us city folk who still feel the fair’s annual pull, there is an unspoken question: "Am I still engaged with the land that feeds me?" And perhaps because once a year we get a prolonged whiff of manure, or watch a pig being born in the Miracle of Birth Center or come face-to-face with the folks who raise and grow our food — even if more of them commute to second jobs and wear their John Deere hats backward — then maybe we are worthy of the bounty of our good earth and good country for yet another year.

So, ready to head to the fair yet? County fairs count, too.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Agritourism on September 04, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Umpteen stars, again, still, more - if you may please. I continue to enjoy the spice, spirit, warmth and intrigue provided here, as well as the vocab xrcise, :). See: ululation. Results 1 - 2 of about 3. {See also: Did you mean: ululate noise ... rustling, ripple, rippling, strumming, thrumming, beating, drumming, patter, pattering, clatter, clattering, tintinnabulation, ululation, trill, trilling ... cry

Submitted by: Karl Schneider on September 7, 2008 06:02 PM

Submitted by: RV on September 23, 2008 09:57 AM

What Could be Butter Than This?

Obviously, this blog covers agriculture, but within that broad topic, it jumps all over the map.

And ag, as you know, encompasses a lot things, from food to fuel, fiber and forestry, which is how I can cover three very disparate subjects like the Olympics, Norman Borlaug and state fairs and still stay under the ag umbrella.

Well, leave it to the Iowans to join me under that big top.

Through this weekend, you can see butter sculptures of Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson [pic], and ag scientist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug at the Iowa State Fair.

Joining Johnson and Borlaug in butter are three other Iowans who made significant impacts on agriculture: Etta May Budd, George Washington Carver and Henry A. Wallace. Interestingly, all but Johnson have influential ties to each other, and Carver, Wallace and Borlaug also have close ties to USDA.

We're all butter off because of them.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Agritourism and Biography and Blogging on August 15, 2008 EST | Permalink

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This blog does not represent official communications from the National Agricultural Library, the Agricultural Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Vacation or Staycation, the Fair's the Thing

Any chance the high gas prices and struggling economy got you considering a staycation this year? Or at least a trip that keeps you closer to home than the South Pacific romp you had dreamed about?

Consider spending the day or even the weekend at your local county or state fair. The walk along the midway will both entertain and educate, and the smells -- for good or for ill -- will certainly bring back memories.

Of course, I'll be the first to admit that the olfactory blend of cotton candy, sawdust and barnyard can't compare to the smell of coconut sunscreen wafting along Fijian ocean breezes, but that doesn't mean it can't sweep you up in all the fun it represents.

From rides that send you hurling (through space, that is) to foods you've never seen fried before, the fair delivers non-stop discovery -- of what is possible and of where your limits are.

The fair also reminds us of the farmers, ranchers and growers that share our community. The contests and displays highlight the work they invest daily in tending their potato crop, raising a prize steer or nurturing a melon into a king-sized example of nature's bounty.

Lucky for you, fairs are thick on the ground this time of year and right on through early fall.

If you're from my home state of Ohio or a cheese-loving Wisconsinite, them I'm sorry to report that your state fairs, along with a few others, are already over, but for most of America, the carnival rides, petting zoos, bake-offs and livestock competitions are just rolling out.

So, get out there this weekend or next, sample the fresh corn, gawk at the giant butter sculptures and give a 4-H-er a well-deserved pat on the back.

And if you've got kids, see if your fair has an animal birthing center. They'll never forget seeing a ewe give birth or a calf take its first steps.

It won't be Fiji, but it'll be an affordable adventure and a welcomed chance to practice your animal sounds.

And it just might be the best staycation ever.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Agritourism on August 14, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Tourists - Farmers' Latest Cash Crop

Farmers looking to put more money in their pockets should consider putting the fun back in farming.

Agritourism provides a financial boost to farmers, ranchers, growers and their communities, particularly now as rising gas prices keep travelers closer to home.

Of course, combining agriculture and tourism is not a new concept. I remember travelers carrying bags of fresh-picked Florida oranges through the Cleveland airport in the dead of countless winters. I remember the first u-pick farm in our area posting its sign so it would be visible from the interstate that ran along its southern boundary. And I remember my sister touring an Hawaiian pineapple plantation in the 1970s, an exotic thing to do at the time.

What's new, however, is the studied and intentional way that agritourism is growing. It's an industry now, and as such, it's receiving funding and attention.

In Arkansas, for example, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute used a $50,000 Rural Business Opportunity Grant from USDA's Rural Development agency to research agritourism potential in the Arkansas River Valley. The result: the state-wide Arkansas Agritourism Initiative and a Web site that serves both the traveler and the farmer.

In fact the Arkansas site reflects the direction agritourism is moving. More than just a list of farmers' markets, corn mazes and seasonal festivals -- though it does deliver all that -- it supplies guidance and advice for the providers of all that bounty, from the nuts and bolts of how to develop and promote a program to the legal and insurance issues one must consider (the latter through the great work of the National Agricultural Law Center).

And Arkansas is not alone.

More and more Web sites devoted to both sides of agritourism have cropped up state by state over the last few years. Oklahoma has one, as do Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky.

You can find more by simply searching the Web, or get the cream of the crop by seeing what NAL's own Rural Information Center has pulled together.

And when you're done, take some time to enjoy summertime in rural America. There's no better way to learn about agritourism than to enjoy a bit of it yourself. Don't forget to send pictures!

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Agritourism on July 15, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Moos for You

Looking for something fun to do this weekend?

The 10th annual Maryland Day takes place tomorrow, April 26, from 10 a.m. til 4 p.m. on the University of Maryland Campus in College Park.

The day features over 400 hands-on exhibits, workshops and live performances, along with a massive give-away of 50,000 free cupcakes to mark the anniversary. (Last year's Maryland Day saw 77,000 visitors, so don't go thinking there'll be plenty of cupcakes for you late comers!)

The campus-wide open house includes Arts Alley, Sports & Rec Row, Science & Tech Way, and Biz & Society Hill. But I wouldn't be earning my NAL stripes if I didn't give special play to Ag Day Avenue, a collection of 72 different exibits and events demonstrating that ag ain't just about farming.

Answer questions and win prizes at Nutrition Jeopardy, walk through the Web of Life, learn what it takes to be a Maryland farmer or forester, or see what all the buzz is about in beekeeping.

Also be sure to visit with NAL's own Food Safety and Food and Nutrition Information Centers to get the latest on how to give your body what it needs. Tell 'em InfoFarm sent you.

Maryland Day will go on rain or shine, but the weather's supposed to be good. There's also free admission, free parking, good food, and did I mention the free cupcakes? What's stopping you? Get out there and enjoy!

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Agritourism on April 25, 2008 EST | Permalink

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cooooooooooooooooooool

Submitted by: jordyn on April 27, 2008 07:03 PM

Fall into Rural America

Isn't October supposed to be cool and crisp?

I'm finding it hard to believe it's fall when the DC area set a new daily high temp yesterday, but the weather folks are promising a more seasonal run soon. I hear though that Mother Nature has made good on that promise in some parts of the country, so for all of you currently experiencing cool and crisp -- and for those of us who look forward to joining you -- I thought I'd remind you of all the opportunities to experience autumn through the beauty and bounty of rural America.

From u-pick apples, pumpkins, and walnuts to corn mazes, hayrides and haunted houses, farmers and ranchers in rural communities everywhere are rolling out the red carpet to visitors. Head out of town and you might also tour a winery, sample local cider, pick up some mums, enjoy the fall foliage, or snag bundled corn stalks to decorate your house. And let's not forget the close encounters with horses, goats, rabbits and such at the petting zoos along the way.

This intersection of agriculture and tourism, aptly called agritourism, is a growing industry, bringing added revenue for farmers and helping conserve the land. According to the Travel Industry Association, roughly ten percent of U.S. travelers participated in rural sightseeing in 2004 (the latest data I could find). That's more than golf, winter sports, art galleries and cultural events combined. That's also a lot of people.

So, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, head to the hills. It'll likely be cool and crisp (so says the weatherman), and it'll be fun. (And if I haven't given you enough ideas about what to do, check out the suggestions over at GovGab.)

But if you're a farmer or rancher looking to attract city dwellers like myself, check out the agritourism resources pulled together by the Library's Rural Information Center. The effort might expand your business, strengthen your community and help preserve rural America.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Agritourism on October 10, 2007 EST | Permalink

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This blog does not represent official communications from the National Agricultural Library, the Agricultural Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.