Going on vacation can give anyone time to put issues and stresses in perspective. It can carve out space for making decisions, and it will recharge dead batteries too.
That’s a lot of value already. But for farmers, the right kind of vacation can deliver even more. It can open your eyes to entirely different agricultural ideas, methods and priorities.
While generic, touristy vacations may fulfill some of your vacation requirements, many primary producers and ag businesses choose agritourism instead, with trips specifically tailored to the interests, learning needs and priorities of farmers and farming types.
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“Opportunities to expand your world view don’t happen very often on the beach in Hawaii,” says Jane Turner of Agricultural Tour Operators International (ATOI), an association that represents and works with agri-tour providers around the world. “Agricultural tours broaden your perspectives not only on your own business but on humanity.”
That said, Turner adds that the single most valuable thing most producers learn on an agri-tour is not how different they are from producers around the world, but how similar. Even though cultures, products and conditions may be vastly different, the motivations, priorities and pressures that face primary producers are global.
An agri-tour is a prescheduled, guided group tour of an international or a closer-to-home location that combines touristy highlights with in-depth agricultural experiences such as on-farm stays, expert agricultural presentations, production facility tours, and technical visits with producers.
Generally tax-deductible (talk to a tour provider or travel agent for specific details), an agri-tour suits travellers who have prior agricultural knowledge and who prefer rurally flavoured travel, mixed learning opportunities, and an authentic travel experience.
Many farmers, particularly those who spend day-in, day-out operating independently and working on their own, wonder if they could enjoy travelling with a group. But don’t forget the other side of the ledger.
A planned tour offers hidden benefits you may not have considered, including peace of mind regarding organization, navigation and language barriers, as well as access to activities, experiences, people and places far off the tourist track that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to enjoy.
Tours can also provide efficiency in connections, accommodations and the management of basic necessities, along with assistance with pre-travel preparations and if there are any travel mishaps. There’s a safety factor too, particularly in countries such as South Africa where knowing exactly where you’re going is key to avoiding potential dangers.
Finally, but certainly not least important, travelling with other agriculturally minded people tends to make for a cohesive and compatible travel group. Because individuals on the tour group tend to have somewhat similar priorities and interests, travelling with a whole group of farmers “is a pleasure for everyone,” says farmer turned travel agent and agri-tour guide, Lawrence Layden of Innisfail Travel Select Holidays at Innisfail, Alta.
In fact, Layden thinks you can’t do much better when choosing travel partners. “Farmers make the best tourists there are,” he says. “They are happy go lucky and a bit of change doesn’t phase them. You won’t get a better tourist than a farmer.”
Depending on the travel priorities of your particular tour group, an agri-tour can be more or less technically focused. Though most agri-tours typically spend about half of the total travel time on agriculturally agricul-oriented experiences, tours with specifically motivated, highly technical participants may allocate as much as 90 per cent of the total time to agricultural experiences. Be sure to talk to your tour guide prior to booking to ensure the tourism versus agriculture split suits your needs.
If these tours sound like something you might be interested in, but you think perhaps you’ll wait until you have fewer responsibilities, more time and money, or greater freedom, Turner has one piece of advice: “Go now.”
Tours are no longer geared towards just the white-haired crowd. More and more young people are participating. “If you’re 40, don’t wait til you’re 65,” Turner says. “If you’re 65, don’t wait til you’re 85. You’ll always find an excuse not to go, but this is an investment in yourself. Go now.”
But where to go? Here are some favourite picks. Many tour providers offer tours to these destinations but to give you a head start, we’ve provided details of just one tour company option for each destination. To find the tour that best suits your needs and priorities, do your homework, consider your options, and prepare yourself for an experience of a lifetime!
Check out these farm destinations.
China
China has emerged on the world’s agricultural and agrifood stage. In the past 40 years, rural reforms and massive infusions of government dollars have transformed China’s previously low-tech, low-production agricultural sector into a global powerhouse.
Today, China leads the world in grain, cotton, canola, tobacco, meat, eggs, aquatic products and vegetable output. Outstanding growth in crop yields since the 1960s (corn yields up 436 per cent, rice yields up 322 per cent, and wheat yields up 823 per cent!) now allows this incredibly populous country the energy to burst into every other facet of the global economy.
China is both a powerful agricultural competitor and also a lucrative agricultural opportunity for international investors and exporters. Touring components of China’s agriculture will give Canadian producers and agri-businesspeople insight into how quickly agricultural production is advancing in China, the scale of many of its agricultural facilities and operations, and how highly technically savvy and adept today’s Chinese primary producers are becoming.
Tour option
The Canada-China Agriculture and Food Development Exchange Centre (CCAgr) specializes exclusively in agri-tours to China. Company president and primary tour guide, Youming Zhao, has 25 years of experience working in the agriculture and agri-food industries in both China and Canada. His background and connections offer Canadian agri-tourists the type of in-depth tour that most could never achieve travelling by themselves.
An example is CCAgr’s upcoming dairy focused tour departing in late February. Over 15 days, participants will visit eight main areas around southeastern China, including the Jiangsu, Hainan and Guangdong provinces, as well as the Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xian and Beijing metropolitan areas.
In addition to a full itinerary of cultural experiences, participants will travel extensively through rural areas and meet with local farmers, national agriculture experts and government officials. Highlights of the trip include a visit to one of the world’s largest mass production dairies -a high-tech operation that uses precision computer systems to manage a herd of 10,000 dairy cattle. Also on the tour is a swine farm with half a million pigs.
Sylvia Brellisford, CCAgr’s primary contact here in Canada, says that taking part in a CCagr tour to China offers the very best of China’s cultural, historic, geographic and agricultural experiences. “China is one huge place,” Brellisford says. “You’d have to be there for years if you travelled on your own in order to find out where it is that you want to go, who you’d like to meet, and what you should see.”
Prices start at $6,000 for a 12-to 14-day tour. For more information, check out www.ccagr.com.
Brazil
Boasting enormous agricultural diversity, Brazil is the world’s leading producer of dry beans, coffee, oranges and sugarcane, and it ranks second in the global production of soybeans, pineapples and tobacco. Brazil is also a major exporter of meat products including beef, pork and chicken.
The secret to Brazil’s agricultural edge is a combination of great soil, warm and sunny conditions throughout the year, land to spare, and intensive government support (including a government/university partnership to distribute technological advancements and farming knowledge). Throughout much of the country, crops are grown year round rather than seasonally.
Brazil is a safe and fascinating country to tour, and if you haven’t travelled extensively, it is a great starter tour, says Agritours Canada president Richard Buck. “Brazil in wintertime is the same temperature as Ontario and Manitoba in the summertime, so most people are very comfortable with the climate.”
“It’s easy and [comparably] cheap to get to,” Buck says, “and there is only a one-to two-hour time difference.” Also, he adds, there are enough similarities between our methods of agriculture and their systems and tools that visiting Brazil feels more comfortable than foreign.
Tour option
AgriTours Canada Inc. offers tours all over the world. Tours to South America, especially Brazil, are particularly popular. An example is its early February 14-day trip to Brazil.
If you haven’t yet been to Brazil, you may incorrectly assume the country is behind ours in technology, productivity and agricultural wealth. In fact, says president Richard Buck, it’s likely you’ll return from a trip to Brazil saying “I had no idea all that stuff was going on down there!”
Buck builds tours from the farm up, focusing first on agricultural highlights of note in a particular region, and then building in tourist attractions, recreational activities and historical site visits around the agricultural priority.
This tour will showcase a wide variety of cropping operations, including a potato seed plant, a soybean and corn operation, and cattle, fish, and cotton farms. Meeting Brazilian farmers directly is a key element of each on-farm visit, and participants generally find that these discussions are important learning and connecting opportunities.
Another highlight for Canadian producers will be the day spent at the Show Rural Coopavel, an internationally renowned farm show and exhibition.
The 14 day tour starts at about $5,195 per person based on double occupancy. Visit www.agritourscanada.com for more information.
Australia And New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand offer exceptional agricultural, geographic and climatic diversity. Add to this their safety and accessibility, and locals who are not only world-famous for their friendliness, but speak English too, and you’ll quickly realize why Australia and New Zealand are favourite destinations for North American agri-tourists.
The diversity in agriculture in Australia and New Zealand is similar to Canada’s. Primary agricultural products in Australia include cereals, oilseeds, beef, wine and to a lesser extent, fruit. In New Zealand, the agricultural industry is far broader than the pastoral, sheep-filled image for which it is best known. Though sheep do outnumber people by 12 to one, the island nation also boasts a vibrant dairy sector as well as beef, horticulture and wine.
From an agri-learning perspective, Canadian producers to learn about efficiency while touring Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, harsh climatic conditions throughout much of the agricultural belt means water, crop rotation and animal movement must be managed highly efficiently to maximize productivity.
In New Zealand, weather conditions are far more favourable to agriculture, but land limitations make producers utilize land efficiently, maximizing productivity in smaller scale operations.
Tour option
Innisfail Travel Select Holidays is a small-town travel agency with a national reputation for farm tours. As long-term farmers turned travel agents, David and parents Loretta and Lawrence Layden understand what motivates and interests farming folks.
Their 19-and 30-day Australia-NZ tours are arguably their most popular. With two, two-day on-farm stays along the route combined with a bus tour that includes multiple stops throughout the sheep, deer, dairy and wine country of NZ, as well as the tropical fruit, wheat, cattle and cotton growing areas of Australia, this tour is interactive, educational and highly accessible.
“When you’re touring through the countryside, a dairy cow is a dairy cow whether you’re here or in New Zealand,” says Lawrence Layden. “But, we’ve got lots to learn from each other (in terms of] different methods used to farm).”
Not sure whether to go with the shorter or longer tour? “We recommend that people go for as
long as they can manage to get away, since this tour is a once in a lifetime trip for most travelers,” says Layden.
The Austalia / NZ tour is a fully inclusive tour that starts at $7,800. For more information, visit www.selectholidays.com/.
Closer to home
Gaining new insight and perspective into other producers’ agricultural techniques and priorities doesn’t always have to require overseas travel. Canada and the United States offer enormous agricultural diversity, fantastic production innovation, and a wealth of skilled and accessible producers and experts.
For those who might prefer a less involved, costly and time-consuming agri-tour, travel within North America is a natural fit.
Most agri-tour companies can customize itineraries around important farm fairs and events. When considering a tour closer to home, keep in mind some of the following dates and events around North America:
Tour option
Agri-Cultural Tours (A. C.T.) Travel offers seven and 12-day, western and eastern Canadian farm tours geared towards showcasing farms with innovative approaches to a variety of business challenges.
Tours can be customized to the specific agricultural interests of participants. A typical western Canadian tour includes stops at wineries and fruit growing areas in B.C. as well as cattle operations and feedlots in Alberta. A typical eastern Canadian tour includes a visit to a sheep feedlot, a dairy operation, a sheep farm, and farmers’ markets.
Tour prices vary considerably. For more information, visit
