Ag-Tourism Committee Volunteers for SJ Partnership, working on strategic direction, planning

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Ag-Tourism CommitteeVolunteers for SJ
Partnership, working on strategic direction,
planning programs to enhance economic
development through ag-tourism County-wide

• Membership Includes
• All Chambers in the County Stockton Alliance
• All CVBs in the County Private Operators
• Farm Bureau
• Lodi Winegrape Commission

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Ag-Tourism Opportunity for SJC

• General Plan Guiding Principal Statement
  Sustaining farm practices to meet demand, without
  negatively impacting resources, the
  environment and the future of agriculture.
• Emphasize entertainment venues in County
• 
  Agri-tain-ment
• Economic Development Czar
• Lead with our strength Agriculture
• Mechanism to protect sustain while capturing
  marketing opportunities
• Guide new policy statements development

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KELOWNA Study Mission 2007
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Where is Kelowna?
This circle has a radius of about 100 miles (165
km)
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RANCH MARKETING
Gatzke Orchards
Caramoomel
Carmelis Goat Cheese
Kelowna Land Orchard
Okanagan Lavender Farm
The Jammery
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Acting with a Common Purpose

• All layers of community, including government,
  are working together for a common cause
• Increasing tourism is a common goal
• Recognizing that Ag Tourism/tourism is an
  economic engine
• Recognizing that all sectors are important to
  each other and they are working as partners
• Recognizing a need to expand their tourist season
  to year-round, filling in the should seasons
• Maintaining the rural character of Kelowna is key
  to being successful.
• Switching from a commodity based Ag product to an
  experienced-based/education based product

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Ag Tourism

• Strong community support for agriculture and an
  understanding of the challenges it faces.
• Competition for agricultural land once its
  gone, it cant be replaced.
• Seeing a decline in tree fruit planting and an
  increase in vineyards. Diversity is best and
  should be encouraged.
• Farmers recognize they have to both make a living
  and help maintain the areas quality of life.
• How do you save the family farm? Allow them to
  make a living. (Aim is not riches, but allowing
  succeeding generations to see a way to keep
  farming.)
• Growing demand to know where your food comes
  from. What better way than to buy directly from
  the farmer?
• Provide an experience for your customers and
  make sure to send them to your neighbors. They
  need to understand how much is available to
  them.
• Agriculture can be profitable if you are
  inventive. Farms must be allowed to make a
  living. A fruit stand alone cannot provide a
  living.

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Lodi Wine Economic Impact - 5 Billion

• Number of Operating Wineries 75
• Number of Grape Growers 750
• Vineyard Acreage 100,000 Vineyard Acres
• Full-time Equivalent Jobs 14,900
• Wages Paid 493 million
• Cases of Wine Produced 39.7 million
• Wine Related Tourism Expenditures 409.5 million
• Number of Wine Related Visits 2 million
• Taxes Paid 155 million CA and Local
• 170 million Federal
• Charitable Contributions² 35 million

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Commodity vs. Value Added Ag

• Income from an acre of grapes 3500-5000
• Value to County property tax only
• Grapes made into wine - 50,000/acre
• Job creation processing, construction, sales,
  etc.
• Sales tax at retail level _at_ 7.75 3875/acre
• 10,000 acres x 3875/ac 38,750,000 tax
  revenues plus thousands of jobs created in
  production, hospitality, marketing, etc.

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SJC Opportunity

• Proximity to a HUGE market with growing demand
• 11 Million within a 2-hour drive of SJC
• TRENDS 100 Mile Diet, Locavore, Fresh Emphasis,
  Safety
• Low-Hanging Economic Development Fruit for SJC
• Largely Private Investment , little public
  financed infrastructure
• New Ag-White Collar job development
• Value-added products Sustainable long-term
  viability of Agriculture
• Property, Sales Transient-Occupancy Tax all
  grow in County Cities
• Capture Mobile Market on Wheels, with
  Master-Planning
• Fresh Food Country
• a huge supermarket of direct to consumer fresh
  food varieties with wine, entertainment
  agri-tain-ment

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Barriers to Change

• What do we risk?
• Loss of ag-land minimal from 850,000 acres
• Ag-Cluster industries not damaged, some enhanced
• Cultural shift Ag-Tourism is farmland
  preservation
• GREATER coordination and tolerance of dissimilar
  ag- businesses in agricultural zones a bit of a
  squeeze!
• The Juice is Worth the Squeeze

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Overcoming Risks

• Capitalize on opportunity with Right Protections
• Establish an Ag- Tourism Council
• A Steering-Advisory group to add market-driven
  planning ideas and creative thinking for County
  Ag-Tourism land use, master planning, incenting
  market-driven development.
• Approaches its business with a tourists valued
  point of view, balanced by property rights of
  land owner and agricultural integrity, all under
  county Supervisors oversight.
• In conjunction with County Planning Department,
  this council develops Policy Statements and
  guides policy development for ag-tourism.
• Council make-up or membership reflects and
  ensures the values above and others if needed to
  form the ag-tourism plan for SJC.
• This group needs to be able to, Get out of town
  Bringing back ideas that will work or can be
  adapted to work in San Joaquin County.