Great Escapes
Agri-tourism co-op helping
Georgia farmers diversify
By Craig Scroggs, Co-op
Development Specialist
USDA Rural Development, Georgia
outhwest Georgia is best
known for its pine trees,
cotton fields and
peanuts. The main roads
in the area, U.S. 27 and
Ga. 37, take you deep into farm country
and into an area that offers a
glimpse into the agricultural past of
the state.
Tall pine trees line the roadways
around towns like Ft. Gaines,
Arlington and Blakely. In the fall and
early winter months, cotton combines
are part of the scenery. Trucks pulling
loaded peanut wagons are also a common
sight after harvest.
Agriculture has long been the economic
engine that drives these rural
counties, but that engine has been
sputtering lately. In Georgia, farmers
have seen their net farm income
decrease from $1.94 billion in 1998 to
$1.7 billion in 2002, a 12.37-percent
decline in just five years.
As farmers have seen their profits
continue to decline, some are looking
for alternative enterprises to supplement
their income. Landowners now
say that it is time to look elsewhere
for income and to use their natural
resources for something more than
growing crops.
"Southwest Georgia needs to be
known for something other than
poverty. We do have positive
resources that we need to capitalize
on," says Tucker Price, coordinator
for the Quitman County Extension
office.
Area rich in amenities
Bordered by the Chattahoochee
River, this area of the state has Lake
Walter F. George as a drawing card,
and nearby Bagby State Park is rich
with natural wildlife. The people here
offer southern hospitality at its best.
Indications from a tourism survey
showed that more people want to take
different types of vacations,
with a growing
interest in agritourism.
The natural
resources in the region
could offer families a
different type of vacation
experience and
bring needed money
into the region, but no
coordinated effort had
ever been made to
bring this information
to the general public.
A recent study by
the University of
Georgia Center for
Agribusiness and
Economic
Development (UG
Center) shows that
agri-tourism has potential
in southwest Georgia. In May
2003, a group of landowners was
brought together by the local Cooperative
Extension Service to discuss
possible solutions to these challenges.
They all had a common concern:
farm income was decreasing and their
communities were slowly dying.
Without something to stem this tide,
none were sure that they would be
able to stay in the business they loved
and in the communities
where they lived. So they
decided to act.
Southwest Georgia
Escapes is born
Ten farmers, plantation owners and
wineries formed the Southwest
Georgia Escapes cooperative with a
goal of marketing southwest Georgia
as an agri-tourism destination.
With assistance from the UG
Center, USDA Rural Development
and the Southwest Georgia
Cooperative Development Center, the
co-op was incorporated, adopted
bylaws and developed a marketing
campaign. The Cooperative
Development Center has been instrumental
in the creation of promotional
materials. Clay County Extension
Director Amy Winstead worked closely
with the co-op and developed its
Web site: http://southwestgeorgiaescapes.
com.
Farmer Dan Giles turned 2,000 of
his 3,000 acres into a hunting preserve
for deer, turkey and quail. But advertising
is very expensive, and exposure
has been difficult to obtain. By working
with other co-op members, he
shares the cost of advertising and
offers city dwellers a unique experience
on his farm.
Giles has a four-bedroom lodge in
which home-cooked meals are provided
to all his guests. A local cook was
hired to provide the authentic southern-
style meals at the lodge.
"This cooperative has the potential
to get the word out about our area,"
Giles says.
He was also able to use some of his
farm hands as hunting guides during
the time of year that they were not
working on the row crops. The opportunity
for continued employment without
having to lay off some of his help
has turned out to be another positive for
his entrance into the agri-tourism sector.
"I expect to be able to increase the
flow of customers into my hunting
preserve," Giles says.
Winery joins tourism co-op
Still Pond Winery owners Charles
and Susan Cowart also wanted to
become members of the co-op in order
to make their winery more visible with
tourists. Charlie Cowart began planting
muscadine grapes more than 20
years ago, expanding his plantings until
his death. His son, Charles, took over
the vineyards and decided to further
expand the offerings.
The Cowarts have supplied grapes
to numerous other wineries within the
state and been major suppliers of muscadines
to area grocery stores for the
fresh grape market. The Cowarts knew
that there was additional income for
them in the marketing of their own
product, so they decided to open their
own winery with a tasting room. In
November 2003, that dream became
a reality.
Marketing the winery
was still difficult and
expensive. By becoming
members of the co-op,
they were able to join
forces with their neighbors
and capitalize on
the exposure that the
whole group was beginning
to receive. More
than 2,500 visitors --
from as far south as
Tallahassee, Fla., to as far north as
Columbus, Ohio -- have already visited
the farm. And all this even before
the co-op’s main marketing efforts
have begun.
"I expect that we will be able to further
market our operation in conjunction
with the co-op," Susan Cowart
says. "Helping each other succeed is of
utmost importance. By working together,
we can do for southwest Georgia
what north Georgia did years ago."
Brochures target tourists
Membership in Southwest Georgia
Escapes has closed at this time due to
the need to launch the advertising program
for the year. The Escapes co-op
is printing 25,000 tri-fold brochures
that will be placed in welcome centers
along I-75 and I-85, in local chamber
of commerce buildings and in other
area businesses. Advertising from other
local businesses is being sought and
will be used to offset the cost of producing
the pamphlets. The co-op’s
Web site offers all of the members a
link to their own pages.
The group has participated in several
trade shows throughout Georgia,
with each member offering information
concerning its operations. A list of
interested parties is being maintained
and follow-up contacts are being made
by the individual members.
"We have many attractions specific
to this area the people may want to
check out," says Price. In addition to
the members’ farms, the state park and
Lake Walter F. George, the area has
several excellent golf courses and many
antebellum mansions in nearby towns.
Other members in the co-op include
a watermelon farmer, fishing pond
operator, other hunting plantations and
a horseback and nature trail business.
For such a new group and new concept
for Georgia, the group has
worked well together and anticipates
great things coming from their efforts.
Watermelon farmer Joyce Sanders is
happy to be involved with the group,
even though her product is only available
seasonally.
"We joined the group knowing that
we may not gain as much as others, but
we wanted to help," she said.
Price stated that he hopes the co-op
will give the incentive to landowners to
further develop their land for outdoor
recreational activities.
"By joining together to form
Southwest Georgia Escapes, landowners
can pool their resources and
knowledge to capitalize and market
resources in this area," he says.
