How can you keep yourself and your children safe when visiting a farm? Farms can be tricky. Anyhow, mind the following and you will be fine once again.

Never Enter A Flowing Grain Bin

Some people have suffocated in grain bins. The alarming fact is one-third of people who got trapped in the grain bin were under the age of 18. It’s easy to underestimate the force behind the bin. It more or less works like quicksand which is capable of burying a person in a matter of seconds.

The best way to stay safe is never entering the bin while the grains are being loaded or unloaded, you better wait until the dust clears off. This way, you can see your footing before you step in. communicate these acts to your kid and assure they understand what you are trying to say. It’s for their own good.

Keep Trees Trimmed

Make sure to have your trees trimmed. When trees are overgrown, they become a hotbed for pests and rodents. If you have trees that are growing too far, and the branches start to touch a home, rodents may climb the trees and get access to your home. Make sure you always have to have a company take care of these. Here where we live, we have a tree service West Jordan company that helps us with these kinds of things. Look around your town and get a similar company to do the same.

Learn the Pass Method

Teach every member of your family how to use a fire extinguisher. Doing so can help you prevent tragedies and keep losses to a bare minimum. With this in mind, recently a P.A.S.S method has been introduced which resonates with the safety measures with kids and teens. It stands for Pull the pin of the extinguisher, aim low, squeeze the handle and sweep from side to side.… Read the rest

Visiting the farm ca be fun, but you need to know that animals around the farm can carry a few infections. These infections lead to different sorts of illnesses. Bacteria do thrive in the guts of farm animals.

You can get infected by only touching the animal, or coming in contact with some contaminated surface. With that said, the following is a list of dos and don’ts for visiting a farm. These points will help you stay safe.

Dos

• Carefully check for cuts and grazes on your child’s hand and cover them with a waterproof dressing
• Wash your hands carefully with liquid soap and dry them off, especially after you touch an animal and before you eat anything
• Remove and clean your footwear because it has become soiled. Once done, wash your hands once again
• Supervise your kids to assure they wash their hands properly. Only each when in a picnic area or café.
• Lastly, don’t come in contact with sheep and lambs if they are inside the barn

Don’ts

• While you pet an animal in the zoo, don’t bring your hand close to your face or mouth. It’s a common way how people catch infections
• Avoid hand rubs and wipes. Always wash your hands with liquid soap and warm water. Wipes and hand rubs don’t remove the bacteria properly
• Never eat or drink anything while you touch an animal, or walk them around the farm. This includes everything from sweets to chewing. Just avoid it!

… Read the rest

How do you pack for a field trip, especially if you are going to a field, literally? Alright, that pun was in a bad taste, but it’s still a valid question. Don’t worry, following you will find all the help you need to pack right for such a trip.

Wear Layers

When visiting a farm, its best to dress up in layers. You need to pack a sweatshirt or a jacket even if you are afraid it is going to be a warm day. It can be windy on the farm at times, especially if it is on a hilltop. Therefore, hats and jackets are your friends.

Comfortable Footwear

When packing for the farm, you better pack sturdy yet comfortable boots, something with treads on the bottom. You are going to walk through fields. It’s important you have some good boots because the ground is usually damp at that time.

Wear Something You Don’t Mind Getting Dirty

When visiting the farm, you better pack a pair of jeans and a rugged overcoat. If you believe there will be rain, then you better wear a jacket and a hat. It will keep you dry. The fields are damp, especially during the morning. So be careful and take precautions.

… Read the rest

Agritourism is a bridge that connects both farmers and consumers. It’s a way for people to experience the country life and where their food do comes from, and how it is processed. The visitors are encouraged to participate in different activities with the likes of picking their own fruits and vegetables. They can also take part in nature walks or even blacksmithing.

It Supports the Local Farms

The activities found at farm trips are not only leisure pursuits. These have a positive economic impact for the farmers.

According to a recent survey, around sixty million people go to farm trips for their vacation every year. It helps generate an additional income for $1-1.5 for the agricultural sector. Farmers can really use this money.

The agritourism has opened a new revenue for the hardworking farmers who once only relied on the income generated from retail sale or wholesale.

The Biggest Farming Community in US

Massachusetts is known as the biggest farming community in US. It enjoyed an increase of 95% since 2007. During this time, the agritourisim grew to 127%. … Read the rest

Being an enterprise the agritourism is rather sophisticated. But it doesn’t mean there are no current challenges. The biggest issue with agriculture tourism is the workers are too busy with their daily routine which consists of growing crops, tending to their needs, harvesting and selling the product.

They usually forget about taking care of their guests and this leaves a sore taste for the guest, who traveled and paid to have a wonderful experience. Big farms with corporate buyers understand the diversity of farm tourism but the ordinary farm, who can really use the extra revenue doesn’t think he can make some money by this additional income stream.

Marketing

A crucial element for any business, most farms that do offer good hospitality to people wanting to visit a farm for their vacations fails to have guests because they didn’t market themselves properly. It’s not because they don’t know how to do it properly.

Yes, they can offer lectures and workshops to inspire more people but it won’t be of great help. They need to hire a professional buy most farms lack the budget to do so.

The Need for Investment

Every business at its start needs an initial investment. Farms need money for a lot of other things besides buying seeds and fertilizers. They also need to rent equipment and transport crops to the local outposts.

When it comes to tours, they have to arrange tours entail logistics and take care of the transportation costs. There are companies that are helping farms set themselves up for a tour but it’s a long way.

Lack of Interest

This is the harsh reality, most people are not interested in visiting a farm during their vacation. As a matter of fact, farm tourism can only take off with patronage, without the visitors, it’s impossible for a farmer to make money during the lean season. Bad rural infrastructure is a leading reason it’s much more of an obstacle.

Farmers have to promote young people to visit the farm and be close to Mother Nature. Nothing otters a more genuine outdoor experience than a farm.… Read the rest

Why should you take your kids to a farm? It’s a good question, however, the answer is a bit long. With that said, the following are a few benefits of visiting a farm with your kid. It helps him in several ways like improving their fine motor skills, cognitive functions, etc.

Improves their Appreciation for Mother Nature

It’s a grim reality that most children don’t know where the food comes from. If they are lucky enough to visit a farm, they will understand where does their favorite food come from.

Visiting the farm will help them understand that plants are grown and meat is obtained from animals. You can introduce your kids to these concepts depending on their age.

It Encourages Healthy Living

Going outside to play and get dirty used to be a part of growing up. Instead, today’s children have their phones, tablets, and whatnot. Sure it’s safe to sit in their pajamas all day but we have taken away a very important part of their childhood, which is getting back on your feet once you fall.

Yes, even if kids got bruised, they learned the importance of physical activity and how to be on your own.… Read the rest