NEWBERRY COUNTY — Are you looking for a way to travel while utilizing a passport, but not leave the country? The South Carolina Department of Agriculture can help with their Agritourism Passport Program.
Jackie Moore, Agritourism marketing specialist with the S.C. Department of Agriculture, said they started the program in 2016 and based it off the passport residents receive when the travel abroad.
“It was blue, it kinda looked like a passport, it was just to get people interested in visiting farms around South Carolina. We had 44 farms participate last year. We gave out over 15,000 passports and the people just have a really fun time, as a family, going around to see how many stamps they can get,” she said. “I just came up with the idea, I am sure I must have seen it somewhere else, and I just said we need a passport program. I know the Pee Dee area of South Carolina had a passport years ago, and that might have been what sparked my thought process. Also, the Ag+Art Tour used to when they first started out, I think they had a passport, but they no longer do that for the tour.”
While the 2016 Agritourism Passport had 44 farms, the 2017 passport had 49. Moore said that there were differences, with new farms participating and others choosing not to participate.
“It does take a little bit for the farm, they do have to have somebody there to stamp people’s passports, or to give out passports. They have to have someone that knows the program enough to explain it,” Moore said. “It does take a little bit, it does not cost the farm anything though.”
The only farms, or agritourism business, that can participate are members of the South Carolina Agritourism Association. Moore said these are people who do agritourism on their farms in South Carolina. Other than having the option to be in the passport, farms get other benefits like warning signs that limit their liability, newsletters, networking opportunities and ability to visit other member farms.
“We have about 120 members in South Carolina I think. I have found 312 farms that actually do agritourism and over 100 belong to the association. That can be anything from a you pick farm to a petting zoo,” Moore said. “To be a Farm member it is $45, Associate Member, like our cotton museum or a Farmer’s Market, they are $35. They are not a working farm, but farm related and attract tourists.”
For a member to get into the book, they must respond to a letter that Moore sends out. Presently, Moore is working on a letter for 2018, because the passports must be passed out Jan. 1, within that letter the farms will fill out a few items, which includes what information they want put in the passport.
“Basically they just have to be a member, we do ask they are open regular hours, I do not mean all year because we do have Christmas tree farms that participate, but we do not want a farm that is by appointment only,” Moore said. “We will send out the letters within the next two weeks, and they have until Aug. 1 to let me know if they want to participate. Last year they were blue, this year they are dark red and next year they will be green.”
There is another added benefits to those who participate in the program: prizes. You can turn them in to Moore at the end of the year, and the number of stamps you have will determine your prize. Moore said she has Certified South Carolina T-shirts, hats and tumblers.
“Most people do it for the fun of it. They do not care about getting prizes. They just like to do it and see how many they can get,” Moore said. “If they got every single farm, they would get a tumbler. After 20 stamps you do not get anything better. If you have 40 stamps, I would probably give you two tumblers. We have not had that happen. As long as you have one stamp you will be in a drawing for a basket of certified SC products.”
In Newberry County there are four agritourism locations participating in the passport program: Bowers Farm (279 Ringer Road, Pomaria), Carolina Pride Pastures (1416 SC 34, Pomaria), Enoree River Winery LLC (1650 Dusty Road, Newberry) and Lever Farms (5057 SC 34, Pomaria).
Moore said the Newberry farms are right in a row, and so is Gypsy Wind, LLC (3005 Buckhead Road, Blair), in Fairfield County, which means visitors can get five stamps in one day if they choose.
“I use this example a lot, I like the way Newberry farms work together during the whole year. They will have field trips and they will make sure they stop at Lever Farms and Carolina Pride. You hear about agritourism farms they do not want another one near them, because they do not want competition, but the ones in Newberry work very well together. It is a really good group of farmers that Newberry has,” Moore said. “I use that example all the time that they get together, make sure they are all part of the passport program, they all come to the meetings to better their farms, a really good group of farmers out there.”
Three of the Newberry farms are also on this year’s Ag+Art Tour, taking place June 24-25. Moore said she hopes residents take the opportunity to get their passports stamped during the tour.
“I have several other counties that are a part of the Ag+Art Tour, if they are really proactive with agritourism they should be in both programs because it encourages people to visit them. The Ag+Art Tour is just phenomenal,” she said.
If you are interested in participating in the passport program, you can pick up a passport at the above mentioned farms, or the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce. If you are a agritourism business interested in being in next year’s passport you can visit scagritourism.org or call Moore at 803-734-2144.