JOHNSTOWN — They come for the piglets, Matthew Brower said. They leave with the corn.

That’s the nature of agritourism, and Fulton County supervisors will consider later this month whether to adopt a marketing plan to draw people to the county’s farms and food.

“People have been really pleased with what we’re growing,” said Brower, owner of Brower Farm on Jackson Summit Road in Mayfield. “We have one customer that sends corn overnight to their son in Florida.”

The marketing plan that county Planning Director Scott Henze and Tourism Director Carla Kolbe put before the county’s Economic Development and Environment Committee would target county residents, visitors from Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga counties, and anyone passing through to stop by, grab a sample and leave with a pleasant experience and maybe some fresh produce or cheese.

“Agritourism is the second-fastest growing tourism segment in New York,” Henze said.

“We’ve never tried anything like this before,” Kolbe added. “It positions Fulton County as a food destination. It’s just up the road from anything you want to discover.”

Tourism is an $84 million-a-year industry in Fulton County, Kolbe said, but in comparison, agriculture brought just $9.4 million to Fulton County in 2022, reports the federal Department of Agriculture Agriculture Census. Neighboring Montgomery County saw $126.1 million in agriculture sales in 2022.

The 20-page plan outlines a number of efforts, including curated shopping trips, a website, marketing for farmers and recipes for customers. It suggests distributing branded tote bags, establishing shopping trails for baked goods, beers and ciders, billboards, signage and social media campaigns.

But for Brower, what works are the pigs. “We’ll have people stop in and ask if we have baby pigs, yet,” he said. And while they “ooh” and “ahh” over the piglets, they’ll pick up some of the sweet corn.

“Our main agritourism has an educational component,” Brower said, showing potential customers around the farm to see how the food is grown. He works with educators from the Mayfield Central School District, and has hosted field trips for first-graders.

Connecting farms to schools is part of the campaign, too. So are tasting events, and plans to involve local chefs cooking local food.

“Multi-generational activities are on the rise,” Kolbe said. Think corn mazes, pumpkin patches, pick-your-own apples or blueberries, cider mill demonstrations or anything involving a wagon ride.

That might be too much of a challenge for Brower, he said, and farmers would need to find their own mix.

“One of our issues here is parking,” he said. “Our driveway will be full and people will........

© The Leader Herald