Web site helps agritourism businesses get online

By GINA KINSLOW

BROWNSVILLE — Janet and David Dennison’s farm is one of several in the southcentral Kentucky that appear on an online directory of farm attractions that offer consumers agritourism adventures.

The Web site was launched earlier this year by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and lists farms according to activity, region or county.

The Dennisons own Mammoth Cave Transplants on Brownsville Road in Edmonson County.

“We grow a little bit of everything,” said Janet Dennison.

And that includes ferns, poinsettias, bedding plants, hanging baskets and vegetable plants, among others.

The Dennisons have 14 greenhouses that are all open to customers who stop by to shop.

They used to raise tobacco and cattle on their farm.

“A few years back we could see tobacco going to the wayside so we decided to branch out into flowers,” she said.

The Dennisons have been in business for 14 years and were among the first farms statewide to appear on the Web site.

“We’re just trying to emphasize that in Kentucky, on the farm, we can do a lot of things,” she said.

Dennison said they don’t have a lot of tourists who visit their farm, if tourists are defined as people who travel from out-of-state, but “we have a lot of people from 60 to 70 miles away.”

The Dennisons have several customers who drive down from Louisville and Lexington.

One of the comments people from the city make when they arrive is how quiet it is.

“They also comment on the wildlife,” she said.

One gentleman was so surprised it was quiet enough that he could hear a quail calling to its mate when he arrived, she said.

Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese in Austin also appears on the Web site.

“We are not a large tourist attraction, but I feel like we offer something that people would enjoy seeing,” said Beverly Mattingly, co-owner of the farm.

She and her husband, Kenny, offer tours of the farm and explain how they make their cheeses.

The Mattinglys have several people from the Louisville area who visit the farm.

“A lot of people who come from there have a lake house or (are) on the lake somewhere,” Mattingly said.

The Mattinglys sell their cheese in Louisville, she said, so it’s not uncommon for people from the Louisville area to want to visit the farm where the cheese is made.

Many of those who visit the farm, she said, are amazed by the cheese-making process.

“Most people know that cheese comes from milk, but they don’t know the process it goes through,” she said. “They are surprised that we make so much cheese in such a small facility. They are just intrigued by the process and all the different steps that go into it.”

In a press release posted on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site, Gov. Steve Beshear said, “Farms are exciting places to live, work and — increasingly — to visit. By merging our agricultural heritage with marketing principles, we can create tourist attractions that not only entice visitors but also provide business opportunities for our farmers. Since 2005, the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board has provided $2 million to develop and stimulate the growing agritourism industry.”

The Web site lists 269 agritourism businesses in 76 Kentucky counties.

Those listed for the southcentral Kentucky area are: Allen County Farmer’s Market in Adolphus; Bowling Green Farmer’s Market in Bowling Green; Chaney’s Dairy Barn in Bowling Green; Habegger’s Amish Market in Scottsville; Lickskillet 1779 in Olmstead; Long C Trails in Scottsville; Metcalfe County Farmer’s Market in Edmonton; BlueGrass Blueberries in Edmonton; Buck Acres Freshwater Shrimp in Fountain Run; Crump’s Leather Harness Shop in Bowling Green; Jackson’s Orchard and Nursery Inc. in Bowling Green; Kentucky Down Under in Horse Cave; Logan County Farmer’s Market in Russellville; Quail Hollow Candle Factory and Gift Shop in Adolphus; and Shaker Museum at South Union in Auburn.

To check out the listing of farms that double also as tourist attractions visit the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site at www. kyagr.com.

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