Gov. Tony Evers, together with DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski and Tourism Secretary-designee Anne Sayers, kicked off Agricultural Tourism Week in Wisconsin in Amery with Farm Table Foundation, celebrating the industry and its importance to Wisconsin’s rural and statewide economies.
“Farmers, growers, producers, and other agricultural workers play an essential role in the health and well-being of folks across our state and country,” says Evers. “This week, and every week, we join in honoring the critical work they do to support our state economy and put fresh, healthy food on our tables, and celebrate the importance of agriculture and agricultural tourism to our cultural and economic livelihood.”
Wisconsin is home to more than 64,000 farms, and Wisconsin’s agricultural industry supports upwards of 435,000 jobs. Employing nearly 12 percent of the state’s total workforce and generating $104.8 billion annually to the economy, Wisconsin agriculture is a critical component of the state’s overall economic success. Wisconsin’s agricultural industry also generates millions of dollars for our state’s tourism industry by offering visitors outdoor, socially-distanced, family-friendly, and experiential farm-based entertainment such as farm-to-table events, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, farm stays and weddings, to name a few.
In celebration of Agricultural Tourism Week, Evers, Romanski and Sayers also visited Mommsen’s Harvest Hills-Pumpkin Patch and Orchard in Rice Lake. The guv also visited Vesperman Farms in Lancaster.
“Agritourism helps people experience some of the agricultural character that makes Wisconsin not only a leading tourist destination, but a top agriculture state,” Romanski says. “We are fortunate in Wisconsin that, no matter where you go, you are not far from someone who grows or processes delicious, healthy food, which helps consumers build relationships with local producers and learn where their food comes from.”
Evers declared Sept. 27 through Oct. 3 as “Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Week.”
