Tips, ideas, and encouragement for farms and homesteads participating in the FredCo Homesteader's Fall Farm Crawl!
Imagine a day of sharing your hard work and passion for homesteading and farming with friendly, like-minded members of your local community. Imagine an occasion for sharing stories, experiences, and the why behind what you do. A time for making and growing connections with customers and partners. This is the kind of opportunity you’ll experience as a Frederick County Homesteaders Farm Crawl host.
As gratifying as it is to be included on the farm crawl circuit, being a first-time host
can feel overwhelming. How will you handle an influx of visitors all at once? What will you offer to those who come? How will they find you and where will they park? These are all questions we had going into our first farm crawl event. Fortunately, we had a positive experience despite being rookies. But as more local farmers and homesteaders are becoming interested in joining the crawl as hosts, it seems appropriate to offer some helpful advice to reduce the learning curve. Below are some tips from for how to prepare for a successful farm crawl day.
Make a Plan: As soon as you can, make a list of things you’d like to offer crawlers
when they stop by your farm. Farm tours, demonstrations, petting zoos, and pick-
your-own are popular options. Decide what, if any, resources you’ll need for those
offerings and secure them early.
If you’ll have products for sale, decide what extra inventory you’ll need to make and create a timeline for that effort. We sold out of several things in the farm stand during our first farm crawl, so plan for more than you think you’ll need.
Focus on two or three things you want to highlight about your farm and save the
rest for future events. This way you’re less likely to be overwhelmed with preparation.
A note on tours and demos: Choose a specific time (or two) during the day to offer
your tour or demonstration rather than trying to do them continuously throughout the day. Advertise your chosen schedule on your social media accounts leading up to the farm crawl. Also communicate that information to the FCH media team, so they can include it on the farm crawl passport or Google map. Crawlers who are interested in your demonstration or tour will be able to plan their visit around those times.
Reach Out: The best knowledge is often experience. Don’t be afraid to reach out to previous farm crawl hosts for tips and ideas. As members of a shared homesteading community, we’re here to support each other and help one another succeed.
Reinforcements: Hosting involves a lot of moving parts, and you can only be in one place at a time. If you can, enlist family or friends to help direct visitors and answer basic questions so you can focus on the more in-depth parts of the day, like farm tours or demos. Thank your helpers with a farm t-shirt (perfect for them to wear on crawl day!), a gift basket with some of your goods, or a nice dinner.
Signs: Inexpensive, blank yard signs are your best tool for directing guests without having to be everywhere at once. Make signs to designate parking areas and any places that may be off limits to visitors (small yard flags and rope can be useful too).If you have multiple stations or spread-out areas open to visitors, consider marking each with a sign. These don’t have to be fancy to get the job done. A permanent marker is all you need. If you plan to offer self-guided tours, a few well-placed informational signs will help to ensure visitors go away with what you’d like them to know. Frederick County Homesteaders typically provides 1-2 directional signs for each host farm as well as an online map to help with navigation; however, if your location is remote or involves a lot of turns, you may want to make an additional sign or two to help folks
find their way.
Seize Opportunity: Farm crawls are likely the most concentrated traffic you’ll get to your farm or homestead all year. Use the opportunity to provide folks with ways to stay in touch after the day is done. Business cards, brochures, and flyers for any
upcoming events are excellent takeaways for visitors. If you have a newsletter or
mailing list, have a signup sheet available and encourage folks to add their contact information.
Build in Break Time: This goes for the day of the crawl and once it’s over. You’ll find it easy to go all day without eating or drinking when you have a steady flow of eager faces wanting to talk to you about your farm, but it’s essential for you to build in a few moments to take care of yourself. This is another reason why it’s a good idea to have family or friends on hand for the event.
And, if possible, clear your calendar the Sunday after the farm crawl. You and your
family will be tired (in the best way possible), and you’ll want time to relax. Reflect on your success and contribution to your local agricultural community. Your efforts make a difference!
Remember, your farm and your story are special. You may not be the only farm on
the circuit with goats or ducks or a farm stand, but you’re the only one doing it just like you. Highlight those parts of your experience that you’re most excited to share and you can’t go wrong.
We hope you’ll consider being a host for an upcoming farm crawl event. It’s a
uniquely rewarding experience we’re sure you won’t soon forget.
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