THE AGRITECT

What is sustainable tourism? Creating Meaningful Connection In the pursuit of mindful living and conscious consumption, regenerative agritourism emerges as a beacon of sustainable harmony, weaving together the threads of mindful stewardship, ecological balance, and agricultural heritage. In this article, we delve into the essence of regenerative agritourism, exploring its transformative potential and the profound […]

Why is your farm stay a mini resort?! You’ve probably never thought about your farm stay as a resort, but to many people, it is. So, it’s essential to treat it that way, and there are a few criteria you should consider when you plan it. Tourism spending around the world is shifting from spending in […]

Good design is good business! A customer who has a great experience will share that great experience! So how do you create a great experience? I firmly believe it starts with thoughtful design of the property, the buildings, the product, the branding, and the story. All this is designed; it can’t just happen, it has […]

Master Planning farm market and pick your own play farm One of our clients has a really good motto for covering the main bases for your agritourism operation. Beyond “what are they going to do?” you need to be able to handle these other questions if you want to keep people at your property. And […]

Second dwellings are being encouraged by the Provincial government on all properties in Ontario to help with the housing crisis. This means farm properties, too, but with some caveats. The provincial planning act tries to help by encouraging all municipalities to allow second dwellings on all their property zones and types with fewer restrictions. In […]

COVID may or may not be over, but there is definitely a new normal to life for the time being.   As I design building for my clients, I think about their spaces differently. Not just for social distancing and germs, but more importantly, how people are making different choices now. People are choosing to work […]

5 steps to getting an agritourism permit. Tell your farm story!

Barns and sheds sitting majestically on the landscape are also functional buildings. They serve a purpose on your farm, each unique in its own way. From farm to farm, the design may be similar, but no two are identical. Just as no two cows are the same, each building has its own history and story. […]

..and I am sooo excited!  For those of you who don’t know Mark Shepard. He is “redeisgning agriculture in nature’s image”. He has a 110 acre forest farm in SW Wisconsin where he has been using his forest agriculture successfully for 18 years. I particularly like Mark Shepard as an example of industrial and sustainable […]

If you been in farming for a long time or exposed to the farm life you are aware of the economic struggle that the farmer encounters daily. In fact, the economics of the food dollar don&#39t look good for farming. From 1910 to 1990 the percentage of the food dollar has been consistently declining. Gliessman, […]