As the cold of winter moves past, and spring temperatures take its place, Oklahomans are seeking more time outdoors to soak up the warmth of the sun, feel a fresh breeze on their skin, and take in the scents and sounds of spring. That is where Whitney Wilkinson and her team in the agritourism department of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry come in. Visiting with our own Stevie White, Wilkinson laid out many of the spring opportunities blooming in agritourism across the state.
“We have a lot of really cool things happening this time of year,” Wilkinson shared. “One of our biggest things going on right now is You Pick Tulip farms. We have seen an explosion of tulip farms across the state in the last couple of years.”
A few years ago, there was only one, and now there are 11 located on farms in every sector across the state from Enid to Ardmore, Altus to Tulsa. You Pick Tulip Farms are great places to take friends, family members of all ages, and a special someone. Tulip farms also present great opportunities for photos.
According to Wilkinson, Texas used to be the prime destination for Oklahoma tulip pickers, but as more and more Oklahoma producers have realized that they could offer similar experiences closer to home, they have jumped on the opportunity.
“It is just such a beautiful, peaceful, and very serene activity to be doing,” Wilkinson added. “I think [people are drawn to] the bright colors, and the happiness that is involved with it. It is just a great way to get out and celebrate spring.”
In addition to tulip and other You Pick Flower opportunities, the state of Oklahoma is home to roughly nine wine trails comprised of a total of 45 wineries and vineyards across the state. The ODAFF Department of Agritourism offers passports for each of the nine wine trails that participants may use to collect stickers from each of the wineries they visit.
“Once you finish a wine trail with somewhere between three to five wineries, you can turn that into our agritourism program and get a super cool t-shirt which is really fun,” Wilkinson said. “A lot of the wineries offer different events such as singing or maybe they will have a live artist. Some of them sell physical art and others will have food trucks and different things like that.”
There are also roughly sixty breweries in Oklahoma making and selling beer in their own tap rooms. They also hold events similar to the wineries, so it comes down to the preferences of the visitors. Many of them work with local farmers to source the products that they make beer from.
Later in the year, agritourism enthusiasts can partake in berry picking at various venues across the state – a personal favorite activity of Wilkinson’s. “Strawberry farms should be opening, typically in May, but given our weather, you just need to check in on their websites or Facebook pages to see what they are up to. Later in June and July, we will have blueberry and blackberry picking, so keep your eye out for all of those summer activities.
“There is just something so special about grabbing a bucket – the farms are usually quiet and all you can hear there is the birds and the breeze and maybe other families enjoying themselves. It is just such a real and fun experience to have.”
More information about agritourism activities in the state can be found at oklahomaagritourism.com, as well as the Oklahoma Agritourism Facebook page and #okagritourism Instagram page.
Three agritourism coordinators, Wilkinson, Micaela Halverson, and Maddie Franklin, cover the state where there are already more than 400 different agritourism venues.
Agricultural producers wanting to take advantage of ODAFF’s marketing services can reach out to either of the three whose contact information can also be found on the website.
“We can do a farm visit, and it is a free program for producers to join,” Wilkinson shared. “We are able to share all of our resources, both promotional and educational, to help those producers bring the public to their farms.”
Agritourism can be an advantageous source of added income without adding an additional farm to the existing operation. Producers can integrate activities for their current off-seasons or generate income from something new they have been wanting to try.
“It is a way to interact with the public and share the story of agriculture across the state,” Wilkinson prompted. “It is something I am very passionate about – just being able to share that information with the public.”
