Ag-Tourism Committee Volunteers for SJ Partnership working on

Ag-Tourism Committee Volunteers for SJ Partnership, working on strategic direction, planning & programs to enhance economic development through ag-tourism County-wide Membership Includes: All Chambers in the County Stockton Alliance All CVB’s in the County Private Operators Farm Bureau Lodi Winegrape Commission

Ag-Tourism Opportunity… for SJC • General Plan Guiding Principal Statement… Sustaining farm practices to meet demand, without negatively impacting resources, the environment and the future of agriculture. • Emphasize “entertainment venues” in County… Agri-tain-ment • Economic Development Czar – Lead with our strength… Agriculture – Mechanism to protect & sustain while capturing marketing opportunities – Guide new policy statements & development

Where is Kelowna? This circle has a radius of about 100 miles (165 km)

RANCH MARKETING Gatzke Orchards Caramoomel Carmelis Goat Cheese Kelowna Land & Orchard Okanagan Lavender Farm The Jammery

Acting with a Common Purpose • All layers of community, including government, are working together for a common cause • Increasing tourism is a common goal • Recognizing that Ag Tourism/tourism is an economic engine • Recognizing that all sectors are important to each other and they are working as partners • Recognizing a need to expand their tourist season to yearround, filling in the should seasons • Maintaining the rural character of Kelowna is key to being successful. • Switching from a commodity based Ag product to an “experienced-based/education” based product

Ag Tourism • Strong community support for agriculture and an understanding of the challenges it faces. • Competition for agricultural land: once it’s gone, it can’t be replaced. • Seeing a decline in tree fruit planting and an increase in vineyards. Diversity is best and should be encouraged. • Farmers recognize they have to both make a living and help maintain the area’s quality of life. • How do you save the family farm? Allow them to make a living. (Aim is not riches, but allowing succeeding generations to see a way to keep farming. ) • Growing demand to know where your food comes from. What better way than to buy directly from the farmer? • “Provide an experience for your customers and make sure to send them to your neighbors. They need to understand how much is available to them. ” • “Agriculture can be profitable if you are inventive. Farms must be allowed to make a living. A fruit stand alone cannot provide a living. ”

Lodi Wine Economic Impact - $5 Billion Number of Operating Wineries 75 Number of Grape Growers 750 Vineyard Acreage 100, 000 Vineyard Acres Full-time Equivalent Jobs 14, 900 Wages Paid $493 million Cases of Wine Produced 39. 7 million Wine Related Tourism Expenditures $409. 5 million Number of Wine Related Visits 2 million Taxes Paid $155 million CA and Local $170 million Federal Charitable Contributions² $35 million

Commodity vs. Value Added Ag • Income from an acre of grapes ~ $3500 -$5000 – Value to County – property tax only • Grapes made into wine - $50, 000/acre + – Job creation – processing, construction, sales, etc. – Sales tax at retail level @ 7. 75% = $3875/acre – 10, 000 acres x $3875/ac = $38, 750, 000 tax revenues plus thousands of jobs created in production, hospitality, marketing, etc.

SJC Opportunity • Proximity to a HUGE market with growing demand – 11+ Million within a 2 -hour drive of SJC – TRENDS… 100 Mile Diet, Locavore, Fresh Emphasis, Safety – “Low-Hanging Economic Development Fruit” for SJC • • • Largely Private Investment , little public financed infrastructure New Ag-White Collar job development Value-added products = Sustainable long-term viability of Agriculture Property, Sales & Transient-Occupancy Tax all grow in County & Cities Capture Mobile Market on Wheels, with Master-Planning “Fresh Food Country” a huge supermarket of direct to consumer fresh food varieties with wine, entertainment & agri-tain-ment

Barriers to Change • What do we risk? • • Loss of ag-land minimal from 850, 000 acres Ag-Cluster industries not damaged, some enhanced Cultural shift… Ag-Tourism is “farmland preservation” GREATER coordination and tolerance of dissimilar agbusinesses in agricultural zones… a bit of a squeeze! “The Juice is Worth the Squeeze”

Overcoming Risks • Capitalize on opportunity with Right Protections • Establish an Ag- Tourism Council – A Steering-Advisory group to add market-driven planning ideas and creative thinking for County Ag-Tourism land use, master planning, incenting market-driven development. – Approaches its business with a “tourists’ valued” point of view, balanced by property rights of land owner and agricultural integrity, all under county Supervisors oversight. – In conjunction with County Planning Department, this council develops Policy Statements and guides policy development for ag-tourism. – Council make-up or membership reflects and ensures the values above and others if needed to form the ag-tourism plan for SJC. – This group needs to be able to, Get out of town… Bringing back ideas that will work or can be adapted to work in San Joaquin County.