The second annual Montana Agritourism Conference will be held at Montana State University next month on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 20-21.
The event will be hosted by the Montana Agritourism Association, which was established last year through collaboration between MSU’s Department of Agricultural and Technology Education, the Montana Department of Agriculture and Western Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education, or Western SARE, for which MSU has served as the host institution since 2018.
The first iteration of the event was held in May of 2024, drawing roughly 150 agricultural producers, tourism professionals, educators and community members to explore the intersection of agricultural production and tourism in Montana. The event was a rousing success, said Shannon Arnold, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Technology Education who spearheaded the work establishing the association.
“The success of last year’s Montana Agritourism Conference sparked a statewide movement, bringing producers, educators, service providers and entrepreneurs together to envision the future of agritourism in Montana,” said Arnold. “This momentum has grown into the formation of the Montana Agritourism Association, uniting voices across the state to strengthen connections between agriculture, community and visitors.”
This year’s conference theme is “Opening the Gate: Unlocking Agritourism’s Opportunities to Connect, Collaborate and Innovate.” The first day will include farm tours around the Gallatin Valley along with an evening social, followed by a day of educational seminars, panels and breakout sessions on Friday, Nov. 21. The sessions are organized in three tracks based on attendees’ interests, experience level and goals in the agritourism industry. A full schedule for the event and list of sessions can be found on the conference website.
Debbie Queen, agritourism specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture, emphasized that the goal is to draw a diverse representation of both Montana’s agricultural industry and its tourism and hospitality sectors. Farmers, ranchers, professionals from government and land management agencies, teachers, business owners, community members and MSU Extension professionals are encouraged to attend, along with anyone interested in the field of agritourism.
“This conference won’t be just ‘talking shop,’” Queen said. “We’ll swap ideas for what works in agritourism — pricing, safety, visitor flow, partnerships — so farms and ranches can earn fairly and welcome visitors well. Tourism and hospitality partners, teachers and agencies are all a big part of the agritourism world, and we want to see a wide variety of folks in the room.”
A variety of registration options are available, including $30 conference tickets for students. Registration options and pricing can be found at https://www.montanaagritourism.com/registration.