Grants awarded to boost agricultural tourism in county

STATE COLLEGE — More than two dozen Centre County farms and agricultural-related businesses have been awarded a combined $220,000 in grants to improve visitor experiences and boost agritourism in the region.

The grants from the Happy Valley Agventures program — a joint effort of the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County — were announced on May 23 at RE Farm Café at Windswept Farm in Patton Township.

“This grant funding provides a boost to farms and ag-related operations at a time when visitors are seeking unique, authentic experiences that connecting with animals and farm life provides,” Fritz Smith, president and CEO of HVAB, said.

“So, inviting visitors and local residents to enjoy what we grow, craft and create is the mission of Happy Valley Agventures. Projects put forward will make it even more inviting to visit Happy Valley and enjoy and appreciate our agricultural heritage.”

HVAB and CBICC launched the Agventures initiative in 2019, as both organizations recognized the value of a concerted effort to promote two of the county’s largest industries: agriculture and tourism.

The grants announced on Monday (which are separate from the annual HVAB tourism grants to be announced in June) are the first from the program and were made possible by $400,000 in funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development secured last fall.

The funding also will be used for an Agventures marketing campaign.

“This new era of agritourism creates new customers and a new way to generate income from the land,” Greg Scott, CBICC president and CEO, said. “For some of the recipients, this grant money may even ease a financial burden that allows them to keep their land or a family farm. That’s important for all of us here in Centre County. We get fresh food. Our open spaces are preserved. Our heritage is preserved. We learn new things and we have fun doing it.

“And let’s not forget these destinations boost tax revenue and increase jobs directly and indirectly. When they succeed, we all succeed, because they boost our businesses and our shared communities, our restaurants, our hotels and our retail stores.”

Grants of up to $10,000 each were awarded to all 28 businesses that applied.

“Everyone I have spoken with that has received money for this initiative is incredibly excited and happy that they are able to put some money into their businesses, help the community grow, as well as bring in visitors,” Christie Black, Happy Valley Agventures grant program and marketing consultant, said.

That money will be used for projects big and small, but all of which are vital to preparing for visitors and enhancing their experience.

RE Farm Cafe was among the recipients and its $9,800 grant will support the addition of an outdoor deck already under construction, with a canopy, seating, stairs and a fire pit.

For the farm-to-table restaurant that opened in 2019 and sources most of its found onsite at Windswept, being outdoors is a much-desired part of the customer experience, owner Duke Gastiger said.

“Our customers tell us they want to be outside,” Gastiger said. “They want to be close to the land. They want to be close to the soil that their food grows on and this gives them direct access to the farm life. I think that the future of restaurants is to get closer to the food, not to get further away from it. It really gives us an opportunity to do that.”

At Common Ground Farm in Potter Township, a $9,500 grant will fund infrastructure improvements that will allow it to welcome more visitors.

The 175-year-old farm counts among its offerings a “farm stay experience” that allows guests to stay in cottages and spend time encountering agricultural life. Owner Leslie Zuck said that as fewer people have connections to family farms, she wanted to offer day tours to visitors as well.

“I got to thinking, wouldn’t it be great to offer those farm tours to other people, not just those who are spending the night on our farm?” Zuck said. “To do that, we would need a public restroom, a small parking lot, a seating area. So, we’re super grateful to Happy Valley Adventure Bureau as well as CBICC for this grant that’s going to allow us to be able to do that and put those enhancements into our farm and incorporate them into the farm tour and make it more comfortable for visitors.”

Centre County Grange Park in Centre Hall may best be known as home of the Grange Fair, but it’s also a year-round venue for agricultural events.

A recently completed expansion of the park’s livestock arena will allow it to compete for events it couldn’t land in the past, and a $9,000 Agventures grant will support accompanying technological improvements that will make it even more attractive.

Matt Naylor, technology manager at Grange Park, said those will include livestreaming capabilities for agricultural shows and events, projectors and screens for presentations and equipment like iPads, laptops and printers to be available to facility renters.

“With the assistance of this grant we hope to promote even more agribusiness to Centre County by improving the attractiveness of our venue and facilities, which will encourage repeat rentals and continued business from organizations looking to host their agricultural events,” Naylor said. “From a technology standpoint, our goal is to ensure that the facility will have nearly everything a group would need to implement technology into their event at Grange Park.”

Rimmey Road Farm, which specializes in raising heritage breed mulefoot pigs on the grounds adjacent to Rhoneymeade, will use an $8,500 grant to become an agritourism destination with upgrades for retail and events.

“Our growth hit a plateau this year because with feed prices as high as they are right now, any potential profit or infrastructure money went into operational expenses,” owner Keith Brainard said in a statement. “This funding could not come at a better time.”