Entrepreneurs are Part of 2021 Kenton County Farm Tour

According to an article in Entrepreneur Magazine’s August 2020 on-line edition, local artisans will be a powerful force in the new economy.  The article goes on to explain that local artisans are increasing because of the buy local trend.  These artisans contribute to the culture of the local economy and makes resilience from things like a pandemic easier. The 2021 Kenton County Farm tour had 11 hosting farms on the tour.  In addition to these farmers, there were 36 local artisans and small businesses that sold products to the visitors to the farms.  Handcrafted products like, wood crafts, quilts, value added foods, hand sewn fashions, and holiday gift and décor were represented.   The survey tool used to evaluate the impact of the artisan’s success was in person survey done by the Extension Agent with 11 of the artisans.   When asked why they chose the farm tour to sell their wares, seven artisans indicated they liked the people, and all eleven liked being part of a nice community event, and four said it was a great way to test market a new product line.  When asked if the Farm Tour visitor was their primary audience, seven said yes, and four said they were not sure.   When asked if they had participated in prior Kenton County farm tours, four said they had been in three or more tours, four were less than three years, and 3 said it was their first year.  When asked if they wished to be part of the 2022 Kenton County Farm Tour, nine said yes, and two were not sure. When asked about sales levels, six indicated they were pleased with their sales results and five were not sure. By expanding and including these artisans to the Kenton County Farm Tour visitors are supporting the local artisan community.