Non-farm folks gain new appreciation for ag when RVing

By Phyllis Coulter, general assignment editor with FarmWeek and FarmWeekNow.com at the Illinois Farm Bureau

A program that gives RVers, often urban-oriented, a chance to experience farms and rural businesses is just the ticket for Lynn Crafts and Dan Dougherty.

They pay a membership fee of about $85 annually to belong to Harvest Hosts, which provides an interactive map and information about more than 5,000 host farms, wineries and other businesses to help plan their trips. In return for staying free at some spots they might not find otherwise, they shop at the host’s business.

“We are kind of city people,” said Crafts, an animal lover. Some of their favorite stops included interacting with “gentle and curious alpacas” at Heartland “Criations” Alpacas LLC in Knox County, Illinois; visiting “adorable doll sheep” in Shelbyville, Illinois; meeting regal, 18-hand-high draught horses in Kentucky and watching “Oreo cows” (Belted Galloway) frolicking in Kansas.

“We didn’t have farms in our lives.… Continue reading