The Montana Agritourism Conference will return for its second year at Montana State University on November 20 and 21. The event is organized by the Montana Agritourism Association, which was formed last year through a partnership between MSU’s Department of Agricultural and Technology Education, the Montana Department of Agriculture, and Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Western SARE). MSU has hosted Western SARE since 2018.
Last year’s inaugural conference took place in May 2024 and brought together about 150 participants from various sectors including agriculture, tourism, education, and local communities. Shannon Arnold, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Technology Education who led efforts to create the association, described the impact of the first event.
“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 is themed “Opening the Gate: Unlocking Agritourism’s Opportunities to Connect, Collaborate and Innovate.” The program includes farm tours in Gallatin Valley on Thursday followed by an evening social. Friday will feature educational seminars, panel discussions, and breakout sessions organized into three tracks tailored to different interests and experience levels within agritourism. More information about sessions is available on the conference website.
Debbie Queen from the Montana Department of Agriculture highlighted that organizers hope for broad participation from both agriculture and tourism sectors. She encouraged attendance from farmers, ranchers, agency professionals, teachers, business owners, community members, as well as MSU Extension professionals or anyone interested in 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.”
Several registration options are available for attendees; students can register for $30. Details about registration options can be found at the official site.
