3/20/96 BOZEMAN -- Wouldn't you like to squeeze a little extra income out of your land? Many Montana farmers and ranchers are doing so---by operating guest ranches, cattle drives and bed and breakfasts right alongside their ranch operations.
But what does it take to succeed in the Montana tourism and recreation business these days?
Oh, about 340 years of experience, jokes Ted Flynn, who along with nine other ranchers and outfitters created Montana High Country Cattle Drives. These Broadwater County entrepreneurs offer their cumulative "centuries" of ranch-vacation experience to their summer guests, who pay top dollar to join the crew for a week-long authentic cattle drive.
But experience isn't necessarily as important as hospitality, authenticity and good old-fashioned marketing when it comes to succeeding in tourism, said experts at a recent state-wide series of Farm and Ranch Recreation workshops sponsored by the Montana State University Extension Service, Travel Montana, the Small Business Administration, Montana RC&Ds, the Tourism Countries and Montana Ambassadors.
Movies like "City Slickers" perpetuate the legend of Montana as the land of wide-open spaces and free-roaming cowboys. And that's exactly what vacationers want to see when they visit Big Sky Country, says Bill Bryan of Bozeman's Off the Beaten Path.
Providing that authenticity is key, says Bryan, whose business helps people plan Rocky Mountain vacations. "Guests say, 'We want to visit someone who's part of Montana culture,'" Bryan says. "People are not looking for a concocted experience---they don't want a family from San Diego who owns a summer house in Montana. They want to take home a friendship with someone from Montana."
Darlene and Lonnie Schwend of the Lonesome Spur Guest Ranch near Bridger can't help but offer authenticity and Montana hospitality. The Lonesome Spur is an operating ranch, meaning part of the guests' entertainment includes working alongside the Schwends. Visitors from all over the world assist the family in driving cattle, branding, taking care of the horses---even helping with mundane ranch repairs. To them, it's an authentic Montana experience. The Schwends say it's a marvelous business---and social---opportunity.
So how do entrepreneurs find these range-riding city slickers who pay to spend a week on the farm? First, consider who your potential customers are, says Pam Gosink of Travel Montana, a state agency that promotes Montana as a vacation and filming destination. Do you want families with small children? Just adults? Hunters and fishermen, or people who just want to relax? Where will they come from? How much vacation time will they have?
Ted Flynn recommends starting your marketing campaign with Travel Montana, which offers a wealth of experience in advertising, market research and travel shows. "There's no use trying to reinvent the wheel," he says. "They've already done the legwork. Take what's available."
Flynn says he attracts most of his cattle drive guests through listings in Travel Montana's vacation planning guides. The Travel Planner mails to half a million people annually, and outfitters listed in the guide report a vast majority of their inquiries come from the guide's readers.
Travel Montana also helps entrepreneurs tap into the lucrative but complicated international market.
Though ranch recreation may seem like the perfect solution for tough times, it's definitely not for everybody. Offering up your home and ranch to strangers is a very personal experience. "We give up our lives for three months of the year," says Sandra Cahill of the 63 Ranch near Livingston. "The only private time we have is when we're sleeping."
Yet the benefits can far outweigh the "intrusion." Though most ranchers say the extra income only helps supplement other ranch operations, many point to friendships and fun as the primary rewards for operating a recreational business.
"We now have friends all over the world," says Darlene Schwend. "People leave here crying. They don't want to leave. When they come here, they're part of our family."
And most of all, the majority of ranch recreational owners truly enjoy the experience. "Make sure you have fun yourself," says Flynn. "When these cattle drives quit being fun, that's when we quit doing it."
Dave Sharpe of the Montana State University Extension Service advises:
Other experts add---When marketing, think like your customers:
For more information on starting a farm and ranch recreation business, contact Dave Sharpe with MSU Extension, 994-2962, Clint Blackwood with Travel Montana at 444-2654, or call 444-4780 for the location of the Small Business Development Center nearest you.
Do ranching and recreation mix? Yes they do, at least according to a growing number of farmers and ranchers who are diversifying into recreation as a way to boost their income.
Bed and breakfasts, cattle drives, working guest ranches and other recreational opportunities are highlighted in a new videotape available from the Montana State University Extension Service. It was co-produced with Travel Montana at the Montana Department of Commerce.
The 45-minute videotape features several Montanans who discuss their own farm and ranch recreation businesses. The videotape also addresses licensing and sanitation requirements, as well as liability and safety issues. The program was featured in the recent Farm and Ranch Recreation Workshops held throughout Montana in January and February.
The videotape, "Fun on the Farm: Starting a Farm and Ranch Recreation Business," can be borrowed through your local county Extension agent or can be purchased by sending $14.95 to MSU Extension Publications, 115 Culbertson Hall, MSU, Bozeman, MT 59717. Credit card orders can be placed by calling (406) 994-3273.
Other resources available include a 120-page resource directory, which includes detailed notes, worksheets, sample contracts, and contact information for those interested in starting a farm and ranch recreation business. The resource document is available from Travel Montana for $5.
For those unable to attend the actual Farm and Ranch Recreation workshops, Travel Montana has produced a video of the workshop held at Fairmont on Feb. 6. The video is $15. To order the video or resource document, contact Clint Blackwood, 1424 9th Ave., Helena, MT 59620, (406) 444-2654.
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