An ACS Conversation on Agritourism and On-Farm Experiences
For most cheesemakers, the idea of welcoming people onto the farm is not new. Whether as tours, tastings, classes, open houses, or informal visits, connecting people more directly to the source of their food has been part of the conversation for a long time, because people are looking for meaningful experiences, and those experiences often turn casual buyers into long-term supporters.
At the same time, cheesemakers are running small, complex businesses. Most have their hands full — producing, aging, selling, complying, managing staff — and usually with limited time, limited money, and very little room for experimentation. It is not always clear what is realistic, where to start, or how others have navigated similar decisions.
Why this conversation matters
Agritourism is not a single, one-size-fits-all model. But when it is thoughtfully approached, it can help people understand value, build loyalty, and form deeper connections to the farms and cheesemakers behind the cheese they love.
What has actually worked in practice? What took more effort than expected? What would you do differently?
What the panel will explore
The conversation with panelists who have built very different kinds of public-facing dairy experiences.
- How on-farm and creamery experiences can support a business rather than overwhelm it
- Ways to connect with visitors that feel authentic and manageable
- What has driven real engagement and sales, and what has not
- How to think about scale, staffing, and boundaries
- Questions to ask before opening your doors to the public
- How the Cheese Trail has grown from a California-based effort and is gradually expanding to support cheesemakers nationally
There will be time for Q&A.
If you are a cheesemaker, guild leader, or part of a regional cheese or agritourism effort, we hope you will join the conversation. These kinds of shared insights help strengthen the broader cheese community, one thoughtful step at a time.
Webinar details: Agritorism: Bringing Consumers to Your Creamery & Dairy to Increase Sales
Hosted by the American Cheese Society
Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM MT / 4:00 PM ET
Cost: Free for ACS members, $25 for nonmembers
SIGN UP HERE
A recording will be available afterward through the ACS Learning Center.
Meet the speakers
Vivien Straus (Moderator) grew up on a dairy in Northern California and is the founder of CheeseTrail.org, a long-running resource advocating for California cheesemakers that is now carefully growing nationally. She also manages Straus Home Ranch, her family’s 166-acre homestead, spent 11 years as VP Marketing & Sales for Straus Family Creamery, and also worked at Cowgirl Creamery. Vivien is also a longtime actor, writing and performing comedic autobiographical shows about her life on and off the farm.
MaryLisa Cornell has been raising dairy goats since 2006 and became co-owner of Jollity Farm Goat Dairy in El Dorado County in 2015. Recognizing the value of direct connection between consumers and their food, and operating as the only licensed dairy in the county, she integrated agritourism into the farm. The result has been stronger local engagement, increased on-farm sales, and reduced reliance on farmers markets.
Erika McKenzie-hapter helped start Pennyroyal Farm, a farmstead creamery and winery in Mendocino County, where she is the head cheesemaker and manages the goat and sheep dairy. Pennyroyal offers farm and creamery tours along with an on-site tasting room serving their wine and cheese alongside products grown on the farm.
Denise Skidmore leads public communications and oversees the California Visitor Center at Hilmar Cheese Company. Since joining the company in 2000, she has developed education programs and exhibits that welcome thousands of students and visitors each year, helping connect urban audiences to agriculture in clear and accessible ways.
