California Dreamin’ Takes a New Path: Farm Stays

In the Italian countryside, the word is agriturismo, and it covers an intriguing corner of the travel industry: For more than a decade, government officials have been encouraging farmers and rural homeowners to consider themselves innkeepers, their properties bed- and-breakfasts.

For travelers, these properties pose an affordable B&B; alternative to big-city lodgings. They offer a handy way to visit smaller villages in scenic areas like Tuscany and Umbria, and they can deliver insights into the country’s landscape and lifestyle that a typical vacation probably wouldn’t.

For the families who own often-struggling Italian farm properties, meanwhile, agriturismo is a chance to cope with a changing economy and to teach strangers about an often-underappreciated way of life.

This hopeful idea is not unique to Italy. France has its gi^tes, Spain its agroturismo. As agricultural employment has dwindled in Europe, re-purposed farm properties have popped up throughout the continent. Beyond that, Chile and Argentina have their estancias, and New Zealand, Britain and the U.S., their farm stays. Seven years ago I stayed as a fascinated guest (about $25 nightly) on a Mennonite farm in Lancaster County, Pa.

Now consider a bold new idea in its infancy in California: agri-tourism.

Under a bill sponsored by state Assemblywoman Virginia Strom-Martin (D-Duncans Mills) and signed in July by Gov. Gray Davis, the state will ease restrictions on farmers who want to house paying guests and feed them more than breakfast. (Until now, lodgings that serve lunch and dinner have generally been required to have the same costly kitchen facilities as full-scale restaurants.)

The state law does not supersede local restrictions, which will leave matters largely unchanged in counties with stringent growth controls. But beginning Jan. 1, AB 1258 will allow properties whose principal income is agricultural products to have six guest rooms and 15 visitors nightly.

This government encouragement may not be as dramatic as steps taken in Europe--France’s heavy subsidies for its gi^te system began in the 1950s--and there are no predictions of how many California farmers might seize the opportunity or how much revenue it might mean for them. But several farmers and promoters of tourism said they see this as a small step in an intriguing direction.

Certainly, there’s no shortage of California agricultural land (27.7 million acres)--or of economic pressures on small farms. Though California makes more money from agriculture than any other state ($25.9 billion last year), state figures show that most of its 75,000 farms occupy less than 50 acres and gross less than $50,000 yearly.

It’s a pleasant thought, heading off for a weekend to show the kids where eggs and milk and peaches come from. Up to now, however, overnight tourism and agriculture have rarely mixed in California.

One big exception--hardly a mom-and-pop business--is the Harris Ranch, near Coalinga at Interstate 5 and California Highway 198. Here cattle and thoroughbred horses are raised, and 33 kinds of vegetables, fruits and nuts are farmed. The ranch, which dates to 1937, has offered 123 guest rooms since 1986. Along with two restaurants, a swimming pool and a private landing strip, the ranch offers feedlot tours to guests. Room rates start at $99 for a double; telephone (800) 942-2333.

There are smaller farm-flavored lodgings, but they often spend little on promotion and lie beneath the radar of casual travelers.

For instance, in the hamlet of Philo, just north of Boonville in Mendocino County, Tim and Karen Bates run the Apple Farm, on 15.5 acres. Since 1995 they have rented out a room above a kitchen where they offer cooking classes (taught by Sally Schmitt, former owner-chef of the French Laundry restaurant in Yountville). In March they plan to open three cabins on the property and rent them for $125 each per night; tel. (707) 895-2333.

In west Marin County, Sharon and Steve Doughty two years ago added lodging to the offerings of the Point Reyes Vineyard Inn and Winery, whose 800 acres include 340 dairy cows, vineyards, wine-making and a tasting room. Guests stay in a Spanish-style house with four bedrooms that rent for $110 to $145 each per night; tel. (415) 663-1011, Internet https://www.ptreyesvineyardinn.com.

The man behind the new law in large part is George Work, whose grandfather homesteaded the Work Ranch in southern Monterey County in the 19th century. Covering 12,000 acres in oak-, pine- and brush-filled foothills about 20 miles northeast of Paso Robles, the ranch raises cattle and grain. “Ten or 12 years ago we did a trip to Australia and New Zealand, and I think we stayed on six different farms on seven different nights,” Work recalls. “We came home all excited about how we should do this in California.”

Last year, with his kids out of the house and six bedrooms and five bathrooms available, he started making calls, including one to the Davis-based Community Alliance With Family Farmers, a nonprofit group that promotes sustainable agriculture and tries to build public awareness of small-scale farming.

“We saw an opportunity to just run a bill through quickly,” says Judith Redmond, the public affairs director for the alliance. “Basically, nobody opposed it.”

On the one hand, it gives farmers a chance to explain themselves and make a little extra money. On the other, Work says, “it provides an opportunity for the urban folks to connect with the land again.”

By early 2000, Work and his wife, Elaine, hope to have the Work Ranch open for business. Work is thinking of charging $125 per room per night, including breakfast and dinner (for information, call [805] 467-3233). The Work Ranch also sometimes offers guided hunting, and Work’s son and daughter-in-law may offer horseback trail rides.

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Christopher Reynolds welcomes comments and suggestions, but cannot respond individually to letters and calls. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053, or send e-mail to [email protected].