NEXT MEETING Wednesday May 12, 7 p.m., Community Center, Linn;
we invite any citizen of the county and guests; CONTACT US if you have any questions for the council.

COUNTY SCHOOLS LISTING!

THE OSAGE COUNTY
AGRITOURISM COUNCIL

Welcome to Osage County is a non-profit council of business owners, educational experts, family farmers and other volunteers that meet monthly at the Osage County Community Center in Linn.

We hope to build Osage into one of the first counties in Missouri with an organized Agritourism effort.

Agritourism can be defined as:

Rural destinations designed for enjoyment and education for the general public

WELCOME TO OSAGE COUNTY MISSION

Our mission is to open our doors to
showcase Osage County's unique communities,
heritage, agricultural lifestyle and products

The council proposes an on-going intiative that will touch many enterprises and resources in the county. The plan will bring revenue and create familiarity, resulting in return visits from surrounding urban and rural neighbors.

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News articles about Welcome to Osage County Council

If you are interested in joining the council, go to the MEMBERSHIP page for more information, to get in touch with a member of the council or to sign up now.

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The Plan IN BRIEF

The council will explore direct marketing of Osage County agricultural products in the process of promoting Agritourism. For example, Christmas
at Home tours are planned for December 2005 with stops at a college, florist, restaurant, historic church, historic home bed and breakfast and a handcrafted products store. The tour was cancelled in 2003 because Missouri winter hit hard the same week. (more TOURS and EVENTS)

In addition to traditional institutional and commercial tour stops, the county has over 1,000 farms with 305,000 acres in agricultural production and livestock. The average farm is 266 family acres according to the 1997 U.S. Census of Agriculture. Because agriculture is the main industry in the county, many products are, or can be made, available to consumers directly "from our home to your home."

The county is home to public parks, historical sites and recreation areas as well. Nine Missouri Conservation Areas cover almost 3,000 acres, many on one or more of the county's major rivers (Missouri, Osage and Gasconade).

The council will explore cooperative efforts to leverage Osage County's resources for the benefit of people of the county and visitors.

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