As COVID-19 reshapes our economy, our newsletter will help you unpack the news from the day.
Food cannons and goat yoga: Farmers get creative for profits
Food cannons and goat yoga: Farmers get creative for profits
A farmer in La Union, New Mexico, built a 10-acre corn maze in 2000 as a way to supplement their income.
Joe Raedle/Newsmakers
Since the trade war has dragged down the price of certain crops, some farmers are hoping to cash in on the fun this season. It’s called “agritainment,” when farms open attractions like corn mazes, hayrides and pumpkin patches.
But these days, newer thrills are being offered, like shooting produce out of cannons and goat yoga. In some cases, selling corn as cannon ammunition is making more money per ear right now than selling it as food.
Adam Thompson wrote about agritainment and the food cannons for the Wall Street Journal. He spoke to “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal about the business and how much money farmers can really make by letting people shoot corn out of a cannon.
“You’re not going to save the farm with a food cannon, but it’s getting people to come to the farm to have fun. Then they might buy more than would have otherwise.”
The Wall Street Journal’s Adam Thompson
Click the audio player above to hear the full story.
If you’re a member of your local public radio station, we thank you — because your support helps those stations keep programs like Marketplace on the air. But for Marketplace to continue to grow, we need additional investment from those who care most about what we do: superfans like you.
Your donation — as little as $5 — helps us create more content that matters to you and your community, and to reach more people where they are – whether that’s radio, podcasts or online.
When you contribute directly to Marketplace, you become a partner in that mission: someone who understands that when we all get smarter, everybody wins.
What happened today?
Make today make sense with our new 10-minute daily Make Me Smart podcast.