An Alabama cattle farm with a bird-tourism side hustle

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated that 96 million people in America engage in birdwatching, generating more than $100 billion in economic activity. Some of those birders travel internationally to see exotic birds around the world, while others find birds closer to home.

Christopher Joe, who works as a district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has found a way to tap into the bird tourism market on his father’s multigenerational cattle farm in Newbern, Alabama.

In 2019, he started running bird-watching tours on the property, which have only grown in popularity since. In total, he estimates they’ve had more than 3,000 visitors to the farm.

“I appreciate it all, because it really is a legacy thing,” he said. “[We’re] just making sure that the farm is sustainable for other generations to come.”

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