Agritourism a growing business in upstate New York [Video]

There are more than 30,000 farms in New York state. For a growing number of them, crops and livestock aren’t the only money maker. Agritourism is a growing business in upstate New York. And there are some pretty unique places out there to visit.

Mark Gilbride started raising alpacas about 15 years ago on his farm in the rolling hillsides of Bloomfield, Ontario County.

“We invite people to come to our farm [and] take a tour,” said Gilbride, owner of Lazy Acre Alpacas.

“I get a lot of people that come from the city that have really never experienced an on-farm type experience, and they love coming here.”

The farm is part of a growing type of business and attraction. Agritourism is a $55 million-a-year industry in New York, and many farm tourism businesses are located in the Finger Lakes.

“This is a beautiful area,” said Jacob Maslyn, the agriculture economic development educator …