BATON ROUGE - Louisiana is home to about 30,000 farms and Dr. Mike Strain, the state's Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry is determined to draw more out-of-state visitors to these farms and other tourist attractions. 

Dr. Strain is collaborating with Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser to promote state agritourism via a series of videos that will appear in various websites and on social media platforms. 

The videos encourage visitors to visit Louisiana's strawberry patches, vineyards, and other natural attractions. 

Click here to view the videos or simply scroll down to watch a sample video. 

The agriculture and forestry industries already contribute nearly $12 billion to the state's economy, and if efforts to promote agritourism are successful, this number is likely to increase. 

Dr. Strain was positive about the results of the collaborative marketing campaign, saying, “There is so much to learn about the agricultural and forestry industries. From the educational aspect of where your food comes from to outdoor activities that promote family fun, this is a wonderful collaborative effort with the state’s top tourism promoter Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser.” 

“It is so important that people learn about Louisiana’s rich history and how the ag industry is a major part of it.” 

A soft launch of the videos was rolled out in the fall of 2019 in support of the many agriculture-related events that coincide with the holidays. Those events include visiting pumpkin patches, corn mazes and picking out the perfect Christmas tree at a local tree farm.