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Somerset County tourism unveils ‘Seated in Somerset’ agritourism program, aims for June 2025 launch
Summary
County tourism and business partnership leaders previewed a marketing and verification program to promote farms, farm-sourced restaurant items and agritourism experiences; the initiative aims to launch in June 2025 and build brand recognition over 12 months.
Somerset County tourism officials on April 22 presented a new agritourism branding program called “Seated in Somerset,” which they plan to launch in June 2025 to promote farms, farm-based destinations and local sourcing by restaurants.
Chris Edwards, chief executive (title stated as CEO during the meeting) of the county’s business partnership, said the county’s tourism sector has recovered since the pandemic and the new program aims to turn that attention to farms and agritourism experiences. Melissa DeFries, vice president of tourism, detailed the program’s goals: promote farms and agritourism destinations, foster local pride and create collaborations between farms and restaurants.
Why it matters: presenters noted Somerset County had 452 farms in the 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census — a 13% increase over the previous five-year period — and said agritourism has become an important leisure-travel draw. Officials said the program is intended both to attract outside visitors and to encourage local residents to support farm businesses.
Program features: officials showed a website prototype and said the initiative will offer farmer registration, decals and window decals for restaurants that verify they use local products. Examples of promotional materials include stickers and decals identifying restaurants that source locally. Presenters said the tourism office would verify claims of local sourcing, distribute signage, attend farmers markets and use digital kiosks and social media to promote participating businesses.
Timeline and scope: DeFries said the county intends to launch the website and initial marketing in June 2025 and then spend roughly 12 months building the brand, recruiting farms and verifying restaurant sourcing. The tourism team identified partners across county departments — including Farmland Preservation and GIS — and said the program will be promoted at farmers markets and ag events.
Voices from the meeting: Chris Edwards described the program as “a big picture” effort to rebrand and expand leisure travel tied to local farms. Melissa DeFries told commissioners the program seeks to replicate successful regional agritourism models and emphasized cross-promotion with existing county resources.
Next steps: tourism staff requested commissioners’ feedback at the work session and said they will continue outreach to farms, restaurants and municipal partners before the planned June launch.
