It is no wonder that Jane Eckert, a farmer’s daughter and former corporate marketing executive, has become a recognized expert on agritourism, a growing travel trend in . She created one of the most successful tourism farms in North America and now helps members of the agriculture and travel industries tap into the agritourism market. Jane was raised on her family’s apple orchard outside of St. Louis, Missouri, and eventually pursued an executive career in corporate marketing for more than 15 years, working for such giants as Atlantic Richfield Oil Company.
Combining her marketing expertise and her passion for agriculture, she returned to her roots at age 40 as Vice President of Marketing for Eckert’s Country Store and Farms. Through her innovative ideas and through working closely with CVBs and tourism authorities, she helped develop the farm into one of metropolitan St. Louis’ most popular entertainment and tourist destinations, attracting over 500,000 guests annually.
Jane has been featured in U.S.A. Today, Time and “Call of the Land” on Alberta radio,and interviewed for hundreds of newspapers, magazines and radio shows throughout the country. In her speeches and workshops, she has helped thousands of tourism and ag professionals to see the financial benefits of promoting the niche product of agritourism.
In 2001, Jane created Eckert AgriMarketing, www.eckertagrimarketing.com, a full-service marketing and consulting firm that offers a variety of services to the tourism industry and agricultural operations, helping them harvest the rewards of agritourism. As a reflection of that effort, Jane was given the Outstanding Leadership award by the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) in 2005, and elected to NAFDMA’s Hall of Fame in 2008. Jane also was awarded the Agri Tourism Excellence Achievement Award by way of the World Agri Tourism Day conference in Pune, in May, 2008.
She is past president of The North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association. Jane is currently a member of the National Speakers Association and the National Agri Marketing Association.