Erika Quendler, is a senior researcher at the Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research in Vienna (Austria). She holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. A central focus of her research is agritourism. She has made significant contributions to this field through scientific publications and active engagement in the Global Agritourismus Network.

Caroline is a parter at Bannikin, a Canadian-based tourism consultancy at the intersection of food, culture, and adventure-based tourism. She works primarily with rural, remote, and emerging destinations and often focusses on culinary and agritourism development. In 2018, Caroline helped to facilitate the development of Scotland’s Food Tourism Action Plan.

Claire Whitehouse, M.S. is a Research Specialist at the Center for Rural Studies, a social science research center at the University of Vermont, where she conducts quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research on local and regional food supply chains, agritourism, farm viability, and food systems networks. Claire received her B.A. in Theater and Hispanic Literatures and Cultures from Wesleyan University and her M.S. in Food Systems from the University of Vermont.

Growing up in the Willamette Valley gave Audrey the opportunity to be familiar with diverse farming activities. Her efforts strive to bring education and understanding about the benefits of agritourism and farm-direct marketing as an additional revenue source to farmers, tourism groups and government entities. She is part of the OSU Extension Agritourism Working Group and currently collaborates with organizations such as Travel Oregon, nonprofits, economic development, and tourism offices. Audrey also works on efforts like agritourism research projects, individual teaching contacts, and instructs educational workshops. She currently lives on a small farm with her husband and raises Romney sheep.

Melissa Fery is a Professor of Practice with Oregon State University Extension Service. She has been supporting Oregon agriculture and small farms in the areas of soil quality, small-scale livestock and pasture production, and land stewardship for over 20 years. Most recently she has been working with farmers and ranchers in her region to explore agricultural tourism and on-farm marketing to diversify income and aid in farm succession. Melissa and her family live on a small farm where they enjoy a rural lifestyle, growing plants and raising animals.