Agritourism—one of the fastest growing segments of agricultural direct marketing—allows farmers to diversify their core operations and keep farmland in production while preserving scenic vistas and maintaining farming traditions. By providing authentic farm experiences for visitors, agritourism helps educate the public about the importance of agriculture to a community’s economic base, quality of life, history, and culture.

Agritourism refers to enterprises and activities that are conducted on farm sites for the pleasure, education, recreation and enrichment of visitors. Agritourism can take many forms including retail sales, hay rides, corn mazes, pick-your-own operations, and use of woodlands on farms for hunting, hiking, horseback riding, and other activities. There may be educational components including programs for schoolchildren and elderhostel tours, as well as exhibits and demonstrations tailored to specific visitor groups. Farms may combine retail sales and tours with accommodations such as bed and breakfasts and farm-stays. In essence, agritourism is providing educational and authentic agricultural experiences that enhance direct marketing of farm products and improve public support for agriculture.

Agritourism enterprises allow farms to diversify their core operations, add jobs for family members and others, and keep land in production while preserving scenic vistas, maintaining farming traditions, and educating non-farmers about the importance of agriculture to a community’s economic base, quality of life, history and culture. Interest and demand for agricultural products and experiences by visitors and residents is high while price sensitivity is low, thus creating positive conditions for business success.

 In many Northeast states, tourism is the first or second revenue-generating source and agricultural operations are in the top ten. The economic impacts of blending tourism and agriculture have significant potential. In fact, culinary tourism and agritourism accounted for more than 50 percent of group tour operator inquiries at the American Bus Association’s 2007 Annual Conference.

University of Maryland Extension Resources

• Agritourism PowerPoint Presentation: Linking Food, Farms, and Tourism in Maryland

Other State Extension Resources

• Considering an Agritainment Enterprise in Tennessee? Holland, Rob and Kent Wolfe; University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service. Available at http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/pbfiles/pb1648.pdf

• Agritourism - The University of Vermont: http://www.uvm.edu/tourismresearch/agritourism.html

• An Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting a New Agricultural Enterprise: Managing Risk; created by the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension; 2005

Agencies, Associations and Government Resources

• ATTRA - Entertainment Farming Agri-Tourism:
  http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/entertn.pdf

• Alternative Enterprises and Agritourism:  USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  http://www.economics.nrcs.usda.gov/altenterprise/

• Agricultural Resource Marketing Center:  Success and Challenges in Agritourism
  http://www.agmrc.org/media/cms/AgritourismSuccessesChallenges_E987C590149EF.pdf

• Obstacles in the Agritourism Regulatory Process: Perspectives of Operators and Officials in Ten California Counties. Keith, Diana, Ellen Rilla, Holly George, Ramiro Lobo, Laura Tourte, and Roger Ingram (2003) AIC Issues In Brief, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California (22). Available at http://www.agmrc.org/media/cms/agritourismfileca_BBEBA893F7B99.pdf

• Agritourism in Pennsylvania: An Industry Assessment. Ryan, Susan, Kristy DeBord and Kristin McClellan (2006). Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Available at http://www.ruralpa.org/agritourism2006.pdf

• The Opportunity for Agritourism Development in New Jersey. Schilling, Brian J., Lucas J. Marxen, Helen H. Heinrich, and Fran J. A. Brooks (2006), Food Policy Institute Rutgers University. Available at http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/pdf/ATReport.pdf

• Promoting Tourism in Rural America. USDA, Rural Information Center
  National Agricultural Library. Covers how-to information for tourism development in rural areas.
  http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/tourism.html

• Maryland Department of Agriculture- Agritourism Sites/Farms
  Maryland farms offer a wide variety of agritourism attractions for all ages.
  http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/agritourism_sites-farms/index.php

• Maryland Office of Tourism
  http://visitmaryland.org/Pages/Welcome.aspx

The profiles below are businesses and/or case studies chosen to help you gain knowledge from others in the business.

Profile	Description	Link
New England FarmWays	Check out the people, places and things along New England FarmWays to help make your farm experience more satisfying and enjoyable.	http://www.nefarmways.com/