Farmers Turn to Agritourism to Boost Income

Agritourism is an opportunity for farmers to diversify income and share agriculture’s story with consumers. “Agritourism is the intersection between agriculture and tourism, and it includes five broad areas: education, hospitality, outdoor recreation, entertainment, and direct sales,” says University of Minnesota Extension Educator DeeDee LeMier. Agritourism comes in many forms. “Many folks have experienced agritourism in some way, such as U-Pick farms, corn mazes, farmers markets, or on-farm weddings so depending on your own experiences, that often flavors how people perceive what agritourism is.” Agritourism offers many benefits to farmers. “Agritourism provides an opportunity for farmers to be able to connect with their communities, their neighbors, with visitors in ways that are meaningful to them that connect with their values and that also allow them to add to their economic sustainability over time and to bring in that business diversity that makes it possible for them to continue farming.”