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Creating an environment for the public to enjoy can increase business.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, travel and tourism is a billion industry in the United States. Agritourism is an increasingly popular and growing opportunity for the agricultural community. Agritourism can be defined as a business actively engaged in the operation of an agriculturally-related venture that is open to the public.
The U.S. Census of Agriculture shows an increasing trend in agritourism and related recreational services. The Census of Agriculture first used the term “agri-tourism” in 2007. Agritourism grew by 67% over the next 10 years.
Below are a few of the many organizations that can help navigate the business planning necessary for a successful agritourism operation.
The National Agricultural Law Center, a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, serves as the nation’s leading source of objective, scholarly, and authoritative agricultural and food law research and information. It is the only agricultural and food law research and information facility that is independent, national in scope, and directly connected to the national agricultural information network.
For farmers, benefits include the potential to increase income, identify new customers, lose the middle man, build closer linkages to the nonagricultural business community and raise awareness of and appreciation for agricultural production. With any business, there are also risks and challenges. UA Extension offers resources that may help you determine whether agritourism is right for you.
Tourism and travel have undergone tremendous growth and diversification to become a major force in the international economy. The intent of this guide is to provide resources for those interested in researching current tourism and travel industry and trends.
The mission of the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) is to provide independent producers and processors with critical information needed to build successful value-added agricultural enterprises through the www.agmrc.org electronic resource information website. AgMRC strives to serve a national value-added agriculture audience through its web platform and relationship with other Land-grant universities and other technical assistance providers from across the country.
For more than 100 years, the American Farm Bureau Federation has been the national, unified Voice of Agriculture. Today, AFBF is the country’s largest general farm organization and the leading advocate for farm and ranch families. We are driven by the belief that we are stronger when we work together to support our communities and sustainably grow the food, fiber and renewable fuel we all depend on.