AGRITOURISM: OPENING FARMS’ GATES TO VISITORS ADDS TO “FARM GATE” IN THE NORTHEAST
Agritourism is an increasingly popular strategy for small-scale farmers to raise farm income, diversify product lines, educate the public about farming, and build strong community engagement. Agriculture census data suggests that U.S. farms annually earn $566.8 million from agritourism activities. To advance agritourism in the Northeast, the USDA Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program funded a multi-state train-the trainer project from 2011-2015, spearheaded by Rutgers University. A team of extension educators created a train-the-trainer curriculum and supporting educational materials—including fact sheets, a corn maze budgeting tool, farm assessment checklists, and educational videos. Twenty-four service providers at nonprofits, extension, and other organizations used the training and materials in their work with more than 1,680 farmers throughout the region. As a result, 313 farmers made changes to their marketing practices, 207 improved farm safety practices, 190 farmers enhanced liability or risk management strategies, and 126 developed employee training procedures. Thank you to Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program for contributing this story.
