Legislation Looks To Promote Agritourism

Lawmakers in D.C. are trying to create an office within USDA dedicated to promoting agritourism. Dan Newhouse, chair of the western caucus, says the Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces Act; or AGRITOURISM Act, looks to highlight one of the successes in modern agriculture. And this legislation will, he said, encourage other producers to expand and grow their business.

“As we can work with the assets we have in our local communities, from the local wineries and breweries, orchards, dairies, farmer’s markets, there’s just a lot of attractions to our urban cousins that bring them to farm country. This provides a diverse set of opportunities for those of use in rural areas to capitalize on.”

Opportunities, Newhouse said farm country does not want to overlook.

“You know, we see these things every day. They kind of grow accustomed to them and maybe take them a little bit for granted. For people that are not from agricultural areas, these are really unique and cool things to be able to experience.”

According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, agritourism-related income jumped from $202 million in 2002 to $949 million in 2017, a 370% increase.

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