For many family farms, keeping the farm in the family has been a constant struggle. More and more families have had to find work away from the farm just to keep afloat financially. For some, though, agritourism has become the missing piece to the puzzle of how to hold the farm and the family together.
Agritourism, as defined by Wikipedia, “is any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch,” and quotes the Small Farm Center at the University of California, saying, “Agricultural tourism or agritourism, is one alternative for improving the incomes and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities. This “economic viability” is just what many family farms today are hoping for.
Katie Frazier, president of the Virginia Agribusiness Council, said in a recent article in the Freelance Star, “The trend continues to show the ingenuity of the producers in our state,” she said. “They don’t say, ‘I can’t afford to farm, and I’m going to get out.’ We see a lot of folks that are in the second or third generation on a traditional farm that are adding agritourism components to the operation to ensure that the farm can stay in the family and that multiple generations can farm.”
Family farms everywhere are jumping on the agritourism bandwagon, offering u-pick operations, corn mazes, hay rides and school field trips that include both fun and educational activities. Also, outdoor weddings are becoming more popular, with many farms offering barn rentals for hundreds of dollars a day.
Families are starting to think outside the box to hold onto their family farms. Agritourism can ensure that those families who want to can carry on their agri legacy for generations to come.
For more information about the preservation of family farms, contact us.
