Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, Enhancing the capacity of Land Grant Universities to foster regional prosperity and rural development.

agritourism

two people engaging in a sales transaction with the help of a smartphone

High-speed internet linked to more farms offering agritourism

June 25, 2024

The availability and adoption of high-speed broadband appears to boost the number of farms offering agritourism activities, according to a new study led by NERCRD researchers. Their findings, the researchers said, bolster the argument for expanding broadband availability in support of farm operators who want to benefit from the growing consumer interest in on-farm experiences.

Publications

Direct-to-Consumer Sales of Agrifood Products by US Farms: Data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture

June 3, 2024

A new data brief by Jason S. Entsminger (University of Maine) and Claudia Schmidt (Penn State and NERCRD) provides a snapshot of the direct-to-consumer sales of agrifood products, and documents recent changes across the industry. The data brief, which was published by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), is available below:

Data-Brief_CoA2022_DTC-Sales_FINAL Download

NERCRD agritourism research brief featured in Mainebiz story

May 30, 2024

A feature story written by Renee Cordes and published in MaineBiz includes research on agritourism that was published by NERCRD. The story, which also features a quote by one of the research authors, Jason Entsminger (University of Maine), provides insights into the latest data on Maine agritourism farms, and interviews the managers of several different Maine-based agricultural operations that have incorporated agritourism activities into their business models.

very large group posing for photo in two-story hotel lobby

Agritourism Research and Extension Collaborative honored with USDA NIFA National Partnership Award

May 22, 2024

Congratulations to members of the Agritourism Research and Extension Collaborative, who were recognized with a 2023 USDA NIFA Partnership Award for their multi-state work advancing agritourism! The award honors the collective efforts of a network of individuals that spans more than a dozen states at 11 Land-Grant Universities, and two community partner organizations who collaborated on several projects to advance agritourism nationally.

Publications

Agritourism and Recreational Services on US Farms: Data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture

May 7, 2024

A new data brief by Jason S. Entsminger (University of Maine) and Claudia Schmidt (Penn State and NERCRD) provides a snapshot of the national agritourism landscape and documents recent changes across the industry. The data brief, which was published by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), is available below:

AgritourismDataBrief.May2024 Download

field of sunflowers with a "welcome" sign spanning it.

National agritourism survey seeking input from farms that welcome visitors

March 26, 2024

U.S. agricultural and aquaculture operators who welcome visitors — whether for on-farm education, direct sales, entertainment, recreation, special events and more — are invited to provide input about the forms of support they access and the challenges they face via an online survey, which will remain open until April 30, 2024. This survey is part […]

Webinar: Accessibility in Rural Tourism and Agritourism

March 6, 2024

Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. ET — This National Extension Tourism (NET) webinar will focus on accessibility in rural tourism and agritourism and will feature speakers Rupa Valdez and Claire Wellbeloved-Stone from the Blue Trunk Foundation. Co-hosted by NERCRD.

Publications

Impact of Broadband Access on Agritourism Operations in the United States

July 23, 2023

Agritourism is a growing sector that can provide opportunities for rural entrepreneurs and boost rural development in the US. Online presence is crucial for agritourism operators because they cater to consumers. In this study, we employ count data regression models to investigate the relationship between broadband adoption and the number of agritourism operations. Our analysis shows that access to fast broadband internet in 2012 significantly increased the number of agritourism operations in 2017, underscoring the pivotal role of broadband connectivity in facilitating farmer-consumer interactions.

Publications

International Workshop on Agritourism 2022 Conference Proceedings

July 13, 2023

The International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA) 2022 Conference Proceedings is intended to increase access to the scholarship that was shared during the three-day conference, which was hosted by University of Vermont Extension in Burlington, Vermont, USA, on August 30 – September 1, 2022. It contains 27 peer-reviewed papers. NERCRD staff provided editorial, project management, and graphic design support to this effort.