Overview
In 2023, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), in partnership with the University of Vermont Extension, conducted a national study of agritourism – an umbrella term for activities that welcome visitors onto a working farm, ranch, or other agricultural operation. This project summarizes key findings from interviews and survey responses of US farmers engaged in agritourism across various regions, agricultural products, activities, and experiences. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative social science methods, the project team set to achieve the following objectives:
- Identify national and regional patterns contributing to successes and challenges for producers
- Explore motivations of producers, benefits and challenges of agritourism, and barriers to entry and expansion
- Populate a national directory of farms and ranches engaging in agritourism
- Communicate research findings
Key Takeaways
- Farmers identified having agritourism for two main reasons: to increase farm revenue and to educate the public about agriculture. They emphasized that agritourism is a people business, and operators must be prepared for the reality of welcoming visitors to their farms.
- The most popular marketing tool was social media pages (87%), followed by word of mouth (85%). Farmers expressed the need for free or low-cost marketing assistance from professionals familiar with agriculture to help them direct their budget to where it is most effective.
- 75% of survey respondents reported success at increasing farm revenue through agritourism. Analysis of survey questions on revenue & profit, though limited, suggests that agritourism is important to the farm bottom line and may help absorb losses from agricultural productions.
For more information and a list of focused briefs, visit UVM’s National Agritourism Study website and explore the linked resources below.
Resources
National Agritourism Study
This webpage hosted by the University of Vermont lists the summary of findings and a set of briefs for practitioners.
Major Challenges and Necessary Supports for Agritourism – Findings from a National Study of Agritourism Operators (pdf)
This report dives deeper into project methodology and summarizes all findings to date.
Agritourism Story Map
This online story map lets viewers hear directly from farmers interviewed for this project and learn about their agritourism offerings and advice.
Publication Date
August 2026