IOWA, USA — With fall in full swing, so is the business of agritourism.
Agritourism is what the name suggests—the combination of a touristic experience and/or product with an agricultural education and setting. Think of things like pumpkin patches and apple orchards to glamping, Christmas tree farms and pick-your-own flower patches.
The USDA estimates nearly 400 Iowa farms generate at least some income from agritourism. It's an opportunity for small farms to diversity and increase revenue streams.
While the agritourism industry had already been steadily increasing, it saw a huge boom over the last few years.
In Iowa alone, on-farm income from agritourism skyrocketed from $4.8 million in 2017 to $10.2 million in 2022, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture.
In Illinois, agritourism has remained mostly steady over the same time period, dipping only slightly from $22,945,000 million on-farm income in 2017 to $22,906,000 in 2022.
There are several reasons for the industry jump in Iowa, led largely by the Covid-19 pandemic. As people looked for ways to get out of their homes, Iowa farmers saw opportunities, Kendra Meyer said. Meyer is a program specialist with the small farms team at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach as well as a coordinator for the Visit Iowa Farms program.
Meyer says for all of the positives, agritourism can also present some challenges for small farms, such as liability insurance and food licenses. She tells News 8 her team offers resources to cover areas of risk management, such as insurance suggestions, online education courses, checklists and further reading materials.
Tune into The Current from 4 to 5 p.m. on weekdays to catch live interviews impacting you, your family and your hometown as well as all of the biggest headlines of the day.