July 20, 2020
Agritourism: Opportunities and obstacles discussed in August 19 webinar
By Sarah Cato
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- Webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center will discuss agritourism trends, opportunities and legal issues
- Webinar scheduled for August 19 at noon to 1 p.m. EDT
- Register online at: https://bit.ly/2VTcGwn
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Beckoned by agritourism, urbanites and suburbanites sometimes flock to the country to visit pumpkin patches, vineyards and petting zoos or take trail rides, getting up close and personal with large animals and equipment. What could possibly go wrong?
At a time when commodity prices flag and the cost to farm increases, agritourism can be seen as a means to diversify income. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, agritourism revenue grew from $704 million in 2012 to almost $950 million in 2017.
“It wasn’t that long ago that ‘agritourism’ was an unfamiliar term to the agricultural community,” Peggy Hall, associate professor in Agricultural and Resource Law at Ohio State University, said. “But agritourism has been on the rise in the United States, with income tripling between 2002 and 2017.”
As the industry has evolved, however, legal issues have also arisen.
“Along with the continued growth and prospects of agritourism there has also been an evolution of laws and legal issues,” Hall said.
Hall will discuss the evolution of agritourism and the subsequent legal changes in a free webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center on Aug. 19 at noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT. Also presenting will be Ohio State University Extension Educators Eric Barrett and Rob Leeds, who are both also agritourism operators in Ohio.
The webinar will discuss trends in the industry, litigation against agritourism operations, issues arising due to COVID-19 and how those in the industry can manage the associated risks.
Register free of charge at https://bit.ly/2VTcGwn.
For more information on the National Agricultural Law Center, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/ or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The Center works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.
The Center is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact 479-575-4607 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact:
Sarah Cato
National Agricultural Law Center
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
sscato@uark.edu
870-815-9035