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According to the 2022 U.S. Census of Agriculture, the income
generated from agritourism and recreational services nationally
grew about 33% since the 2017 census to about $1.26 billion.
University of Illinois Professor of Food and Agricultural Law
Bryan Endres said Illinois is well-positioned, because the state
has amazing farmland and huge metropolitan areas.
“A lot of research done by the USDA’s Economic Research Service
has shown that the most successful agritourism operations need
to have some proximity to large population centers, and we have
that in Illinois,” Endres said.
Wayne Sirles of Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass said people from
around the Midwest come to visit his farm.
“We actually work with a lot of other businesses as one of the
destination points for people that want to come and spend a
whole week here,” Sirles said.
Sirles added that tourism is helping his farm overcome the
sometimes-declining times.
Professor Endres said we should think of agritourism and
agritainment as part of outdoor recreation.
“To the extent you can bring farming, agricultural production or
animals or all those things to the public, they’re excited about
experiencing these opportunities,” Endres said.
Although there are initial investment costs, Endres said
agritourism offers farmers the chance to diversify and involve
family members in the farming operation.
“It can be a really nice opportunity to revitalize rural
economies (and) provide labor opportunities for local residents,
because you need to have people on the farm to take care of
these visitors,” Endres explained.
Endres says farmers who open up to the public have to consider
risks and potential liabilities.
“That’s another thing that we’re looking at here at the
University of Illinois. How do you do risk management? Managing
risk on a production farm is one thing, but if you’re going to
be inviting people in there, there’s the potential for injuries.
What sort of insurance products do you have or how do you just
minimize the risk,” Endres asked.
Since 2022, the state of Illinois has offered the Agritourism
Liability Insurance Tax Credit, which covers up to $1,000 of
liability premiums paid by agritourism operators during the
taxable year. |
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