New AGRITOURISM Act Creates USDA Advisor Role to Boost Rural Farm Income and Tourism Nationwide

If you’ve ever stopped at a roadside farm stand, picked your own berries, or spent a weekend at a winery that also offers a bed-and-breakfast, you’ve experienced agritourism. The Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces Act—or the AGRITOURISM Act for short—is designed to make this sector a much bigger deal. This bill officially recognizes that activities like farm tours, historical exhibits, hops and distillery tours, on-farm dining, and even accommodations like yurts and guest ranches are vital for rural economies. Its main purpose is to integrate these activities into the core mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help farms diversify and generate supplemental income.

The USDA Gets a New Farm-to-Table Champion

The biggest change here is the creation of a new, senior position within the USDA: the Agritourism Advisor. This isn’t just a symbolic role; the Advisor will be a senior official in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development. Their job is essentially to be the national cheerleader and coordinator for agritourism, promoting these businesses across every state and on tribal lands. Think of them as the point person for connecting rural farms with the resources they need to open a corn maze, host a wedding, or start a U-pick operation.

Making Federal Resources Less of a Maze

For a small farm owner trying to figure out how to transition from just selling corn to hosting a fall festival, navigating federal programs can feel impossible. The Advisor is tasked with fixing that. Specifically, the bill requires the Advisor to consolidate access to Federal resources to help agritourism businesses navigate available programs and assistance. They will also coordinate with other USDA agencies to ensure programs are updated to address best practices in agritourism, and conduct outreach to provide mentorship and technical assistance. This means less time wading through bureaucratic forms and more time running the business.

What This Means for the Everyday Rural Business

This legislation is primarily a win for working farms and rural communities. For a family farm struggling with volatile commodity prices, opening a farm stand (direct sales) or offering farm-to-table dining can provide that crucial “supplemental income” the bill mentions, helping keep the land in production. For a rural community, the increase in visitors for "outdoor recreation" like mountain biking or "entertainment" like concerts means more dollars spent locally, spurring economic development. By creating a dedicated advocate within the USDA, the bill aims to unlock existing federal resources—like grants or loans—that might currently be difficult for a farmer looking to diversify to access.

A Note on Scope

While the bill lists many specific activities—everything from clay bird shooting to sheep wagons—it also grants the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to determine “any other activity or business relating to agritourism.” This is a necessary flexibility, as farm innovation moves fast, but it’s also the section that grants the most discretionary power. The effectiveness of this act will depend heavily on how the Secretary uses this authority to define new or emerging agritourism activities, ensuring the program stays relevant and accessible to a wide variety of rural entrepreneurs.