By Prem Bhandari
Agriculture is the largest commercial industry in Maryland with thousands of farmers calling the state home. With the number of small and medium farms rising slightly over a five- year period ending in 2022, operators continue to seek out ways to diversify their income sources. Agricultural tourism has increasingly become the solution.
The House Bill 252 passed by the Maryland General Assembly on March 19, 2018, provides a model definition of agritourism as “an activity conducted on a farm offered to the general public or guests for education, recreation, or active involvement in farm operations.”
In addition, House Bill 558 passed May 16, 2022, adding farm stays. The statutes on agritourism include:
- Farm tours
- Hayrides
- Corn mazes
- Seasonal petting farms
- Farm museums
- Guest farms
- Pumpkin patches
- Pick your own or cut your own produce
- Camping
- Incidental outdoor stays
- Classes related to agricultural products or skills
- Picnic and party facilities offered in conjunction with any agritourism activity
- Farm stays— “camping” and “incidental outdoor stays”
The number of Maryland small farms has increased. The 2022 Agriculture Census recorded 12,550 farms in Maryland, with an average acreage of 158 acres. There are many small and medium farms in the state with nearly 54.4% having less than 50 acres of land. In 2017, there were a total of 12,429 farms recorded with an average acreage of 160 acres; of those, 54.7% of the farms had less than 50 acres of land.
Agritourism grows in popularity
Agritourism has also grown in the state, according to the Census of Agriculture (2017, 2022). In 2022, the total number of farms with agritourism and recreational services was 354, an increase from 295 in 2017 (Figure 1). Accordingly, the total income from these services rose to $14,529,000 in 2022 from $9,897,000 as reported in 2017, and the average income per farm increased to $41,043 from $33,550 in 2017. Although the total number of farms that sold their produce direct to consumers dropped from 1,347 farms in 2017 to 1,290 in 2022, the total ($55,718,000 in 2022 from $54,097,000 in 2017) and average per farm ($43,192 in 2022 from $40,161 in 2017) value of sales directly sold to consumers increased.
As farmers, particularly small- and medium-sized farms, look for alternatives to sustain their farms, many turn to agritourism.
By opening their farms to visitors through direct sales, educational training, and recreational opportunities, more farms can continue to thrive while significantly contributing to the farm, community, and state economy. Yet how many activities and incomes from them, as defined by Maryland Agritourism, are accounted for is not clear.
References
Maryland Code, Land Use – § 4–211 — Agritourism (2018) https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2018RS/Chapters_noln/CH_672_hb0252t.pdf
Maryland Code, Land Use § 4-212: Section 4-212 – Agritourism (2022). https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2022RS/chapters_noln/Ch_430_hb0558T.pdf
National Agricultural Statistics Service. (2017). Census of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Services. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/
National Agricultural Statistics Services. (2022). Census of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Services. https://www.nass.usda.gov/ Publications/AgCensus/2022/index.php
National Agricultural Statistics Service. Census of Agriculture. (2022.) Maryland State and County Data. Vol. 1, Geographic Area Series. Part 20. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https:// www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/ Census_by_State/Maryland/index.php
For more information, contact Prem B. Bhandari, agritourism and value added agricultural marketing specialist at UMES Extension, at pbbhandari@umes.edu or agritourism@umes.edu.
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