Before adding agritourism to your farm or ranch, think about the specific risks you and your visitors will face and how you’ll mitigate them.
The following information is provided by Nationwide, the No.1 farm and ranch insurer in the U.S.*
Agritourism is a great way to capitalize on the natural draw of your landscape, connect nonfarm families to agriculture and create new revenue streams for your operation. But these benefits are not without risk.
Adding a new agritourism venture to your operation starts by answering a simple question: What will work best? Consider the following:
“It doesn’t always have to be a large venture that requires a lot of resources,” said Barb Neal, Cornell Cooperative Extension agriculture agent and horticulture educator in Tioga County, New York. “Everybody has a specialty, so it’s just a matter of finding what will require the right amount of time and investment.”
Pumpkin patches and corn mazes. Fairly common around the country, they’re popular but can require a lot of time and labor.
Before adding agritourism to your farm or ranch, think about the specific risks you and your visitors will face and how you’ll mitigate them. This includes simple things like trip and fall hazards all the way to specific risks around livestock, farm equipment and food safety. Conduct a thorough audit of these types of risks and start by taking steps to minimize the hazards they represent.
“Check with your state for any agritourism protective measures and talk to your insurance agent for guidance on mitigation measures and how you can expand your insurance coverage,” said Neal.
Farmers who offer agritourism activities need to discuss their specific types of businesses with their insurance agent. Usually, the policy that provides liability for the farm business does not extend to liability from other profit-making activities, such as agritourism.
Your local Nationwide Farm Certified agent can help you identify risks, implement safe practices and confirm you have the right agritourism insurance in place. Nationwide offers liability coverages that can be written as a package, in conjunction with a farm policy, to cover your agritourism ventures.
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