Agritourism

How it Works

Many farmers in Chester County welcome visitors to their farm to sell agricultural products, supplement their farm incomes, diversify risk, and help support the next generation as they enter the family business. Often, this is done within an agritourism framework, where people visit a working farm for the purpose of enjoyment, education, or active involvement in the activities of the farm.

Some visitor-focused farm activities are generally agricultural in nature, such as cut-your-own Christmas trees and pick-your-own produce, demonstration farms, and sales of farm products at roadside stands and stores. Other visitor activities aren't agricultural in nature but are accessory to these activities, such as free corn mazes, wagon rides, petting areas, and tours. Finally, some visitor activities are essentially income-producing businesses designed to attract paying customers who want an experience in an agricultural setting, such as haunted corn mazes, wedding venues, restaurants, bed and breakfast inns, and recreation operations. Some activities may highlight the history of the farm itself, including historic structures or historical events that took place on the farm.

Agritourism includes all of these activities. Agritainment is a subset of agritourism that is focused on the entertainment elements of agritourism, such as:

• Agricultural fairs/festivals/shows
• Children's activities
• Corn mazes
• Haunted houses/hayrides
• Horseback riding
• Outdoor recreation (e.g., fishing/hunting, cross-country skiing, etc.)
• Petting zoos
• Rodeos
• Sleigh rides
• Wagon rides

In addition, agritourism activities might include retail or food focused activities, such as:

• Breweries
• Christmas tree farms/cut your own
• Corporate events/company picnics
• Distilleries
• Farm markets
• Gift shops/agricultural crafts
• Ice cream shops/bakeries
• Restaurants/food concessions
• Roadside stands
• U-pick operations
• Weddings/special events
• Wineries

Or, agritourism could encompass educational activities, including:

• Agricultural exhibits/tours
• Crop identification programs
• Farm-related museums
• Garden/nursery tours
• History tours and programs
• School tours
• Winery/brewery tours

Finally, agritourism might include lodging options, such as:

• Bed and breakfasts
• Camping/campgrounds
• Corporate or religious retreats
• Country inns or resorts
• Dude/guest ranches
• Hostels

Municipalities can regulate agritourism and agritainment by establishing parameters in their zoning regulations. They are often permitted "by-right" and can include general or performance regulations to address common concerns such as signage, traffic, parking, and hours of operation. Other municipalities regulate agritourism and agritainment through the conditional use or special exception process to address noise, trespassing, and other potential impacts.

Benefits

Agricultural Stability

Agritourism and agritainment businesses allow farmers to diversify and manage risk. This helps stabilize the agricultural industry and can mitigate losses from periodic crop failures or storm damage.

Improved Understanding of Agriculture

Customers can be entertained as well as buy locally-produced agricultural products while learning how the products are grown, harvested, and prepared for sale.

Farmland and Soil Conservation

Farming is a commercial business, and successful agritourism and agritainment operations can help increase profits, preserve farms, retain agricultural soils, and protect the "natural capital" represented by the environment.

Community Resilience

Municipalities can demonstrate their commitment to supporting the agricultural industry by broadening the activities that can occur on farms and can increase the "social capital" that arises from good community relations. Highlighting a community's history through the heritage resources of its farms can also nurture community support. Many of the counties historic landscapes and structures were shaped by agriculture.

Contributions to the Local Economy

Additional farm income from agritourism and agritainment can have multiplier economic benefits, as farmers become better able to maintain the primary farm operation and buy more local goods and services.

Get Started

A municipality should first establish a policy foundation regarding agriculture and farm preservation in its comprehensive plan. Such policies should encourage flexibility in local regulations to allow farm operations to respond to changes in industry practices, conservation requirements, and emerging technologies. This should include elements of agritourism, which has become an important means for farmers to sell their products and diversify their income.

Regulations in Zoning

A municipality can then use these policies as the basis for creating zoning regulations to implement its goals and objectives:

• The first step will be to determine which agritourism and agritainment uses to allow. Generally, basic activities, like retail sales of farm products or non-fee agritourism activities should be allowed by-right as an accessory use. Municipalities might want to more closely regulate more substantial agritourism activities designed to bring in large numbers of visitors who do not intend to buy agricultural products, such as a fee haunted corn maze, a wedding venue, or a restaurant, by making these uses separate permitted uses, perhaps as a conditional or special exception use, with additional regulations. In some cases, municipalities may not want to allow some of these more impactful and less agriculture related uses if there are no suitable locations for these uses.
• Regulations can require the appropriate size, scope, and location of these activities. The scale can be regulated through a variety of means, such as limiting the size of buildings, the number of visitors, the types of properties where the uses are permitted, the street access that must be available, etc.
• Some municipalities limit the extent of prime-agricultural soils that can be occupied by the secondary farm business (or ensure that such soils can be returned to productive agricultural use after the agritourism or agritainment activity is discontinued), limit the size of buildings, hours of operation, regulate parking and vehicle circulation, control potential disturbances to neighbors, and regulate the number of non-family employees.
• Minimum setbacks from adjacent non-agricultural activities may be appropriate.
• Municipalities can require the business to receive an annual permit.
• As with any zoning provision, the municipality should ensure that its regulations are clear and can be efficiently enforced.

Considerations

Scale

Agritourism and agritainment activities should be encouraged to become popular, but not grow so large as to dominate the primary farm operation or adversely affect nearby properties.

Traffic and Noise

Regulations should mitigate the additional traffic and noise that agritourism and agritainment can generate, which could disturb neighbors.

Signage

Signs should be compatible with the character of the local area and should not be excessively numerous, too big, or improperly located.

Parking

Depending on the scale and type of agritourism and agritainment, additional parking may be required. Additional parking areas should be efficiently designed to avoid circulation problems, while being located on non-farmed or less productive agricultural land.

Intensity of Use and Season

Some seasonal activities such as corn mazes, haunted hayrides, or outdoor concerts may create unusually high levels of traffic and may require specific regulations to address potential conflicts with adjacent areas. Such regulations could include traffic control measures, limits on hours of operation, and noise mitigation.

Examples

East Pikeland Township

In its agricultural district, East Pikeland Township has regulations for special events that may be held as part of agritourism.

Highland Township

On farms in its agricultural district, Highland Township's zoning allows a range of secondary farm businesses, sale of products on the farm, and bed and breakfast facilities.

Kennett Township

Kennett Township specifically allows agritourism in its list of permitted uses in its agricultural zoning district, along with secondary farm businesses and sale of farm products.

London Grove Township

London Grove Township has a variety of agritourism related uses permitted in its agricultural zoning ordinance, including regulations for wineries that allow wine tasting; winery tours; wholesale and retail sales of wine, grapes and related products; picnic area(s) for wine related activities; and food preparation facilities for on-site catering of on-premises indoor and outdoor events.

Thornbury Township, Chester County

In section 155-1602 of the zoning ordinance, Thornbury Township allows agritourism and agritainment when permits are received.

Conestoga Township

Conestoga Township in Lancaster County includes opportunities for the sale of farm products, farm-based agritainment, and other agriculture-related commercial activities.