While the growth of the agritourism industry could mean extra income for farmers, it could also mean an increase in risk.

The number of farms receiving income from agritourism increased by almost 10,000 from 2007 to 2012, with income increasing by $138 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2012 Census of Agriculture. Research suggests that this upward trend will continue as a result of increased consumer interest in food and farming paired with growers’ need for extra income.

However, agritourism also presents risks of on-farm injuries and questions of liability. To address areas of high-risk exposure for agritourism operations and tools for reducing liability risk, the National Agricultural Law Center will host a webinar Wednesday, Jan. 16, noon EST/11 a.m. CST. The webinar will cover immunity laws, best management practices, agritourism readiness plans, insurance options and more.

“Agritourism is a subject that we receive numerous questions on here at the Center,” said Rusty Rumley, Senior Staff Attorney for the National Agricultural Law Center. “There is a great deal of interest about learning where food and fiber come from. However, the agritourism visitors often do not recognize the potential dangers of a working farm.”

The speakers for this webinar will be Ohio State University assistant professor and field specialist in agriculture and resource law, Peggy Hall, as well as assistant professor and extension educator for Ohio State University, Eric Barrett. 

Those interested can register online at: http://nationalaglawcenter.org/consortium/webinars/agritourismrisk/.  

For more information on upcoming webinars, visit http://nationalaglawcenter.org/.

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