Oregon – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Ted Budd of North Carolina have put forward a bipartisan plan to help small family farms by increasing assistance for agritourism. This is a fast-growing industry that has become an important source of revenue in rural areas.
The Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces Act, or AGRITOURISM Act, is the name of the law. Its goal is to make it easier for family-run farms to get federal tools that can help them stay financially secure. The bill’s main goal is to increase the availability of financing, subsidies, broadband connections, and educational programs that many farmers need to expand their businesses.
“Small family farmers are the backbone of our country’s agricultural sector,” Wyden said. “There’s no question that the federal government needs to step up and support family farmers at a time when most are operating on a shoestring budget and barely making ends meet. Our bipartisan legislation would give family farmers much-needed resources to not only survive, but grow and thrive.”
“Agritourism is essential to keeping working farms afloat, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters. Without it, many of North Carolina’s farms would have been forced to cease operations following Hurricane Helene. I’m proud to lead this legislation alongside Senator Wyden to streamline federal resources for North Carolina’s booming agritourism industry,” Budd said.
Read also: Wyden and Merkley press Trump administration to release delayed funds for Klamath Head Start
One of the main parts of the AGRITOURISM Act is the establishment of a senior agritourism advisor position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This individual would work with farmers, industry groups, and government agencies. They would also give the Secretary of Agriculture advice on policies that affect the growth of agritourism and rural tourism.
Agritourism lets farmers offer things like fruit harvesting, tastings, seasonal events, places to stay, and places to hold events. Oregon State University research demonstrates that every county in Oregon has at least one farm that does agritourism. This shows how important agritourism is to rural economies. The industry brings in around $1 billion in business in North Carolina.
Read also: Oregon joins nationwide $700 million settlement forcing Google to change Play Store practices
The bill has a lot of support from both parties and has a lot of cosponsors. It is also backed by industry groups that represent brewers, distillers, and wineries, all of whom depend on local agriculture and tourism for a lot of their income. There is also a similar bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The text of the bill is here.
