The rural setting and unique nature of farm businesses provides an opportunity for farmers to take advantage of the new and growing demand for agritourism. It can cover a wide range of farm and ranch activities. Designing your business to the unique attributes of your farm business is critical.

This Marketing checklist provides you with ways of promoting your business. Managing Risk and Mitigating Liability Exposure is a unique and critical aspect of operating a business where the public is on your farm premises. A checklist of Best Management Practices helps to ensure that your business is successful. Successes and Challenges provides actual business examples. The Zoning and Health checklist helps you to identify and meet governmental regulations. Associations and Networks that you may want to participate in are listed here. Online Resources provides additional assistance with your agritourism business. One of those resources is a newly completed nature tourism financial planning tool.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

• Agritourism – Virginia Cooperative Extension -- Covers the various aspects of running an agritourism business.
• Considering an Agritainment Enterprise in Tennessee – University of Tennessee Extension -- Agritainment (agritourism and entertainment enterprises) has an extensive history in the United States.
• Entertainment Farming and Agri-tourism – Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas -- Divides them by category as Things to See, Things to Do and Things to Buy, and also discusses considerations of liability and accessibility.
  
• States' Agritourism Statutes – National Ag Law Center -- The primary aim of this compilation is to provide the researcher with easy and free access to a state's statutory language by simply clicking on the state's image in the map below.
  
• Targeting School Groups for Agritainment Enterprises – University of Tennessee Extension -- Summary of a Schoolteacher Survey of Tennessee.
  
• Helpful Agricultural Tourism (Agri-tourism) Definitions – Small Farm Center, University of California.
  
• Bringing the City and Country Together –- California Coast and Ocean -- Known as “Agriturismo” in England, and “sleeping in the straw” in Switzerland, agricultural tourism is well established in Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
  
• Is a Farm/Ranch Recreation Business for You? – University of Wyoming -- Helps you begin to explore the agritourism business.
  
• Promoting the Farm and Ranch Recreation Business – University of Wyoming -- The tourism business of farm/ranch recreation will need to be marketed to be successful.
  
• Using a Datebase: Build your Farm/Ranch Recreation Business – University of Wyoming -- Building a database to track guests can enhance your chances or repeat business and increase the size of your new customer base.
  
• Web Page Design for the Farm/Ranch Recreation Business – University of Wyoming -- Designed to help farm/ranch recreation operators design an effective Web page.

Links checked November 2009.