Agritourism: Entertainment

Agritourism entertainment (agritainment), broadly defined as entertainment offered in an agricultural setting, is one of five overlapping categories of agritourism. The other four are direct sales, education, hospitality, and outdoor recreation. Under the framework developed by Chase and colleagues, agritourism activities are also described as core or peripheral, depending on where they occur and how closely they connect visitors with a working farm or ranch and agricultural production. A harvest festival, corn maze, or hayride on a working farm is a core entertainment activity. A concert or wedding held on a farm may be considered a peripheral activity because its connection to agricultural production is less direct. Many businesses combine categories: a fall festival might include entertainment, a farm market, a crop tour, food, and a pick-your-own experience (Chase et al., 2018).

Entertainment can generate revenue, introduce customers to the farm, and create opportunities to explain agriculture. In previous research, we found that agritainment is one of the most profitable agritourism options (Hollas et al., 2021). It also changes the farm’s operating environment. Inviting visitors onto the property adds demands related to labor, traffic, facilities, accessibility, customer service, safety, insurance, regulation, and crisis planning. It is important to treat the new activity as a business enterprise and not simply as an event added to the production calendar.

Assess Business Fit

Start by deciding whether welcoming visitors fits the farm, its operators, and the resources available. Agritainment can diversify income, but it also requires a service-business mindset and may compete with production activities for labor, capital, space, and management attention.

Consider these questions before committing resources:

• Goals: Is the purpose to earn stand-alone activity income, increase farm-product sales, extend the season, build community relationships, or strengthen the farm brand?
• Farm connection: How does the experience connect to the farm’s products, land, history, production practices, or rural setting?
• Customers: Who is the priority audience—families, school groups, adults, tourists, organized groups, or local residents—and what do they value?
• Capacity: How many visitors can parking, roads, restrooms, activity areas, staff, and neighbors reasonably accommodate?
• Labor: Who will handle reservations, setup, supervision, customer questions, sanitation, traffic, emergencies, and cleanup?
• Seasonality: How will weather, crop conditions, daylight, school schedules, and peak production periods affect the experience?
• Financial feasibility: What investment, operating cost, price, attendance, and additional sales are required to meet the business goal?
• Management fit: Are the operators and employees comfortable working with the public, managing crowds, resolving complaints, and responding to unexpected events?

Use the Penn State Extension Agritourism Diversification: A Business Planning Questionnaire to assess how a proposed activity fits current operations. The broader Penn State Agritourism Resource Hub organizes additional resources on opportunities, business planning, marketing, safety, liability, budgeting, pricing, and accessibility.

Design the Experience

A successful experience should be distinctive, easy to understand, and consistent with the farm’s capacity. Research nearby farms and nonfarm attractions, but do not simply copy them. Identify an experience the farm can deliver reliably and safely, and then make its agricultural story clear.

Map the visit from arrival to departure. Visitors need to know where to enter, park, buy tickets, find restrooms, reach activities, purchase products, obtain assistance, and exit. Separate public areas from production zones, equipment, chemical storage, livestock work areas, private residences, and other restricted spaces. Plan for lines, shade or shelter, seating, drinking water, waste, handwashing, lost children, severe weather, and emergency vehicle access.

Start at a manageable scale and test the concept. A reservation-only event, limited-capacity weekend, guided activity, or short seasonal run can reveal labor needs, bottlenecks, visitor questions, and actual willingness to pay before a larger investment is made. Collect feedback from visitors and employees and document what needs to change.

Penn State Extension resources offer ideas that can be adapted to a farm’s assets and audience:

• Agritourism Diversification: In-Person Classes
• Agritourism Diversification: Virtual Classes, Events, and Experiences
• Agritourism Diversification: Low-Cost and Low-Maintenance Overnight Farm Stays
• Agritourism Diversification: Lavender Production
• Agritourism Trend Watch: Astrotourism
• Agritourism Trend Watch: Animal Cuddling

Build the Budget

Estimate the enterprise's full cost before setting a price. Include labor and supervision, activity supplies, crop inputs, ticketing fees, vendor costs, utilities, sanitation, waste removal, facilities, repairs, insurance, permits, taxes, marketing, depreciation, and the opportunity cost of land and management time. Separate one-time investments from recurring costs, and distinguish fixed costs from those that vary with attendance.

Agritainment may generate revenue from several sources:

• General admission or timed tickets
• Separate activity fees
• Classes, tours, or tastings
• Food and beverage sales
• Farm and value-added product sales
• Merchandise and souvenirs
• Facility or equipment rental
• Group packages, memberships, or season passes
• Vendor fees or revenue-sharing arrangements

Do not set prices only by matching a competitor. Penn State Extension recommends considering the three C's—costs, customers, and competition—and evaluating admission, individual activity fees, bundles, memberships, group rates, tiered prices, and demand-based prices. Enterprise budgets, partial budgets, and break-even analysis can show whether the expected price and attendance can cover costs.

A simple break-even quantity is:

Break-even admissions = total fixed costs / (admission price - variable cost per admission)

Test multiple scenarios for attendance, pricing, labor, and weather rather than relying on a single forecast. Review Pricing Agritourism Events and Experiences and the Budgeting and Pricing resources for pricing strategies and decision tools.

Check Legal Requirements

Regulatory requirements depend on the activity, location, facilities, food service, animals, structures, transportation, signs, and number of visitors. Before construction, advertising, or ticket sales, contact the municipality and county to discuss zoning, land development, building and occupancy rules, parking, traffic, signs, noise, fire safety, sanitation, and any local amusement or event requirements. Operators should also consult their attorney, accountant, insurance professional, and relevant regulatory agencies.

Pennsylvania's current agritourism legal landscape is summarized in Legal and Regulatory Considerations for Agritourism in Pennsylvania. The article addresses zoning, the Pennsylvania Agritourism Activity Protection Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Clean and Green, food regulations, animal exhibitions, and other issues that may apply to a new or expanded operation.

Act 27 Protection

Pennsylvania's Agritourism Activity Protection Act took effect in 2021 and may provide limited civil liability protection for qualifying activities on a qualifying farm. To seek the Act’s protection, an operator must satisfy statutory conditions, including prescribed warning signs and a written participant agreement or qualifying ticket language. The law contains important exceptions and does not replace hazard control, insurance, legal advice, or compliance with other laws. The Act's protection does not apply to gross negligence, purposeful injury, criminal conduct, or a reckless failure to warn or guard against a dangerous condition. It also excludes claims arising from overnight accommodation, weddings, concerts, and food and beverage services. Because the required language, format, placement, timing, and participant acknowledgment matter, operators should review Legal and Regulatory Considerations for Agritourism in Pennsylvania and have their insurance agent assess how the statute applies to each activity.

Roadside signs

Roadside marketing and directional signs are regulated. Pennsylvania distinguishes between on-premises and off-premises signs, and PennDOT permits may be required depending on the location and road classification. Signs generally must remain outside the highway right-of-way unless approved and must not imitate or interfere with official traffic-control devices. Review Roadside Signage for Farm and Agritourism Operations before placing permanent, temporary, or directional signs. Also confirm municipal sign requirements, which may apply in addition to state rules.

Manage Safety and Liability

Complete a documented risk assessment before visitors arrive and repeat it when activities, facilities, weather, or traffic patterns change. Walk the property from a first-time visitor’s perspective and involve employees, an insurance representative, emergency responders, or another qualified reviewer.

A practical risk-management plan should address:

• Visitor routes, parking, traffic separation, and emergency access
• Barriers and signs around machinery, water, uneven ground, chemicals, utilities, and restricted areas
• Activity-specific rules, capacity limits, age or height restrictions, and supervision
• Staff training, first aid, communications, and incident reporting
• Severe weather, fire, power loss, missing children, medical emergencies, and evacuation
• Food safety, drinking water, restrooms, handwashing, and waste management
• Pesticide labels and reentry intervals where visitors could enter treated areas
• Inspection, maintenance, and documentation schedules
• Insurance coverage for each activity, event, vendor, structure, and vehicle

Do not assume visitors recognize ordinary farm hazards. Use plain, specific instructions to explain what visitors should do, where they may go, and which areas are off-limits.

Animals and visitors

Animal contact requires particular attention to zoonotic disease, hand hygiene, animal welfare, visitor behavior, and biosecurity. Pennsylvania's Animal Exhibition Sanitation Law requires operators to raise awareness of zoonotic-disease risk and provide conveniently located hand-cleaning facilities at animal exhibitions. Before adding a petting zoo or animal-contact activity, confirm federal and state licensing or registration, consult the veterinarian and insurer, design controlled entrances and exits, separate food areas from animal-contact areas, provide effective handwashing, train staff, and establish cleaning and animal-monitoring protocols. See Agritourism Diversification: Petting Zoos on the Farm for planning considerations.

Vendors

Food trucks, entertainers, instructors, photographers, and other vendors can expand an event without requiring the farm to provide every service. They also create operational and reputational dependencies. Use a written agreement that identifies services, dates, payment terms, space and utility needs, permits, insurance, farm rules, cancellations, weather contingencies, cleanup, and responsibility for losses or injuries. We recommend checking references, clarifying availability and rescheduling, documenting site requirements and business rules, and requesting proof of insurance and appropriate permits. For more details, see Working with Vendors at Your Agritourism Business.

Make Visits Inclusive

Public-facing operations should plan accessibility from the beginning rather than trying to retrofit it after opening. Review parking, arrival routes, ticketing, paths, activity access, seating, counters, restrooms, communications, emergency procedures, and staff assistance. Describe conditions accurately so visitors can decide what they need before traveling.

Websites and social media should use clear language, readable type, good color contrast, alternative text for images, captions for videos, descriptive links, and accessible contact options. On the farm, provide firm and stable routes where feasible, accessible parking and restrooms, readable signs, seating, and staff who understand available accommodations. Review Creating an Inclusive Agritourism Experience for physical and digital accessibility practices. Operators should also establish a service-animal policy consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and explain any legitimate animal, biosecurity, or food-safety restrictions clearly. The resource Service Animals on Agritourism Operations provides farm-specific guidance.

Market the Experience

Begin with a defined audience and value proposition: what will visitors experience, why is it worth their time and money, and why is this farm the right place to experience it? Build the marketing plan around product, place, price, and promotion, and keep descriptions, hours, prices, policies, crop availability, accessibility information, and directions up to date across every channel.

Effective promotion may include:

• A mobile-friendly website with hours, prices, ticket links, policies, directions, accessibility details, and weather updates
• An accurate business listing and map location
• Email or text updates for customers who opt in
• Social media content showing the experience and the agricultural story
• Partnerships with tourism organizations, schools, community groups, nearby businesses, and media
• On-farm and roadside signs that are legal, readable, consistent, and useful
• Cross-promotion among activities, farm products, and return-visit opportunities

Review Marketing Your Agritourism Business and Agritourism Insights: Marketing Tools for Agritourism Operators when developing the plan. Track results with ticket-source questions, promotion codes, website conversions, email clicks, and platform analytics rather than relying only on follower counts or impressions.

Measuring Website and Social Media Engagement explains how to connect marketing goals with actionable measures such as link clicks, event responses, conversion rates, traffic sources, and e-commerce behavior. Make changes methodically so the effect of a new message, audience, channel, or offer can be evaluated.

Prepare for Conflict

Visitors, employees, family members, neighbors, vendors, and local officials may have different expectations about traffic, noise, animals, working hours, property boundaries, or event behavior. Share plans early, designate a contact person, establish written rules for visitors and vendors, document agreements, and address concerns before they intensify. Planning for Conflict in Agritourism recommends clear communication with stakeholder groups, prompt intervention, active listening, collaborative problem-solving, documentation, and follow-up.

Plan for a Crisis

A crisis can include a serious injury, foodborne illness, escaped animal, fire, severe weather event, missing child, traffic incident, employee allegation, or viral social-media complaint. Develop the plan before opening, assign authority and spokesperson roles, maintain emergency contacts, prepare communication channels, and practice likely scenarios.

During a crisis, respond quickly, prioritize affected people, communicate verified information, avoid speculation or blame, and coordinate with emergency responders, insurers, legal counsel, regulators, and other appropriate parties. Afterward, document the response, review what worked, and revise procedures. Agritourism Crisis Management and Communications provides a pre-crisis, response, and post-crisis framework.

Keep Useful Records

Good records turn visitor activity into management information. At minimum, track:

• Attendance by date, time, ticket type, and customer segment
• Revenue by admission, activity, product, food, lodging, rental, and vendor source
• Labor hours and other direct costs by enterprise
• Marketing source, website conversion, and promotion use
• Capacity constraints, wait times, weather, and cancellations
• Maintenance, inspections, staff training, and corrective actions
• Complaints, near misses, injuries, and incident responses
• Visitor satisfaction, requested improvements, and intention to return

Review results after each event and season. Compare actual attendance, revenue, costs, and labor with the budget; identify which activities drive product sales or repeat visits; and discontinue, redesign, or reprice offerings that do not meet financial, safety, or mission goals.

Opening Checklist

Before admitting visitors:

• Define the activity, target customer, agricultural connection, goals, and success measures.
• Complete a business plan, budget, cash-flow estimate, break-even analysis, and contingency scenarios.
• Confirm zoning, land-use, building, fire, health, food, animal, sign, tax, and accessibility requirements.
• Ask the county assessment office about Clean and Green implications where applicable.
• Review Act 27 requirements with legal counsel and use the required signs and participant agreement or ticket language where applicable.
• Confirm insurance coverage in writing for every activity, structure, vehicle, employee role, and vendor.
• Map visitor and vehicle flow and separate public areas from hazards and production zones.
• Provide restrooms, handwashing, waste handling, shade or shelter, lighting, and emergency access appropriate to the activity and attendance.
• Establish accessible routes, communications, service-animal procedures, and staff training.
• Inspect the site, document corrective actions, and create opening and closing checklists.
• Write emergency, severe-weather, missing-child, incident-reporting, and crisis-communication procedures.
• Publish accurate hours, prices, directions, policies, accessibility information, and cancellation terms.
• Train employees and vendors in customer service, activity rules, safety, emergency roles, and escalation procedures.
• Start small, collect feedback, review the records, and improve the experience before expanding.

This article provides general educational information and is not legal, tax, insurance, accessibility, food-safety, or regulatory advice. Requirements vary by activity and jurisdiction. Consult qualified professionals and the responsible agencies before opening or expanding an agritourism enterprise.

References

Chase, L. C., Stewart, M., Schilling, B., Smith, B., & Walk, M. (2018). Agritourism: Toward a Conceptual Framework for Industry Analysis. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 8(1), 13–19. doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2018.081.016

Hollas, C. R., Chase, L., Conner, D., Dickes, L., Lamie, R. D., Schmidt, C., ... & Quella, L. (2021). Factors related to profitability of agritourism in the United States: Results from a national survey of operators. Sustainability, 13(23), 13334.