Annual farm tour discusses ‘agritourism,’ rural high-speed internet access
The trend of “agritourism” that is giving farmers a much-needed boost of income is also coming with unintended consequences as the growing industry meant for rural excursions is sometimes getting lumped in with other amusement attractions.
“It’s becoming very cumbersome,” said Lisa Wherry, who is board president of the Washington County Farm Bureau. “There’s becoming more and more regulations.”
She said some farms that offer hayrides or other tours need special licenses, amusement permits or even inspections on the tractor hook-ups in order to operate, with the expectation that they fall under almost the same guidelines as fairs or carnivals.
Don Carter, who is a board member with the county’s farm bureau, said farmers are asking local, state and federal officials to help streamline regulations “to guide us through this process” as the agritourism industry takes off.
“It’s amazing to see how things have changed over the years (with) traditional farms that are expanding into other venues,” Carter said. “It’s becoming a bigger part of farming.”
Several state representatives from Western Pennsylvania and liaisons for federal elected officials listened as farmers from across Washington County gathered Wednesday morning at R&L Cattle Company in East Finley Township for the farm bureau’s annual tour to discuss a variety of issues.
“For so many farms, it’s so hard; sometimes (agritourism) is the only way they can make a profit,” said Jim Lindley, who owns a farm in North Bethlehem Township near Scenery Hill. “Really, that’s the only thing making it profitable. The farm economy is tight (so) the people who are making it are finding those things.”
State Rep. Tim O’Neal, R-South Strabane, said there were changes to some amusement laws a few years ago that “pulled in farm tours,” but he thought changes had been made to fix any issues. Upon hearing the renewed concerns from Wherry and other farmers Wednesday, he said he planned to revisit the topic to see if there remain cumbersome regulations for the industry.
“We’ll have to look into it to see if a fix can be made,” O’Neal said. “I don’t think it’s a super controversial thing.”
Eric Cowden, a field representative for Republican state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, added that equine farms often have “Enter At Your Own Risk” signs when visiting their properties, so there could be discussions about implementing similar rules elsewhere to “mimic” those warnings.
State Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run, praised the concept of agritourism, and said agriculture and tourism were two areas that state officials targeted to “merge these two worlds together” to boost the economy.
“When you merge these two and put them together, you’ve got a home run,” Cook said. “How many inner-city kids have ever petted a cow?”
Kathy Logue-Ross and her husband, Bobby Ross, co-own the 330-acre farm with her father, Don Logue, where the farm tour was held. Logue-Ross is a fourth-generation farmer with the family owning the Logue Farm since 1901, and they are currently raising 250 beef cattle on the property along Route 231 just south of Claysville.
“We’ve tried to stay true to what was here and keep it the way it was,” Logue-Ross said.
She said they do not have any plans to expand to “agritourism” as a way to boost their income, but that could be an option one day “maybe down the road” if they need another source of revenue.
“We’ve stayed away from it because we’re so busy with everyday farming (activities),” Logue-Ross said. “We have so many things … we’re overwhelmed.”
Before going on a hayride tour of the cattle farm, the bureau’s members and elected officials discussed other pressing matters facing farmers, such as deer management, stormwater drainage and high-speed internet access in rural areas.
“It is still an issue we need to address,” Carter said of the lack of high-speed internet service in many rural areas. “We’re fortunate in Washington County that most, but not all, have access. Sometimes we take it for granted to have access to the internet. For farmers, it’s critical.”
It’s also a safety concern for farmers working out in the fields who do not have cellular telephone service to call for help in an emergency.
“If you don’t have any phone service and something happens,” Wherry said while trailing off.
Washington County Commission Chairman Nick Sherman said county officials worked tirelessly in the aftermath of the pandemic to use federal stimulus money to extend broadband internet services to many rural areas that didn’t have access before. While the pilot program was a success and initial steps to partner with telecommunications to extend service appeared promising, the cost of the program and its return on investment didn’t reach expectations.
“Then it got muddy,” he said.
Over several years, the county spent about $30 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and leveraged those dollars with the companies to extend delivery of high-speed services. But the cost per household was more than expected and the sign-ups didn’t reach the levels they initially hoped to see as customers gravitated to satellite-based internet providers instead.
With the ARPA money now exhausted and no federal money coming down the pipeline for broadband expansion, Sherman said the state is now taking the lead on initiating future projects through its Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program, better known as BEAD.
“In my opinion, the rural broadband initiative was a flop,” Sherman said.