Louisiana Agritourism: Use Land Assets for Tourism

Monday, March 4, 2013

Use Land Assets for Tourism

Plan to make money this summer by using your land assets for tourism. If you are an agricultural landowner, consider choosing operations covered by the 2008 agritourism limited liability law. A copy of the law and an explanation of the law can be found at www.lsuagcenter.com/agritourism.

Starting a summer business in agritourism is a great way to teach children the “ABC’s” of starting a small business. Keep the investment small and engage family members to be employees of the enterprise and to share in the profits.

If you need start-up money, consider self-financing or contact your Farm Service Agency about applying for a loan. In January of 2013, USDA announced microloans for qualifying operations. These loans are repayable at a rate of 1.25 percent monthly with a maximum loan amount of $35,000.

For those who qualify, the loan can help begin or enhance an existing operation. The loan application process has been shortened with a more simplified application when compared with traditional farm loans.

According to a recent news article released by USDA, these loans can be used for start-up expenses such as hoop houses to extend the growing season, essential tools, irrigation, delivery vehicles, and annual expenses such as seed fertilizer, utilities, land rents, marketing and distribution expenses.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Agritourism Law Limits Liability

In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature expanded the limitation of liability found in La R.S. 9:2795 et seq to include certain agritourism activities. The legislation authored by Representative Andy Anders and Senators Francis Thompson and Mike Walsworth provides that the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Foresty (LDAF) will develop a set of rules and regulations and that the LSU AgCenter will define a “plan of operation” for an agritourism venture and review those plans.

More about this law can be found on the LSU AgCenter Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com/agritourism

2012 Agriculture Census Shows Increase in Farming

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 –There are now 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Once every five years, farmers, ranchers and growers have the unique opportunity to let the world know how U.S. agriculture is changing, what is staying the same, what’s working and what we can do differently,” said Dr. Cynthia Clark, the retiring head of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, which administered the survey.

Eighty-seven percent of all U.S. farms are operated by families or individuals.
Principal operators were on average 58.3 years old and were predominantly male; second operators were slightly younger and most likely to be female; and third operators were younger still.
In Louisiana agritourism grew from 170 farms in 2007 to 361 farms in 2012.
In Louisiana onfarm agritourism sales jumped from $2,486 to $8,996 in 2012.
In Louisiana the definition of agritourism is broader than the definition in the census; meaning that numbers are greater.