Bill Summary
The "Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces Act," or the "AGRITOURISM Act," is legislation aimed at enhancing agritourism across the United States. It mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to appoint an Agritourism Advisor whose primary role will be to promote and support agritourism activities and businesses in every state and on tribal lands.
Key components of the legislation include:
1. **Recognition of Agritourism**: The Act highlights the diverse offerings of agritourism, such as educational tours, outdoor recreation, entertainment, direct sales, accommodations, and dining experiences, emphasizing its financial, educational, and social benefits to rural communities.
2. **Establishment of the Agritourism Advisor**: The Secretary of Agriculture is required to designate a senior official to serve as the Agritourism Advisor, who will encourage agritourism activities and coordinate efforts with various stakeholders.
3. **Duties and Responsibilities**: The Agritourism Advisor will work on promoting best practices, providing technical assistance, facilitating interagency collaboration, and improving farm enterprise development programs related to agritourism.
Overall, the AGRITOURISM Act seeks to leverage agritourism as a means to support rural economies, preserve agricultural heritage, and diversify income for farmers while enhancing community engagement and educational opportunities.
Possible Impacts
The AGRITOURISM Act can have several effects on people, including:
1. **Increased Economic Opportunities for Farmers**: By promoting agritourism, the Act can provide farmers and rural businesses with additional revenue streams. Farmers can diversify their income by offering tours, accommodations, and direct sales of products, helping to sustain their operations and potentially improve their financial stability.
2. **Enhanced Community Engagement and Education**: The Act emphasizes educational experiences through agritourism. This can lead to increased community involvement as schools and families participate in farm tours, workshops, and other learning activities. Such programs can foster a better understanding of agriculture and sustainability among the public, promoting greater appreciation for rural lifestyles and farming practices.
3. **Boosted Rural Tourism and Economic Development**: By designating an Agritourism Advisor and encouraging agritourism activities, the legislation can attract more visitors to rural areas. This influx can stimulate local economies, create jobs in hospitality and service sectors, and revitalize small towns that may be struggling economically, ultimately improving the quality of life for residents.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3392 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3392
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to designate an Agritourism
Advisor, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 9, 2025
Mr. Wyden (for himself, Mr. Budd, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Welch,
Mr. Bennet, Ms. Baldwin, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Heinrich, Mrs. Murray,
Ms. Rosen, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Lummis, and Mrs. Capito) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to designate an Agritourism
Advisor, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Accelerating the Growth of Rural
Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and
Sustainable Marketplaces Act'' or the ``AGRITOURISM Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) agritourism provides a range of unique experiences to
the public, including--
(A) education, such as school tours, garden and
nursery tours, winery tours, historical agricultural
exhibits, hops and microbrewery tours, and distillery
tours;
(B) outdoor recreation, such as river activities,
mountain biking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing and
photography, fee fishing and hunting, wagon and sleigh
rides, cross-country skiing, game preserves, and clay
bird shooting;
(C) entertainment, such as concerts and special
events, culinary experiences, festivals, fairs,
interaction with farm animals, and weddings;
(D) direct sales, such as on-farm sales, farm
stands, agriculture-related crafts and gifts, u-pick
operations, u-cut tree farms, wineries, breweries,
cideries, distilleries, and cut flowers;
(E) accommodations, such as bed-and-breakfast inns,
farm and ranch vacations, yurts, sheep wagons, and
guest ranches; and
(F) dining on a farm;
(2) agritourism has financial, educational, and social
benefits to communities; and
(3) agritourism continues--
(A) to offer educational opportunities for children
and families;
(B) to generate supplemental income for owners of
agricultural enterprises, which are often small or
family-run businesses;
(C) to spur economic development in rural
communities;
(D) to preserve agricultural heritage;
(E) to help farms diversify; and
(F) to provide alternative revenue opportunities to
keep working farms in production.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, to
further realize the benefits of agritourism to communities, the
Secretary of Agriculture should incorporate agritourism into the
Department of Agriculture comprehensively.
SEC. 3. AGRITOURISM ADVISOR.
(a) In General.--Subtitle C of the Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6941 et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``SEC. 237. AGRITOURISM ADVISOR.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Advisor.--The term `Advisor' means the Agritourism
Advisor described in subsection (b).
``(2) State.--The term `State' means--
``(A) each of the several States of the United
States;
``(B) the District of Columbia; and
``(C) any territory of the United States.
``(b) Advisor.--The Secretary shall designate a senior official in
the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development to serve as the
Agritourism Advisor.
``(c) Duties.--The Advisor shall encourage and promote, in each
State and on land under the jurisdiction of Indian Tribes (as defined
in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), agritourism activities and agritourism
businesses, including--
``(1) educational experiences;
``(2) outdoor recreation;
``(3) entertainment and special events;
``(4) direct sales;
``(5) accommodations; and
``(6) any other activity or business relating to
agritourism, as determined by the Secretary.
``(d) Means of Achieving.--In carrying out subsection (c), the
Advisor shall--
``(1) coordinate with the agencies and officials of the
Department;
``(2) advise the Secretary on issues relating to
agritourism;
``(3) ensure that the programs of the Department are
updated to address best agritourism practices;
``(4) conduct outreach to stakeholders and coordinate
external partnerships to share best practices, provide
mentorship, and offer technical assistance to agritourism
businesses;
``(5) facilitate interagency program coordination and
develop interagency tools for the promotion of agritourism
programs and resources;
``(6) review and improve farm enterprise development
programs that provide information about financial literacy,
business planning, and marketing for agritourism;
``(7) coordinate networks of agritourism businesses;
``(8) consolidate access to Federal resources to help
agritourism businesses effectively navigate available programs
and assistance; and
``(9) collaborate with other Federal agencies, as
needed.''.
(b) Technical Amendment.--The Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by redesignating the first
section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) (relating to the Food Access Liaison) as
section 224A.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 296(b) of the Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry out section
237.''.
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