USDA gets an agritourism coordinator to help farms diversify income

What it does

This bill creates a new Office of Agritourism within the Department of Agriculture, led by a Director appointed by the Secretary. The office will coordinate existing USDA programs and provide technical assistance, outreach, and best-practice sharing to help farms and rural businesses develop agritourism activities—such as farm tours, on-farm dining, bed-and-breakfasts, farm stands, and recreational activities—to generate supplemental income and boost rural economic development.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is the establishment of a coordinating office within USDA to promote agritourism as a rural economic diversification strategy. It does not create new programs, funding streams, or regulatory authority—only administrative coordination of existing departmental resources.

What the text implies

• No appropriations are specified in the bill text; the office's budget and staffing depend on future appropriations or reallocation of existing USDA resources, which may limit its practical capacity.
• The bill does not establish new liability protections or insurance mechanisms for agritourism operators, leaving them exposed to existing tort and regulatory frameworks.
• Success depends on voluntary participation by USDA agencies and external stakeholders; the bill contains no enforcement mechanism or performance metrics to ensure coordination actually occurs.
• The office's authority is limited to 'encouraging and promoting'—it has no regulatory, permitting, or licensing power, so its effectiveness relies entirely on persuasion and technical assistance.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill creates a coordination mechanism that helps small and family farms diversify income and access existing USDA resources more efficiently, with no apparent restrictions on citizens' rights or protections. Rural communities and farm operators gain a dedicated advocate within USDA to navigate programs and share best practices.

Who stands to gain

• small and family-owned farms and agricultural enterprises
• rural tourism operators and hospitality businesses
• rural communities (indirect, through economic development)

Named in the bill

Department of Agriculture, Office of Agritourism, Secretary of Agriculture, Director of the Office of Agritourism, USDA agencies, small and family farms, rural communities

Where it stands

16 cosponsors: 13 Democrats, 3 Republicans.

• May 15, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 15, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.