Jul 7, 2023 7 min read

The Washington County Agricultural Fair is more than just a county fair.

It provides an opportunity for business owners to showcase their wares through agritourism.

The U.S. Census of Agriculture shows an increasing trend in agritourism and related recreational services as well as direct sales of agricultural products. In Pennsylvania, agritourism is growing, especially the number of businesses in Washington County.

“We just finished updating our agritourism operators’ inventory for Washington County,” said Dr. Susan Ryan, assistant chairperson of the department of business economics and communications and a professor of tourism, hospitality and event management at PennWest University. “We update these statewide about every five years and then on request. We had a request in December 2022 from the Washington County Planning Commission. We have 54 active agritourism operators in Washington County that meet the criteria of agritourism set by my original publication in 2002, ‘Agritourism in Pennsylvania: An Industry Assessment.’ These are subdivided into farm-retail, agri-education, agri-tainment and agri-lodging.”

The Census of Agriculture first used the term “agri-tourism” in 2007 with a question about “agri-tourism and recreational services such as farm or winery tours, hay rides, hunting, fishing, etc.”

Using this limited definition, agritourism income grew by 67 percent between 2007 and 2017 and more than doubled when including direct sales of agricultural products, which is considered an essential part of agritourism by many definitions.

According to the 2017 Pennsylvania Census of Agriculture, the number of farms in Washington County was 1,760, down eight percent from 2012.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Rick Ebert said in an American Farm Publications press release the agricultural economy is changing, and farms need to innovate to stay viable.

“Here in Pennsylvania, many are doing just that by offering agritourism experiences to a public that is growing more and more interested in local food,” he said. Shannon Powers, press secretary with the state Department of Agriculture, said in its most recent sector-by-sector economic analysis, Pennsylvania’s agriculture and food industry contributes $132.5 billion to the economy and supports more than 593,000 jobs.

Agritourism experiences run the gamut, including the all-inclusive types found at Trax Farms, the Springhouse and Simmons Farms. These popular destinations provide hands-on experience with working farms and additional economic benefits, such as direct-to-consumer shopping, locally-grown and made food items and more. Trax Farms in Finleyville has been operating since 1865 and began selling produce at the farm in 1956. The market was a success. Now, thousands visit the farm’s 86,000-plus square feet of retail space annually. Read more about the Springhouse and its offerings in our feature all about Washington County generational family farms. Simmons Farms features pick-your-own activities seasonally, along with other attractions and two markets in McMurray.

These attractions are the more traditional view of agritourism, but agritourism isn’t limited to these destinations. In fact, Southwestern Pennsylvania is also home to several agricultural festivals, including the Hickory Apple Festival each October benefitting the Mount Pleasant Township Volunteer Fire Company. The Houston Pumpkin Festival celebrates its 40th year this fall.

In 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture commissioned an in-depth analysis of Pennsylvania agriculture’s economic impact. The report identified trends influencing agriculture’s direction, quantified the sector’s enormous total economic impact and provided a roadmap towards launching the Pennsylvania Farm Bill.

This report serves as an update to the May 2018 report “Pennsylvania Agriculture: A Look at the Economic Impact and Future Trends,” which provided a baseline analysis of Pennsylvania’s agriculture through a data-driven approach and informed the development of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill. It provides updated numbers on Pennsylvania’s farming sector and offers further insights into why these changes may be occurring. It closely examines the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Bill, national trends in the agricultural industry and the impacts of broader events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and continued effects of climate change, to present a complete picture of Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry today.

The Pennsylvania Farm Bill, signed into law on July 1, 2019, has resulted in $37.2 million in support to agriculture in the first two years, with an additional $13.6 million proposed for the 2021/22 fiscal year.

The direct impacts of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry do not tell the whole story of what agriculture means to the commonwealth’s economy.

Spillover effects are generated through inter-industry linkages between the agricultural and other economic sectors. These impacts, combined with the direct impacts, provide a more comprehensive picture of how Pennsylvania’s agriculture contributes to and drives the state economy. For example, a cattle farm contributes directly to the local economy by selling farm products, employing individuals directly working on the farm, and paying those employees wages and salaries.

In addition to these impacts, the farmer buys feed from suppliers or other farmers, veterinary services, trucking services, professional services, and farm equipment maintenance and repair, among others. Some of these purchases are from other businesses within the agriculture sector and are, therefore already capitalized in the direct impacts of the industry. However, investments from companies outside the sector generate additional economic impacts. These impacts are captured in the indirect effects. The salaries paid to employees working on the farm and the farmers themselves generate additional economic impact as they spend their wages in the local economy. These are captured in the induced impacts.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2017, there were 711 Pennsylvania farms offering agritourism opportunities, such as farm tours, hayrides, hunting and fishing. These farms generated more than $27.2 million in revenue, or $38,262 per farm.

From 2012 to 2017, Pennsylvania farms with agritourism operations decreased by two percent. However, income from these operations increased by three percent after adjusting for inflation.

Nationwide, NASS reported that there were 28,575 farms with agritourism operations. The 2017 receipts from these operations totaled more than $949.3 million, or $33,222 per farm.

Agritourism also means economic impact from breweries, wineries, distilleries and fall festivals.

According to the Pennsylvania Wine Association, the state is now home to over 400 wineries and 14,000+ acres of vineyards producing more than two million gallons of wine annually.

As small and independent American craft brewers rebounded from the pandemic, so did their impact on state and local economies. Craft breweries contributed $76.3 billion to the U.S. economy in 2021, according to the Brewers Association.

The figure is derived from the total impact of beer brewed by craft brewers as it moves through the three-tier system (breweries, wholesalers and retailers), as well as all non-beer products like food and merchandise that brewpub restaurants and brewery taprooms sell.

Pennsylvania ranked second nationally with a $5.4 billion economic impact, while California came first with $9 billion.

The industry also provided more than 490,000 total jobs, with more than 170,000 jobs directly at breweries and brewpubs, including serving staff at brewpubs.

“With a strong presence across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, even in a challenging year, craft breweries are a powerful economic force at the local, state, and national level. As consumers continue to demand a wide range of high quality, full-flavored beers, small and independent craft brewers are meeting this growing demand with innovative offerings, creating high levels of economic value in the process,” said Bart Watson, Brewers Association chief economist.

So what does this mean for Washington County? Since agriculture is Washington County’s leading economic impact driver, these agritourism offerings, from traditional working farm experiences and wineries to microbreweries and township festivals, are a small piece of this region’s vast, vital network of spending, earning, growing and marketing. This complicated web creates prosperity for each resident that enjoys the plentiful bounty of Washington County’s agritourism ventures.