#agritourism

Two people talking at a table. Image by Edwin Remsberg

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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.

Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.

New Bill Creates Model Definition for Agricultural Alcohol Production

Megan Todd

Jan 30, 2020
2 min

New Bill Creates Model Definition for Agricultural Alcohol Production

By Margaret Todd The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. A bill going through Maryland’s General Assembly this session, SB 118, would create a model definition for a local jurisdiction to adopt in their land-use laws for “agricultural alcohol production.” The bill was filed by request of the Maryland Department of Agriculture and already passed its third reading in the state Senate with full support. Like when the Maryland

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New Laws Continue to Support Agritourism in Maryland

Nicole Cook

Dec 10, 2019
2 min

New Laws Continue to Support Agritourism in Maryland

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Agritourism continues to be a growing source of income for many Maryland farmers, and Maryland’s General Assembly and Governor Hogan continue to pass laws designed to support agritourism economic development in Maryland and promote the diversification of farm-related activities. This last spring, the General Assembly passed, and Governor Hogan signed, two bills that b

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How Do Service and Therapy Animals Fit into a “No Pets” Policy?

Sarah Everhart

Mar 5, 2019
3 min

How Do Service and Therapy Animals Fit into a “No Pets” Policy?

By Sarah Everhart At the Agriculture Law Education Initiative we often educate farmers whose farms are open to the public and the farm operators typically share a common concern, namely, what to do when a customer wants to bring an animal onsite, to assist with a disability or to provide emotional or therapeutic support, despite a “no pets” policy? There are many reasons to exclude pets from a farm that is open to the public, chief among them, food safety and liability concer

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Sarah Everhart

Apr 24, 2018
2 min

Agritourism- I Know It When I See It

By Sarah Everhart See here for the site’s reposting policy. According to the 2012 agricultural census completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 307 agritourism farms in Maryland with revenues of $7.3 million. Maryland farm operators who want to incorporate agritourism into their farming operations face a variety of challenges including increased liability exposure, health code permitting, and zoning. Maryland’s cou

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Admin

Mar 9, 2018
2 min

Weekly Roundup March 9th

By Sarah Fielder Silicon Valley’s New Status Symbol: Chickens Silicon Valley’s tech elite have found a new hobby: backyard poultry. Many are using chickens as ways to de-stress and spending large sums of money on their chickens. The Washington Post highlights this new fad with the tech elite. To read the story, click here http://wapo.st/2oM8LRI. Salt Water Intrusion Threatens Maryland Farms The Atlantic highlights the struggles faced by many Maryland farmers losing product

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Admin

Feb 16, 2018
3 min

Weekly Roundup Feb. 16th

By Sarah Fielder Budget Deal Includes Fix for Cotton and Dairy Early last Friday morning, Congress passed a budget deal that included a fix for the cotton programs and dairy programs. With dairy, the Dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) would now be calculated on a monthly basis rather than a bimonthly basis, premiums would be changed for medium and small dairy farms on $4.50 and $5 coverage levels, and includes other fixes to MPP that dairy producers had asked for. The bi

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Admin

Dec 16, 2017
2 min

Weekly Roundup Dec. 14th

By Sarah Fielder RMA Ends 10 Percent Insurance Option for Preventive Planting USDA’s Risk Management Agency announced that the +10 percent option for preventive planting will be eliminated. This crop insurance option provided coverage on input costs if weather prevented planting. Moving forward only the +5 percent option will be available. To read the announcement from RMA, click here http://bit.ly/2o11KOD. Monsanto Offers Cash Back When You Buy New Dicamba Products Mon

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Admin

Dec 8, 2017
3 min

Weekly Roundup Dec. 8th