Agritourism
NEW SIX-PART SERIES
Agritourism Business Development Training
Fall 2025 & Winter 2026 | In-person or Hybrid | FREE!
Agritourism is a growing sector and an option for diversifying a farm’s revenue. This training assists farmers in Southwestern Wisconsin to develop a business concept, assess business feasibility, and navigate regulations.
About Agritourism Business Development Training
Agritourism, sometimes known as farm tourism, involves activities that bring visitors to a farm for educational, recreational, or retail purposes, often linked to farm products or experiences. Agritourism can help farmers generate additional revenue and is a growing sector that many small and medium-sized Wisconsin farmers are interested in.
This training, developed by Extension’s Agriculture and Community Development Institutes, assists farmers with starting an agritourism business. The training helps farmers to:
This training also connects farmers with community developers and encourages participants to design businesses that are community-oriented. It provides guidance for community developers to support on-farm businesses and incorporate agritourism into rural economic development strategy.
Training Modules
The training is comprised of 6 modules. Participants can enroll in the entire cohort or attend single sessions. The training will be delivered in a hybrid format, with virtual and in-person sessions.
Module 1: Agritourism: What is your value proposition?
Understand the market potential for agritourism in Wisconsin and the potential benefits for your farm. Develop a motivation and value proposition statement.
Module 2: Developing the Venture: Is your business idea feasible?
Determine if agritourism is a good fit for your farm. Learn about financial resources, business planning resources, and SWOT analysis.
Module 3: Community Connections: What need are you satisfying?
Dive into community networking, explore SMART goals for the business, and make connections with community developers.
Module 4: Risk & Regulation: What risks do you need to address?
Identify key concepts of risk and risks specific to your agritourism operation. Learn how to find and interpret relevant regulations and understand accessibility considerations.
Module 5: Financial Analysis: How do you know if you’ll be profitable?
Identify key financial metrics and indicators used to assess profitability, calculate profitability ratios and break-even points, and develop a pricing strategy.
Module 6: Marketing and Placemaking: What will your customer experience be like?
Learn about key elements that contribute to positive customer experience, marketing strategies, and placemaking strategies.
Join Our Interest List & Be the First to Register
Extension intends to pilot the training in fall 2025 in the counties of Southwestern Wisconsin. To express interest, contact Maggie Cornelius, Outreach Specialist for the Rural Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Initiative, at mmcornelius@wisc.edu.
