Characteristics of New Jersey Agritourism Farms

Agritourism is an important alternative farm enterprise strategy in the U.S., especially for farms operating under urban influence. This paper develops a logit model to identify the characteristics of farms engaged in agritourism using 2007 Census of Agriculture respondent-level records. New Jersey, which ranks first nationally in the proportion of farm income derived from agritourism, provides the geographic context. We find that fruit/vegetable farms, rural residential/retirement farms, and intermediate-scale farms are more likely to offer agritourism. We also find that the likelihood of engaging in agritourism is significantly higher for farms employing organic production techniques and farm conservation practices.