Local Food, Fresh Air, and a Rural Country Life

(TRAVPR.COM) U.S. - February 27th, 2013 - “Every family needs a farmer. Who’s yours?” asks the USDA website. Now it’s possible to answer that question, not only at the local farmers market, but by taking a farm vacation at one of the many working farms and ranches in the United States. Farm Stay U.S. (www.farmstayus.com), a national online registry that launched in 2010, lists more than 180 farms, ranches, and vineyards offering overnight lodging.

The travel trend of staying on a farm for a vacation, also known as a farm stay, has been practiced in Europe for over 30 years. Based around good food, fresh air, and a slower-paced rural life, urban dwellers often head into the country for a weekend of relaxation and reconnection with family and friends. In France alone there are over 5,000 farm stays; in England over 7,200.

For most Americans, however, the idea of vacationing on a farm is a new one. With equal parts nostalgia and curiosity, travelers feeling disconnected from their food sources and the countryside are exploring farm stays as an opportunity to experience the rural life, if only for a weekend. It’s hard to beat the wow-factor of feeding chickens and collecting eggs, pulling fresh carrots from the farm garden, feeding a bottle to a baby calf, or watching the birth of a lamb.

Farmers too, looking for alternative sources of income, are opening their doors to guests in increasing numbers. Where once all they envisioned was agricultural production from their land, the diversification into hospitality relieves some of the pressures of weather and commodity prices. Surprisingly, in a 2011 survey of Farm Stay U.S. members, while income was the top reason for adding a farm stay to the operations, 72% made education of their guests a top priority.

Farm stays offer a variety of lodgings. Guests can find everything from rooms in the owner’s farm house, to private cottages, yurts, campsites, and even converted silos. Some offer three meals each day; others provide a farm fresh breakfast with those eggs collected just moments before. Activities are as varied as the farms and ranches that act as hosts, and guests can often pitch in and help with chores, if they like, or just savor the rhythm of the countryside.

Farm Stay U.S. helps reacquaint Americans with their country’s farming heritage. The site provides detailed farm stay listings, blog posts, photos, tips on what to expect, and answers the question “what is a farm stay?”

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