Maryland Is Running a Whole Conference on Making Family Farms Profitable With Visitors. Here's What You'd Learn Without Buying the Ticket.

Oct 29

8 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Family farm welcoming visitors in winter while the farmer plans next season's agritourism offer

Picture a farmer at the kitchen table in late October. The harvest is in. There is a spreadsheet open, a barn sitting empty out back, and one question going round and round: "Could visitors pay for this place, and where on earth do I start?"

That farmer is a composite, not one real person. But the question is real, and a university in Maryland thinks it is important enough to build a three-day conference around it.

The second Maryland Agritourism Conference, run by University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Extension, takes place 15 to 17 November 2026 in Cambridge, Maryland. Advance registration closes on 1 November. If you can't go, you can still use the research behind it for free. Here are five lessons from that research.

Short answer: The Maryland Agritourism Conference is a three-day event on making family farms more profitable with visitors. Advance registration is required by 1 November 2026 and general admission is $250. The public research behind it points to five steps you can take this winter: pick one offer, check the rules, test small, price for profit, and track your visitors.

What the Maryland Agritourism Conference Is (and Why It Matters)

The theme says it all: "Boosting Agritourism Strategies to Improve the Profitability of Family Farms." It is aimed at small and mid-scale farmers who want to start agritourism or add new attractions that bring in money. Farm wineries, craft breweries, tourism and economic development people are invited too.

Here are the details, as reported by the Salisbury Daily Times on 27 October 2026 and UMES:

Detail	What you need to know
Dates	15 to 17 November 2026 (welcome reception on the 15th)
Venue	Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, Cambridge, Maryland
Format	Four tracks on 16 November, half day on 17 November, vendors and networking throughout
Topics	Marketing and branding, AI tools for agribusiness planning, value-added attractions, balancing farming, agritourism and development
Panels	Funding, support programs, rules for value-added farming, county views on rules
Deadline	Advance registration by 1 November 2026
Price	$250 per person, general admission
Contact	agritourism@umes.edu

Conference chair Prem Bhandari, UMES's agritourism and value-added agricultural marketing specialist, sums up the opportunity: "The possibilities are nearly endless."

Why a University Is Betting on Farm Visitors

This isn't a one-off event. UMES Extension runs a dedicated agritourism program, and the paper trail is long.

It published Maryland Agritourism: A Baseline Profile, which found 485 agritourism sites across the state. In 2022 it surveyed 91 operators about their problems. It runs traveling workshops on real farms, keeps an interactive agritourism map, and held its first conference in December 2023, with nearly 200 people and Maryland's Secretary of Agriculture, Kevin Atticks.

The money explains why. Using Census of Agriculture figures, UMES reports that Maryland farms offering agritourism grew from 295 in 2017 to 354 in 2022. Their agritourism income rose from about $9.9 million to $14.5 million, an average of $41,043 per farm in 2022.

Nationally, the USDA Economic Research Service says U.S. farms earned $1.26 billion from agritourism in 2022. That was up 12.4% from 2017 after inflation. You can see more numbers in my roundup of agritourism statistics.

Maryland isn't alone. The University of Vermont, working with USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, released a national study of agritourism operators in August 2026. Penn State's Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development published another national producer survey with 2,139 responses. Universities have been building agritourism research and training for years now.

Lesson No. 1: Revenue Is Easy to Find. Profit Takes a Plan.

Here is the number that should shape your winter.

In the 2026 national study, 75% of operators said agritourism was successful at increasing their farm revenue. Yet 44% made less than $5,000 a year in profit from it.

Bar chart of yearly agritourism profit reported by U.S. operators: 27% under $1,000, 17% $1,000 to $4,999, 27% $5,000 to $24,999, 18% $25,000 to $99,999, 11% $100,000 or more — 75% say agritourism grew their farm revenue, but 44% made under $5,000 profit from it. Source: University of Vermont and USDA AMS, August 2026.

The same study shows the upside when it works. For the average respondent, agritourism made up 53% of farm revenue but 72% of farm profit. One farmer told researchers: "The farm would not survive without [agritourism]."

So the question isn't "will people come?" It's "will I keep any of the money?" That is exactly why Maryland built its conference around profitability. My guide to whether agritourism is profitable digs deeper into what separates the two groups.

Reality Check: In UMES's own Maryland study of 67 operators, published in Sustainability in 2024, only 35.8% said their farm was profitable. Having more employees was the one factor that independently raised the odds of being profitable. Visitors bring work. Plan your labor before you plan your parking.

Lesson No. 2: Check the Rules Before You Build Anything

When UMES asked 91 Maryland operators about their biggest challenges, 61% named seasonality and weather and 38% named liability costs. Others listed ambiguous rules, county planning and zoning.

The national picture matches. In the 2026 study, 80% found insurance cost or availability challenging, and 81% said the same of liability concerns. Penn State found 60.7% of operators were unsure whether their state even has an agritourism liability law.

Before you pay for advice, get clear on the right questions. Ask your county planning office: "Is this activity allowed on my zoning, and do I need a permit?" Ask your insurer: "Does my farm policy cover paying visitors, or do I need agritourism cover?"

Start with my agritourism laws by state guide and my plain guide to agritourism insurance. This article isn't legal advice, so check the answers with your own advisers.

Lesson No. 3: Pick One Offer and Test It Small

Maryland's farms aren't all corn mazes. The UMES baseline profile found farm markets made up 28% of agritourism services, craft breweries 18% and wineries 15%. U-pick, corn mazes and pumpkin patches were each under 3%.

Lesson: the right offer is the one that fits your farm, your crop and your time. Not the one on someone else's Instagram.

A 2024 UMES traveling workshop stopped at Blades Orchard, which sells apples, cider, apple cider donuts and honey on the farm and at area farmers markets. That is a value-added offer built on what the farm already grows.

Field-Tested Play: Before you spend a dollar on buildings, run one paid test this winter or spring. One weekend, one group, one offer. My 60-minute MVP method shows how. If the test works, scale it. If not, you lost a weekend, not your savings.

Flowchart of a first agritourism season: 1 pick one offer, 2 check the rules, 3 test it small, 4 price for profit, 5 promote and track — Do steps 1 to 4 on paper this winter, and spend money only after your test works.

Lesson No. 4: Funding and Marketing Are Where Farmers Ask for Help

In the 2026 national study, the most requested support was grant programs and other financial resources (70%). Next came social media marketing (54%), legal and liability information (46%) and help writing a marketing plan (44%).

Penn State found a gap here too: 31.6% of operators didn't know grants or loans were even available. If that sounds like you, read my guide to agritourism grants and funding.

Marketing is the other wall. In the 2026 study, 82% found it hard to find enough time for marketing, and 77% found it hard to reach their target audience. Most used social media (87%) and word of mouth (85%). Here is my word-of-mouth study breakdown and a simple guide to building your farm brand.

Lesson No. 5: Track Your Visitors From Day One

Here is a quiet finding most farmers miss. In the 2026 study, 43% of operators collected no information about their visitors at all. Only 35% asked visitors to join a mailing list.

That is money left at the gate. A visitor who gives you a phone number or email can come back every season. Here is how to start email marketing for your farm.

Your Winter First-Season Plan

Here is how the conference's published topics turn into jobs you can do at your kitchen table.

Conference topic	What to do this winter
Value-added attractions	Pick one offer that uses what you already grow
Regulatory issues and county rules	Call county planning and your insurer with your questions
Funding opportunities	List two grants you qualify for and their deadlines
Marketing and branding	Set up a Google Business Profile and a simple sign-up list
AI tools for planning	Use free tools to draft your prices, plan and visitor emails
Balancing farming and visitors	Block your busy farm weeks before you set open days

A winter planning calendar from now to opening day. Shift the months to match your own season.

For pricing, my guide to the experience premium shows how to price for profit, not just cost. For the paperwork, see my agritourism business plan template. And to get found, start with Google Maps.

What I Learned at Bloopy Durians

I'm the founder of Bloopy Durians in Bentong, Malaysia. Our durian seasons are short, about four to five months a year (December to February and June to August).

Two things still pay us long after each season ends. The first is a page that comes up top on Google for "eat Musang King". It helps visitors from all over the world find us. They make a four-wheel-drive trip to the farm. Many companies now send their staff and management too.

The second is our WhatsApp list of loyal customers, who buy durians whenever they're in season. It's one of our most reliable sources of income. Neither one needs good weather to build. Both can be started this winter.

Should You Go to the Maryland Agritourism Conference?

Be honest with yourself.

Go if: you can reach Cambridge, Maryland, from 15 to 17 November, you can register by 1 November, and you want to meet operators, lenders and county people face to face. Networking is the one thing an article can't give you.

Don't worry if you can't: the research behind the conference is public. Follow the five lessons above, work through the winter calendar, and you'll start next season with a written plan in hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2026 Maryland Agritourism Conference?

It runs 15 to 17 November 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Maryland. Advance registration is required by 1 November.

How much does the Maryland Agritourism Conference cost?

General admission is $250 per person, and ticket sales end on 1 November. An optional off-site tour costs $75 extra. Check the UMES conference page for current details.

Who is the conference for?

Small and mid-scale farmers who want to start agritourism or add attractions, plus farm wineries, craft breweries and tourism, economic development and agribusiness professionals.

Is agritourism profitable for family farms?

It can be, but not automatically. In a 2026 national study, 75% said it succeeded at growing revenue, yet 44% made under $5,000 profit from agritourism. Planning labor, insurance and pricing makes the difference.

What should I do this winter to start agritourism?

Pick one offer, ask your county and insurer the right questions, test it small, price for profit and start a visitor list. Take the Farm Readiness Quiz to see where your farm stands.

Find Out What Your Farm Is Ready For

You don't need a plane ticket to start. You need to know where your farm stands today. The Farm Readiness Quiz takes a few minutes and shows you what to fix first.

Take the Free Farm Readiness Quiz

Then grab my free ebook, 150 Ways to Unlock Hidden Wealth From Your Farm. Every idea shows its difficulty, startup cost, price setup and yearly earning potential, plus a 90-day launch roadmap and a pricing worksheet.

Get the Free 150 Ways Ebook

P.S. Remember that farmer at the kitchen table with the empty barn? The difference between this winter and last is one decision. Pick one offer, test it small, and let the numbers tell you the rest. Maryland is gathering farmers in a hotel ballroom to work on this. You can start at your kitchen table tonight.

Stephen Loke of AgritourismSuccess.com, whose farm is featured in Bloomberg News and Asahi Shimbun. This article is general information, not legal, insurance or financial advice. AgritourismSuccess.com is not affiliated with UMES; check the official conference page for current details.