(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, is co-sponsoring federal legislation that, if enacted, would create an “Office of Agritourism” within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A former state agriculture director whose family has farming operations in the Yakima Valley, Newhouse represents the 4th Congressional District in central Washington, one of the nation’s most diverse and productive agricultural regions.
Citing the most recent Census of Agriculture, Newhouse said agritourism-related income across the country jumped from $202 million in 2002 to $949 million in 2017 – an increase of nearly 370%.
“In communities like Central Washington, agritourism has enabled small farmers to expand their businesses and increase access to high-quality local food sources, which has boosted local economies while maintaining the rural character of the region,” Newhouse said in a news release Friday.
He and U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat from Virginia, had just introduced the AGRITOURISM Act, an acronym for Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces. The measure, HR 5203, was referred to the House Agriculture Committee. No hearings were immediately set.
As proposed, the measure would create an office within the USDA to serve as “a dedicated voice for agritourism businesses in the federal government and to consolidate federal resources to sustain agritourism businesses, such as loans, grants, and broadband connectivity programs.”
“Central Washington is proud to be the home of world-class wineries, breweries, farms, dairies, farmers’ markets, and more that all serve as vital parts of the agritourism industry and make our region so special,” said Newhouse. “I am proud to introduce the Agritourism Act to ensure that these local businesses have an advocate within USDA which will in turn help preserve our important agriculture traditions and honor our way of life.”
Wexton, founder of the Congressional Agritourism Caucus, said she represents hundreds of thriving agritourism businesses in Virginia, but also said she has heard from “too many small business owners in our region about how hard it is to get connected with the resources that they need to grow their agritourism businesses ….”
The intent of the legislation, she said, is to “elevate the voices of our nation’s agritourism business owners and ensure their needs are heard here in Washington.”
“Agritourism is essential to the survival of the wine industry and Congressman Newhouse knows this better than anyone,” said Josh McDonald, executive director of the Washington Wine Institute, an industry trade group. “This bill will help Washington wineries in his district and across the state immensely by promoting agritourism in ways that have not been done in the past.”
The legislation has bipartisan co-sponsorship from House Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Delaware, David Rouzer, R-North Carolina, and three California congressmen, Republican David Valadao and Democrats Josh Harder and Jimmy Panetta.
Sponsors said the measure could generate financial, educational, and social benefits to owners of agricultural enterprises, spur economic development in rural communities, help farms diversify, and preserve agricultural heritage while promoting a variety of activities ranging from wine and brewery tours to fee fishing and hunting; bed-and-breakfast inns to horseback and mountain bike riding.
The AGRITOURISM Act is supported by the International Agritourism Association, American Craft Spirits Association, Brewers Association, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, WineAmerica, and Wine Institute.
Information on the bill can be found here.
