Agritourism for Regenerative Agriculture Farms
Are you looking for a way to share Regenerative agriculture with more people?
Are you trying to bring in a little extra income on your farm to help with costs?
If either of these are yes for you, we want to share with you how agritourism can work for you.
It’s not new to anyone that Airbnb is a huge platform with tons of people looking to get away and experience new things. Many people love staying on farms and want to learn more about regenerative agriculture so why not host them on your farm?
No spare house? No problem. Let us show you how to use high end glamping resources to set up accommodations on your farm along with resources for many other areas of agritourism like farm tours, creating local events, and other experiences.
You will be surprised how many people want to visit your farm with a little set up and promotion!
Watch our short 3 video series to see how you can bring agritourism and extra income to any regenerative farm!
Scroll past the 3 videos for a break down of options, links, and tips!
Types of Rentals:
Campsites:
Income Range: $25 - $60/night Costs: $0 - $20
You literally just need a square of land. We did purchase a cheap second hand tent to keep on hand just in case someone had an issue or was not prepared. It was used once in 2 years. We also laid out a small fire pit by placing a ring of rocks. This was mostly done so guests didn’t choose their own campfire spot somewhere less ideal. Most campers wanted to build their own fires and we had firewood available for them. Many offered to pay for it but we had it in excess so depending on your accessibility, it's a nice touch.
Glamping:
Income Range: $50 - $200/night Costs: $3,000 - $20,000
Here are a few sites to consider tents from. I have not had as much luck finding these second hand but it does happen occasionally.
● Life In Tents - This is one of my favorites. While the prices may seem high upon first glance, if you rent more than one season, this is sure to pay back because the tent will last and bring guests back. They also have lots of secondary items like a heated water shower (that brings in extra income!) and extra cots to help increase occupancy.
I do recommend a ground cover; 1. To create a bug barrier, 2. To not have furnishings sitting in dirt.
You can:
Build a floor platform /Pay someone to build a floor platform
Purchase a ground cover tarp
Find second hand flooring like linoleum
These will typically be visited by couples but we have found making the option to sleep 4-5 people really opens up your options to be able to host families. There are cute options for kid’s cots, small single mattresses the kids can sleep on the ground while the parents use the bed, etc. You will also find groups of 3 people will occasionally travel together and they will seek out listings that accomodate 3.
Vans/Buses/Campers:
Income Range: $50 - $200/night Costs: $800 - $30,000
Places to look for these are: Facebook Marketplace, Facebook groups, Craigslist, and Auto dealers. There is a huge variety of what's out there. Consider insulation needs/heating cooling to evaluate how many months you can rent it, if it has toilets/water (huge plus/higher margins). Much of the rest is cosmetic and can be set up easily with second hand items. Because they are not on the road, things do not have to be as sturdy and bolted to the vehicle.
Our bus featured a double bed, folding tables with table cloth covers, a hot plate, a cooler with farm fresh eggs and oils for cooking and people loved it!
Rooms:
Income Range: $60 - $175/night
Room shares are an awesome way to monetize unused rooms in your home. The more secluded and private it is, the more you can charge for it.
If you do not want guests sharing your kitchen, an option is to put a mini fridge and hot plate in the room and specify they do not have access to the main kitchen. This way they can bring their own food but stay in a specific room. This all depends on the layout of the extra room, what is going to work best for you.
Always have a stand with the wifi password in the room.
Other Rental Details
Furnishings:
This is where I advocate to save money! Buy second hand!
Guests are hard on furniture/ appliances/ etc. Be prepared for them to be damaged and need to be replaced occasionally. For this reason, we buy everything second hand so it can be affordably replaced.
Guests will prefer King size beds so we prioritize those but based on the size of your listing, you do what you gotta do.
**Tip - Add solar string lights to everything. They are cheap and they really improve any space, plus they turn on/off without you. Guests love them.
Pet Policies:
Do what works for your farm. We have been pet friendly and have specific rules about it. 1 out of every 20 pets seems to cause damage or issues. Most people love a place they can travel with their pets and will be extra respectful but there’s always the 1 in 20.
Our rule is that pets must be on a leash outside at all times, no exceptions and this has worked fairly well. Most of our damage has been to furniture from bored pets but always consider your specific farm and if guest’s dogs are an option.
Things to check!!!!!
Make sure to check all local ordinances before opening any location
Follow all platform policies and familiarize yourself with their systems. Many will penalize your account for cancelling reservations so make sure you have checkpoints for guests you feel comfortable with. (For example, when we first started on Airbnb we did not take guests who did not have reviews from other guests or guests with low reviews. Also Airbnb policy does not allow other people to book on others behalf, people will ask but say no.)
HipCamp has new toilet rules as listed below that were not part of the original platform restrictions.
Platforms:
Airbnb - Click here to get started. It is extremely easy to get set up. This can be used for everything from campsites to mansions!
Yonder - List your stay here. This platform is mostly focused on stays that bring people closer to nature. Let them know we referred you (Lauren Lovejoy), sometimes there's bonuses when you do but they are making changes to this frequently.
HipCamp - Check out Hipcamp here. This is for campsites, glamping & rvs.
**Note about toilets! - Toilets aren’t required on properties larger than 20 acres or on those offering only dry camping for self-contained RVs. You do need a toilet if you have a smaller property and intend to host tent campers. This ensures that Hipcampers dispose of human waste in a way that’s good for the environment and compliant with local laws.
I won’t go through all the other platforms but reach out to me through email if you are having any issues listing or getting traffic. There’s other options to explore and tons of ways to improve your rankings!
Checklist
Increase Insurance coverage for Short Term Rentals
Purchase signs needed for state agritourism regulations
Purchase signs for guests to know your systems around animals or gardens Add local attractions to your listing & photos
List deal breakers in listing
Create an informative welcome message that addresses issues Have reminders to be present/grateful/ thankful
Find comparable listings in your area and price yourself higher
Update your booking window to 3 months - 1 year in advance not indefinitely Block out any personal dates
Prepare a binder of reading material about your farm Find price adjusting software for higher earning listings Perfect your experience for guests
For any questions, we are always here to help (Yes, for free)! Email regenerativefarmers@gmail.com