By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Agritourism is a growing trend fueled by consumers, and fall is a season ripe with opportunities to dive into outdoor activities.
Those farm visits help consumers connect the dots in agriculture, but agritourism venues could put landowners at risk.
“Agritourism continues to grow each year in Texas,” Regan Beck, TFB director of Government Affairs, said. “Landowners need to take precautions to protect themselves from liability if a visitor has an accident on their property.”
The Agritourism Act, which was passed in 2015, offers limited liability to landowners who open their agricultural land for recreational or educational purposes, regardless of compensation.
The statute requires landowners to post specific language warning visitors of potential hazards on the property or to have a waiver signed.
TFB offers agritourism liability signs that meet the language requirements.
“Fall is a prime opportunity to get folks outdoors and reconnected with agriculture,” Beck said. “These liability signs Farm Bureau offers can help landowners feel a little more secure about some of the unforeseen liability issues.”
The Texas Recreational Use Statute also applies to landowners who use their property for recreational purposes if it meets one of the three monetary criteria: a fee is not charged; the fee charged by the landowner is less than 20 times the amount of ad valorem taxes paid by the landowner last year; or the landowner maintains insurance coverage as defined by the statute.
Beck notes that the Agritourism Act and the Texas Recreational Use Statute are not a substitute for insurance.
TFB’s agritourism liability signs are available for $4.
Signs may be purchased online through the TFB Store at texasfarmbureau.org/store. After clicking on the “member” link, you will be prompted to enter your MyTFB account information to proceed. If you don’t have an account, you can create one by clicking on the “Create Account” link.
Signs can also be purchased through your county Farm Bureau office.
For questions, call 254-751-2644.