Agritourism safety

Listen to this radio show (MP3 download) or read below.

Radio interview source: Tammy Ellis, research program associate, National Farm Medicine Center

There are more than 45,000 agritourism ventures in the U.S., and 85 million people have stepped foot on them. Most people know they're visiting a working farm and realize there are hazards that come with the territory.

However, if it's your property they're visiting, you are responsible for their safety. My dad has a pick-your-own berry farm and is very conscientious of safety. He maintains smooth and clear pathways to each field, and he always has someone in the field to help visitors and monitor the area. On busy days, he has someone monitoring the parking lot.

Tammy Ellis with the National Farm Medicine Center says you can't take anything for granted. Farmers will often make assumptions that the general public will know better not to do certain things.

"You've got to think about your entire audience, especially children," Ellis says. "I mean they want to climb on machinery, they want to get into areas where they're not supposed to be. And maybe even parents are looking for that perfect picture on the farm donkey, and they're not aware that the farm donkey is, you know, an aggressive animal at this particular farm, or it's different things like that."

Clearly mark any specific areas that are off limits. You might have to be creative to keep people from wandering off.