US farmers 'make hay' from urbanites' quest for rural experience

A dead-end dirt road cutting through rural Wisconsin that leads to a pasture dotted with shaggy-coated Highland cattle, fluffy Icelandic sheep and a vintage Airstream trailer may not look like a tourist stopover.

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But farmer Brit Thompson is turning to Airbnb to capitalize on an explosion of urbanites looking to spend time in the countryside.

Her guests, mostly Chicago-area professionals, offer a steady flow of income in an increasingly unstable agricultural economy. Ms Thompson, who also raises animals for meat at her farm, Pink River Ranch, is one of many farmers turning to the US$4.5 billion (S$6 billion) agricultural tourism industry, according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, and offering activities and overnight stays as consumer demand for rural experiences grows and farm income declines.

Farmers whose crops are used to make food, feed livestock and produce vegetable oils are struggling to turn a profit after corn and soya prices sank to four-year lows in 2024.

Revenue from Ms Thompson's Airbnb has helped her endure volatile commodities markets and far outpaced what she made from selling beef and lamb to restaurants and directly to consumers, she said. Free-roaming tabby cats on her property are now accustomed to the sound of guests' car tires crunching on the gravel driveway and come running towards those bringing in the extra income – and the extra affection.

The guests arrive nearly every weekend during her peak season, drawn by the area's spring-fed and trout-rich streams, forested hiking trails and unpolluted night skies. Ms Thompson's bookings soared as nearby cities shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic.