Agri-what?

Agriculture is a use by right in our Township.

It is a permitted use.  That means that whatever a farmer has to do to make a living, at whatever hour of the day or night is pretty much okay by us.  We don't control when farmers can drive their machinery down the roads; load limits do not apply; farms can smell (up to a point); they don't have limits on the size of the buildings they can construct, all because this Township is zoned for agricultural use.  Of course there are State laws that govern feed lots, animal numbers, etc., but as a Township, we do not stand in the way.

So why are a few Board and Planning Commission members pushing for a tweak to the definition of Agriculture so that Agritourism shares a similar status?  That is, becomes a use by right with almost no controls?

What is Agritourism anyway?

Well, that's kind of complicated.  Our neighboring county, Goodhue, defines it this way:

Subd 5. AGRICULTURAL TOURISM. “Ag-tourism” and/or “Agri-tourism” means the practice of visiting 
an agribusiness, horticultural, or agricultural operation, including, but not limited to, a farm, 
orchard, vineyard, winery, greenhouse, hunting preserve, a companion animal or livestock 
show, for the purpose of recreation, education, or active involvement in the operation, other 
than as a contractor or employee of the operation.

Sounds like a nice activity for a Sunday afternoon in the fall--apple picking.

They further acknowledge that You-Pick operations commonly have added attractions and sales to keep kids busy and everyone happy:

 Subd 7. AGRICULTURAL RELATED USE. Means activities that are accessory to principal use of the 
property for permissible agriculture use that predominantly use agricultural products, buildings 
or equipment including activities, events or uses that represent “agricultural tourism” in 
Goodhue County as defined in this section, including but not limited to:
a. Bakeries selling baked goods containing produce grown primarily on site
b. Barn dances
c. Corn mazes or straw bale mazes
d. Educational events including but not limited to: activities associated with the 
promotion of wine usage, viticulture or viniculture classes, historical agricultural 
exhibits, and farming and food preserving classes.
e. Gift shops for the sale of agricultural products and agriculturally related products.
f. Petting farms, animal display, and pony rides
g. Playgrounds or equipment typical of a school playground
h. Pumpkin rolling
i. Sleigh/hay rides
j. Vineyard harvest festivals


And then there are big festivals on farms that you might want to treat differently:

 Subd 8. NON-AGRICULTURAL USES/ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH AN AGRI-TOURISM USE. 
This means activities that are part of an agri tourism operation’s total offerings but not tied to 
farming or the farm’s buildings, equipment, fields, etc. Such non-agriculturally related uses 
include but are not limited to:
a. Amusement rides
b. Art or cultural related festivals
c. Gift shops for the sale of non-agricultural products
d. Non-profit benefits 
e. Kitchen facilities, processing/cooking items for sale (subject to State of Minnesota, 
Department of Public Health standards) including eating establishments such as 
restaurants or café’s.
f. Temporary camping (subject to State of Minnesota Department of Public Health 
Standards for Recreation Camping)
g. Wedding ceremonies or receptions
h. Wine and catered food events

So, I'll give you a little time to think about this.  Plus I don't want these blog posts to get too long.

What would you want the Township to do if it were creating a definition and ordinance language to regulate Agri-Tourism?

Is it a priority for the Township?
Is there a need?
Would you make it a use by right or parse out the differnt levels of tourism like Goodhue County does?
Do you see it as a benefit?
Do you see it as a mixed bag--benefits that are accompanied by nuisances and costs to residents?

I'll check back in soon.  Submit comments if you'd like.