A dead-end dirt road cutting through rural Wisconsin in the US Midwest leads to a pasture dotted with shaggy-coated Highland cattle, fluffy Icelandic sheep and a vintage Airstream trailer that farmer Brit Thompson turned into an Airbnb to capitalise 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.
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 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 soy prices sank to four-year lows in 2024.
Revenue from 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.
