More people are leaving the city behind to spend time on local farms, and owners said the trend is helping preserve agriculture while creating new revenue streams.
At Comus Farm in Dickerson, Maryland, visitors can feed alpacas, interact with farm animals, take wagon rides and experience rural life just a short drive from D.C. Owners Lauren and Iago Huyser have expanded beyond traditional farming, operating a wedding and event venue while also selling farm-made products, including fresh baked goods, jams and eggs through local markets and farm visits.
Lauren said many visitors are looking to escape a technology-driven world and they聽often tell her they’re searching for something increasingly difficult to find in urban areas.
“Most often, what I hear from people is, ‘Ah, it’s so peaceful here. It’s so quiet here,'” Lauren said.
Her husband Lago said many visitors are getting a farm experience they simply can’t find in the city.
“Some people have never seen alpaca before,” he said. “So it’s a great experience, either for me, also for me, and for them as well, because I get to tell them what we’ve been learning here, and they got to have new experiences around the farm.”
The trend extends beyond traditional farm visits.
In Germantown, Butler’s Orchard has seen growing demand for farm experiences, according to General Manager Tyler Butler.
“People have always wanted to really embrace agriculture and farming, and get back to, you know, their roots. But especially since COVID, agritourism, agriculture entertainment, agritainment has really taken off,” Butler said.
Butler’s Orchard now welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year, with people traveling from across the D.C. region and beyond for farm experiences ranging from berry picking to seasonal festivals.
Montgomery County’s efforts to preserve agriculture have helped make that possible. Roughly one-third of the county’s land area, about 93,000 acres, is protected within the Agricultural Reserve, a program established in 1980 to limit development and preserve working farmland. Without those protections, much of the land could have been developed into housing decades ago.
Mike Scheffel, director of Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture, said the reserve was created to protect the county’s farming heritage.
“The elected officials at the time in 1980 made a decision to keep the agricultural heritage in place in the county that its roots are so deeply tied to,” Scheffel said.
The reserve also gives residents easy access to agriculture. Some Montgomery County farms are only a couple of miles from D.C., allowing city residents to experience working farms without traveling far from home.
Scheffel said visitors are also helping farms diversify their income and remain viable.
“Bringing the public to your farm or to your property to teach them about agriculture, to give them experiences on the farm, is a fantastic way to diversify a farm’s revenue stream,” Scheffel said.
One way the county promotes those farms is through its annual Farm Tour. The 2026 Montgomery County Farm Tour is scheduled for July 25 and 26 and allows visitors to explore participating farms across the county through a variety of activities and experiences showcasing local agriculture.
County data show the economic impact is growing. Montgomery County’s farm alcohol production sector has more than doubled, growing from six licensed wineries, breweries and cideries in 2018 to 13 licensed wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries in 2024. During that same period, gross sales increased from about $2.9 million to nearly $16.8 million.
One example is Butler’s Doc Waters Cidery, where visitors can pick apples and enjoy beverages made from fruit grown on the farm.
“Whether it’s cider or beer or wine, people are connecting not only with their food, but also with what they’re drinking,” Butler said.
Farm owners said as more residents seek a break from city life, local farms are increasingly becoming destinations that connect visitors with agriculture while helping preserve farmland for future generations.
Butler said visitors often thank the family for keeping the farm going.
“Thank you for being here, thank you for not selling,” he said as visitors told him.
At Comus Farm, Lauren Huyser said preserving the land while adapting to changing times remains a priority.
“Maintaining it as an active farm and transforming it into something that is shifting with the times as well,” she said.
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