Louisiana Agritourism: Changes to Louisiana's Cottage Food Law Can Increase Opportunities for Agritourism Operators

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Changes to Louisiana's Cottage Food Law Can Increase Opportunities for Agritourism Operators

Louisiana’s cottage food law Act 542 was amended by House Bill 1270 in the regular session of the Louisiana Legislature in 2014. It allows “low-risk foods” to be sold. Those foods include all of the following, none of which

shall consist of any animal muscle protein or fish protein: baked goods (breads, cakes, cookies, and pies); candies, dried mixes; honey and honeycomb products; jams, jellies and preserves; pickles and acidified foods; sauces and syrups; and spices.

A label must be affixed to the food products that clearly states that the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility. No person can sell food unless they have applied for or have been issued all of the following: (a) a Louisiana General Sales Tax Certificate from the Louisiana Department of Revenue and (b) a local sales tax certificate from the local taxing authority of any jurisdiction in which the seller intends to sell foods. The sales limit has increased to $20,000.

These are just a few of the rules; read the entire law to learn more. To read the new law, click here.

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Agritourism Law Limits Liability

In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature expanded the limitation of liability found in La R.S. 9:2795 et seq to include certain agritourism activities. The legislation authored by Representative Andy Anders and Senators Francis Thompson and Mike Walsworth provides that the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Foresty (LDAF) will develop a set of rules and regulations and that the LSU AgCenter will define a “plan of operation” for an agritourism venture and review those plans.

More about this law can be found on the LSU AgCenter Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com/agritourism

2012 Agriculture Census Shows Increase in Farming

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 –There are now 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Once every five years, farmers, ranchers and growers have the unique opportunity to let the world know how U.S. agriculture is changing, what is staying the same, what’s working and what we can do differently,” said Dr. Cynthia Clark, the retiring head of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, which administered the survey.

Eighty-seven percent of all U.S. farms are operated by families or individuals.
Principal operators were on average 58.3 years old and were predominantly male; second operators were slightly younger and most likely to be female; and third operators were younger still.
In Louisiana agritourism grew from 170 farms in 2007 to 361 farms in 2012.
In Louisiana onfarm agritourism sales jumped from $2,486 to $8,996 in 2012.
In Louisiana the definition of agritourism is broader than the definition in the census; meaning that numbers are greater.