Tips for a Safe and Memorable Farm Tour
Giving a farm tour during National Dairy Month? We created a checklist to help with planning and to use the day of your event. Reviewing safety measures and preparing before visitors come to your farm will help ensure you are ready to give a safe and memorable farm tour or on-farm event.
You can view and print our full checklist here with more tips and recommendations.
An added resource for dairy farmers is your local dairy checkoff program. They can offer resources, handouts, and goodies for farm events and tours.
Giving a Farm Tour Checklist:
- Provide information to visitors beforehand – Information like, wear shoes that haven’t been on any other farm or homestead to reduce the risk of new pathogens being introduced onto your land. Remind them to wear comfortable, durable shoes that can get dirty and to dress appropriately to outside weather conditions. This is also a great opportunity to share resources from your local dairy checkoff program—children's handouts, farm safety resources, dairy recipes—that are appropriate to your tour group.
- Prepare a safety speech to say on arrival – Explain that you run a working farm and hazards may arise. Certain hazards may include uneven ground, insects, farm smells, etc., and visitors must accept those risks and exercise reasonable caution. Also, here is your opportunity to lay down the ground rules and point out necessary locations like the bathroom and garbage.
- Clean up – Put away any machinery that won’t be used for display and take all keys out of the machinery. Put away sharp objects, tools, and chemicals, and make sure sheds are locked where people should not be entering.
- Place signs – Use signs to clearly mark any potential hazards and places visitors should avoid. Specific areas may include manure pits, machinery, livestock, and electric fences.
- Think about all your animals - Include a sign on how to act around cows and have farm staff around any areas where animal interaction may occur. In addition, ensure that only friendly, social dogs are near the public and note that barn cats may not be receptive to strangers. (Same advice goes for chickens and other roaming farm animals.)
- Offer sanitation and biosecurity measures – Provide hand-washing stations and hand sanitizer outside of barns or near where food is being distributed. Supply plastic boots if guests are walking through barns and places where livestock are housed.
- Have visitors sign liability release forms – With school groups, distribute beforehand so parents can sign on behalf of their minor children. If you are having a community event, consider setting up a “Welcome Table” for guests to visit first to sign waivers, distribute information, and give out goodie bags.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your Dairy Focus Consultant to help plan a farm tour and for an extra hand on the day of the event!