The Key Peninsula Wants Agritourism Here

When Pierce County asked residents how they felt about agritourism, the Key Peninsula didn’t just answer. It showed up louder than anyone.

Of the 1,000 people who responded to the county’s 2025 Agritourism Survey, 365 came from the KP. That’s 37% of the county from a community that makes up 4% of its population.

Lakebay alone sent 172 responses, making it the single most represented community in the survey. If there was any question about whether the KP cares about farming, that number answers it.

And the message was clear: support our farms.

Forty-eight percent of KP respondents said agritourism should be encouraged. Only 1-2% wanted it reduced. Twenty-five percent specifically championed small and family farms — not big commercial operations, but the neighbors down the road growing berries, raising goats, and pouring wine on a Friday evening.

Some of the sentiments:

● “We need to allow agritourism. Small farms are already struggling as it is, so any opportunity to give them revenue is a positive.”

● “Let people make their livelihood. We should be making our county the best agritourism county in Washington.”

● “In some rural areas, there are no gathering spaces. People are hungry for community activities. Small gatherings on farms are vital to our area.”

Here’s what’s surprising: when we were asked what makes our community unique, KP residents didn’t lead with the views or the trees. Fifty-four percent said it was their community and neighbors — 20 points higher than the rest of the county.

It was the people, not the landscape, that defined home.

That tracks with how the KP sees agritourism itself. Thirty-eight percent defined it as community connection: the number one meaning, above farm tours, produce stands, or wineries. On a peninsula with few gathering spaces, the local farm stand, the winery tasting room, the seasonal festival — these aren’t tourism. They’re where neighbors socialize.

The worry isn’t farms — it’s regulation.

When asked about concerns, 16% of KP respondents named overregulation as their top issue — more than traffic (11%) or noise (7%). Forty percent said they had no additional concerns at all.

Multiple respondents independently pointed to King County as a cautionary tale, a place where restrictive rules squeezed small farms out while large operations found ways around them.

More KP voices:

● “My concern is that Pierce County will make so many rules and make it so difficult for small businesses that agritourism will end in our community.”

● “Eliminating or throttling it, as has been done in King County, so that small farms cannot participate. Big ‘farms’ will always find ways to have events.”

The KP isn’t anti-regulation. Respondents drew sharp lines between genuine farm operations and commercial ventures gaming agricultural zoning. They want guardrails, not walls.

Washington state lost 3,700 farms between 2017 and 2022. That’s an average of two farms a day, according to the USDA Census of Agriculture. The state saw the fourth-largest percentage decline in operated farm acreage in the nation.

Pierce County has 1,347 farms. Eighty-five percent of them are under 50 acres — exactly the size most at risk nationally. Small farms with less than $5,000 in annual sales lost 13% of their operations nationwide, while farms with over $1 million grew 36%.

The bright spot? Pierce County’s agritourism receipts hit $30.4 million, up 62%. Nationally, farm agritourism revenue grew from $704 million to $950 million between 2012 and 2017. The USDA calls it “a viable strategy to keep beginning and small/mid-size farms afloat.”

The farms that diversify survive. The ones that can’t, don’t.

Pierce County Senior Planner Justin Patterson is leading the agritourism code update. He’s completed his review of the public engagement input and will present themes at the next Agriculture Advisory Commission meeting, May 27. Code language drafting is expected later this year.

Residents who want to weigh in can contact Patterson at 253-401-8501 or email the Pierce County Ag team inbox at ppwagricultureadmin@piercecountywa.gov. Additional engagement events will be announced through Pierce County’s website and social media.

Meanwhile, a statewide study by Jenn Tate and Dr. Trevor Lane, commissioned by the Legislature through the Department of Commerce, has recommended defining commercial farming at the $1,000 USDA threshold, creating model ordinances for counties, and streamlining farm-to-table dining permits. Their findings align closely with what KP residents are asking for: protect real farms, simplify the rules, and stop treating small agricultural operations like commercial event venues.

The KP made itself heard. Three hundred sixty-five voices, representing more than a third of the county survey, delivered a consistent message: support small farms, invest in infrastructure, regulate with a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer, and don’t follow King County off the cliff.

Now the question is whether Pierce County is listening.

Janice Bryant is a repurposed Navy program manager, livestock rancher, and voting member of the Pierce County Agriculture Advisory Commission. She lives in Longbranch.