Airbnb is recruiting Pennsylvania farmers to host guests
The vacation rental company, in partnership with American Farmland Trust, is offering farmers grant money to convert their properties.
Pennsylvania is home to tens of thousands of farms, and Airbnb wants you to stay on them.
The short-term rental giant is partnering with the American Farmland Trust and recruiting Keystone State farmers — and even offering grants — to host guests and tap into the growing agritourism industry. The average farmstay listing on Airbnb, the company said, can make an extra $9,600 per year.
Valerie and Jeff Fellenbaum said they’re making much more than that at Pleasant Pines Stables, their early-19th-century horse farm in Lancaster County.
“Once we started, we never looked back,” Valerie Fellenbaum said. “I would say, from March to about the end of October, we’re anywhere from 85% to 90% booked.”
Nationwide, farms — particularly smaller operations — struggle to say profitable and find alternate sources of revenue, and agritourism is leading the way. Some farms, like Arasapha Farm in Glen Mills, transform into wildly popular Halloween attractions every fall. Others host concerts and court influencers who take selfies in acres of sunflowers.
According to Airbnb, Google Trends shows U.S. search interest for “farm stay” nearly quadrupled between 2016 and early 2026. The vacation rental company is partnering with the American Farmland Trust to offer farmers up to $10,000 through the Farm to Stay Grant Program. Farmers could use the funds to renovate or prepare their property to host overnight guests and launch unique farm-based experiences.
“This really gives folks the opportunity to broaden their horizons,” said Ashley Brucker, American Farmland Trust’s senior manager of grantmaking. ‘It gives them a little more freedom."
Brucker said interested farmers can apply at farmland.org and attend informational webinars. Workshops will be held on Oct. 14 at 5:00 p.m. and Nov. 13 at 12:00 p.m
Webinars will discuss how Airbnb works, with particular emphasis on rural and farm stays, the company said.
At the Fellenbaums’ Airbnb, Valerie said guests can simply enjoy the peace of a rural farm or ride horses.
“People really love to come and see the horses,” she said, “and we give them opportunities to do more than see them.”
