To become registered with the Mississippi Department of
Agriculture and Commerce, an agritourism professional must meet and adhere to
the following criteria:
1. Every
agritourism professional must post and maintain signs that contain the warning
notice specified below. The sign must be placed in a clearly visible location
at the entrance to the agritourism location and at the site of the agritourism
activity. The warning notice must consist of a sign in black letters, with each
letter to be a minimum of one (1) inch in height. Every written contract
entered into by an agritourism professional for the providing of professional
services, instruction or the rental of equipment to a participant, whether or
not the contract involves agritourism activities on or off the location or at
the site of the agritourism activity, must contain in clearly readable print
the warning notice specified below.
The signs and contracts must contain the following notice
of warning:
"Warning:
Under Mississippi law, there is no liability for an injury
to or death of a participant in an agritourism activity conducted at this
agritourism location if the injury or death results from the inherent risks of
the agritourism activity. Inherent risk of agritourism activities include,
among others, risks of injury inherent to land, equipment and animals, as well
as the potential for you or another participant to act in a negligent manner
that may contribute to your injury or death. You are assuming the risk of
participating in this agritourism activity."
Failure to comply with the requirements concerning warning
signs and notices provided in this section will prevent an agritourism
professional from invoking the privileges of immunity provided by this
act.
2. An agritourism
professional must register with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and
Commerce on an annual basis. The registration shall contain information
describing the agritourism activity that the agritourism professional conducts
or intends to conduct and the location where the person conducts or intends to
conduct such agritourism activity. Additionally, the agritourism professional
must pay an annual fee in the amount of fifty dollars ($50.00) to the
Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce at the time of
registration.
3. All agritourism
professionals must complete and submit the Mississippi Agritourism Application.
The application includes, but is not limited to:
a. The name, physical address, mailing
address, and telephone number of the agritourism operation.
b. The name, physical address, mailing
address, and telephone number of the agritourism professional.
c. The business structure of the agritourism
operation (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, Limited Liability
Company, joint venture, or other).
d. Number of years that the operation has
been in business.
e. A description
of the agritourism activities at the location.
f. Description of placement of warning
signs.
g. Directions to agritourism
operation, from closest major highway.
4. Once the application has been submitted, a
member of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will make a
site visit to inspect and ensure the operation is in fact an agritourism
operation.
5. The Mississippi
Department of Transportation signage program, based on established criteria and
fees separate from the Mississippi Agritourism Registration program, and
provided by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, will work with the
agritourism professional to supply the road sign with the name of the
agritourism destination and mileage, once registered with the Mississippi
Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and the $50 registration fee has been
received.
Disclaimer: The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and
Commerce assumes no legal liability by registering agritourism professionals,
but merely serves to promote agritourism in the state.
