Farm Stay? B&B? WWOOFing? Questions answered.

We talked to hundreds (thousands?) of people at the Mother Earth News Fair last weekend. They had lots of questions for us.

For one, “What’s the difference between a farm stay and a B&B?”

For another, “What’s the difference between a farm stay and WWOOFing?”

As an answer, the term ‘farm stay’ is pretty broad – it just means you’re staying on a working farm for a short time. The ‘farm stay’ might be interactive, with the guests helping out with chores, or it might not be, depending on the needs and wants of the guests and the farmers. The ‘stay’ could be on a working farm B&B, or it could mean camping as a WWOOF volunteer.

The farm stays listed on this site are ones where guests pay for their lodging, like a farm B&B or cabin rental, and there’s absolutely no work requirement. These farm stays are great for people who want to escape to a farm to relax for a weekend, while getting a closeup view of the source of their food. Many of these farm stays are especially suited for families with kids, though some are retreats specifically aimed towards adults.

There are some great resources out there for people interested in working farm stays, where there’s usually a minimum work requirement and length of stay, and in return the volunteer gets free or very cheap lodging. For short-term working farm stays, look to WWOOF, or GrowFood.org.