Consequences of visiting a farm before entering the US
On entering the United States (and some other countries), one of the questions each traveler must answer is if they've been on a farm prior to entry. Part (a) of this question is, how far back does that go? If someone is visiting the US for the first time at age 30, and visited a farm at age 8, that wouldn't seem particularly relevant. If they basically walked off the farm onto the plane, a yes answer would seem fitting. Where's the cutoff?
Part (b) is about the consequence of checking yes. Does this mean a traveler is likely to be detained, missing a connecting flight and potentially having thousands of dollars in extra costs associated with buying last-minute replacement airfare? Also, does this differ if the farm primarily raises plants? If so, the traveler might choose not to visit a farm while abroad, instead of including that in the itinerary.
Alternatively, if the farm visit is of strong interest, is there any travel insurance that could cover high replacement airfare costs associated with CBP detention delays, often specifically excluded from policies?
Best Answer
I have answered yes to this entering the US, and was asked a few more questions (I had actually been to 4 farms on the Friday and was travelling on a Sunday) eventually leading to "were you wearing those shoes?" On getting a no, I was waved through.
While the actions of border officials can be hard to predict, I think that "to be detained, missing a connecting flight and potentially having thousands of dollars in extra costs associated with buying last-minute replacement airfare" is a highly unlikely outcome of checking yes on the form. The cheapest insurance you can buy in this case would be a new pair of shoes (assuming you currently only have one) so that you can confirm you are not wearing or bringing the shoes that were on the farm.
Pictures about "Consequences of visiting a farm before entering the US"
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: RODNAE Productions, James Wheeler, Juan Vargas, Genadi Yakovlev