PETERSBURG, Ky. — A bed and breakfast, or B&B, is a small establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Putting that same establishment on a farm dotted with animals gives this type of lodging a new name: A farm stay.

Farm stays have been a growing trend in Europe since the 1980s, particularly in Italy. There they are called agriturismo. Farm stays have caught on in the United States and can be found in every state, but they are most prevalent in Kentucky, where there are 15.

Located just 20 miles southwest of downtown Cincinnati is First Farm Inn Bed & Breakfast. The farm, located in Petersburg, is a rural setting on 21 acres that offers horseback riding and riding lessons, as well as a night in an historic 1851 home. Jen Warner and partner Dana Kisor have been hosts at this farm the past 15 years.

“My daughter was two years old at the time and I wanted to do something so she could grow up on a farm,” Warner said. “I did a comprehensive business plan before purchasing the farm.”

Warner purchased the farm with a farm stay in mind. Some farm stays offer sightings of goats, others include chickens, donkeys and cows. At First Farm Inn, horses reign supreme. Horsemanship at First Farm Inn includes learning to think like a horse, groom, saddle, mount and ride.

“When I purchased this farm I had horses in mind,” Warner said.

Practicing in an arena is possible at this spot. Once comfortable in the saddle, this farm stay allows visitors to mount up and down the hills, as well as through a wooded trail. The horses at this farm stay are gentle, easy rides. The stable of nine includes Bode, Missy, Blue Romeo, Ginger, Sam, Sage, Sundance, Jack and Tommy. For fans of small animals there’s one dog and eight cats on the premises.

Not a horse lover? There’s plenty of other leisure activities at First Farm Inn.

“Our stay is a restful getaway,” Warner said. “One can enjoy a glass of wine in our outdoor hot tub as the sun sets. You can wake by smelling a bountiful, healthy breakfast prepared just for you, in a queen-sized bed. We also have free wi-fi connection for our guests. We offer the beauty of the countryside, but we also include all the amenities of any top-flight hotel.

“Thanks to the Internet we draw people from across the Midwest,” said Warner, who keeps her farm say open year round. She entices visitors with discounts to major attractions in and around the Cincinnati area.

Though located in the country unspoiled by sounds of traffic, First Farm Inn is not far from populated cities. The farm is just six miles from Hebron and Burlington, Ky., as well as Lawrenceburg, Ind.

Farm stay operators like Warner enjoy the trend’s popularity as it leads to more diverse and dependable income streams. For the visitor a stay is a getaway and a desire to reconnect with rural heritage and the food supply. Depending on which stay one chooses, there are chances to get close to llamas, goats, cows, chickens, pigs, lambs, horses and peacocks. Many offer fishing and hiking.

“We get people here who have their own horses and some who have a connection to a farm,” she said. “That’s the thing that’s becoming less common today. It’s a new generation of people who don’t have that connection to a farm. What we do get here is animal lovers.”

And there are 15 other farm stays in the state. In Irvine, in the southeastern portion of Kentucky, lies Snug Hollow Farm Bed & Breakfast. It is a secluded, 300-acre organic farm and sanctuary.

Para-a-dox Farm in Ewing, Ky., offers 350 acres of rolling grassland and a cow-calf operation. An 1850s stairway leads to 11 rooms. Country recipes are key on the dinner menu.

Thirteen more farm stays dot the Kentucky landscape. They are located in the cities of Springfield, Parkers Lake, West Liberty, Calvert City, Columbia, Idlewild, Georgetown, Corinth, Cox’s Creek, Brownsville, Lexington, Bloomfield and Shelbyville.

In Indiana, there are six farm stays. Locations include French Lick, Bristow, Madison, Thornton, Milan and Rome City. Other farm stays in the Farm World area are found in Michigan (7), Tennessee (8), Illinois (9) and Iowa (10).

“Farm stays are more than just spending the night on the farm,” said Todd Allen, president of the Bed and Breakfast Assoc. of Kentucky and the Central Kentucky Agri-tourism Assoc. “It’s a farm setting that can be used for a wide variety of purposes.”

Allen is owner and innkeeper at Maple Hill Manor in Springfield. He added that farm stays are also used for corporate retreats, business socials, family reunions, weddings and receptions.

“Right now is a tremendous opportunity for our farms to diversity in this manner,” Allen said. “We are combining tourism and agriculture, the top two industries in Kentucky.”

Prices at Allen’s stay range from $119-$169 a night. Average prices throughout this state alone range from $75-$200 nightly. For information about any farm stay in the United States, go to www.farmstayus.com