It’s a gorgeous time of year in Wisconsin, and we're not just talking about the leaves. Our next episode in our specialty crop series takes us to the cranberry marsh to witness the changing foliage and the vibrant red berries. James Lake Farms is a family-owned and operated organic cranberry marsh. They’re located in Oneida County, just Northeast of Rhinelander. Owner John Stauner grows 189 acres of cranberries, and he’s looking forward to a nice crop this year. The farm is open to the public on Saturdays in October. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

What do cheese curds, corn mazes, and football all have in common? It’s a part of the experience you get at Feltz Family Farms and Dairy Store. This week, we head to the Stevens Point dairy farm, which has added a farm store and other attractions for the public to enjoy. Cheesemaker Jake Feltz advises you to enjoy fresh curds while you explore one of their three corn mazes that celebrates the 2025 Draft coming to Green Bay this spring. Make sure to snap a picture and post it on Facebook using #WATAMaze for a chance to win prizes! This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

We’re kicking off the fall ag-venture season here in Wisconsin, and what better way to do that than at a pumpkin patch? Today we head to a celebration in Bonduel called Farmtoberfest at Porter’s Patch. Troy Porter is our guest today who is gearing up for opening day on Sep. 20. He’s harvesting pumpkins now, and says he's happy with this year's crop. They raise 55 varieties. He’s also walked through their 2025 Draft-themed corn maze! He invites families and fall fanatics out to enjoy the colorful season at the farm. Enter the Corn Maze Challenge by tagging your maze photos on Facebook with #WATAMaze for a chance to win prizes. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

Here in Wisconsin, beer is something we know and love. But you can’t have flavorful, aromatic beer without a very important specialty crop -- hops! August is a busy time of year in the hop yard. This is when the cones come off the vine and go to the brewery. But it’s more complicated than that. Today we’re heading to Four Winds Farm in Fitchburg with the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association. Farm Manager Joey Dunscombe tells us what it takes to grow and harvest hops. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

Here in Wisconsin, there’s an entire festival dedicated to an heirloom pepper. It’s the Beaver Dam Pepper Festival. Today we head to a Beaver Dam Pepper grower based in Watertown. Rose Fliess owns and operates Cornucopia MicroFarm with her family. She’s got thousands of pepper plants, including the Beaver Dam Pepper that will be the star of the show at the festival on Sep. 14. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

Welcome back as we feature specialty crops across Wisconsin and the farm families who grow them. The zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, and sunflowers are almost at peak bloom just east of Madison. Today we’re heading to Schuster’s Farm in Deerfield. The farm’s three-month season is jam-packed with one-of-a-kind experiences for families. In the fall, you can enjoy the pumpkins, the corn maze, and those beloved apple cider donuts. But you don’t have to wait for cooler weather to come over. In the month of August, they open their flower fields to the public for U-Picks, live music, and food and drink. Sarah Schuster is a fifth-generation farmer and the second-generation on her family’s agri-tourism farm. She also serves on the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association Board. The board's latest initiative is a Peer-To-Peer Mentorship Program for people interested in agri-tourism to get a helping hand from someone who has been in the business for a while. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

Welcome back as we feature specialty crops across Wisconsin and the farm families who grow them. Today, the cherry harvest takes us to Door County where we visit with Jim Seaquist of Seaquist Orchards. They care for 170,000 trees across 1,300 acres around Sister Bay. They harvest up to 15 million pounds of cherries each year. Jim says agricultural tourism has allowed his family to continue the farm business. Since the early 1900s, his family has expanded not only in the number of trees but also the number of offerings. Today, you can find their products year-round: pie fillings, jams and jellies, and syrups and sauces, to name a few. Despite early weather challenges, Seaquist says they are expecting a bumper crop. He is hoping for dry weather throughout the harvest. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

There’s nothing like biting into a cob of sweet corn on a summer day. And just in time for the Fourth of July, Skelly’s Farm Market in Janesville expects their first varieties to be ready for harvest. For our next episode with the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, we’re sitting down with Scott and Laura Skelly. Scott is the sixth generation of Skelly’s Farm in Janesville. More than one hundred years ago, the farm family started out as a traditional Wisconsin farm, raising dairy and row crops. But since the 80s, the Skellys have been growing sweet corn and adding other crops and agri-tourism activities for the public to enjoy. While Scott has been growing sweet corn his whole life, his wife Laura is a first-generation farmer in the family business and can identify with their nonfarm customer base. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

If you haven’t been out to the strawberry patch yet, your window is getting tighter. June is strawberry month in Wisconsin. Today we visit with Andrew Zwald at White Pine Berry Farm in River Falls. He says his dad went from dairy to berry in 2012 and started planting strawberries and pumpkins, and putting up a wedding barn. Today, the family has added Christmas trees and sunflowers, just to name a few. Zwald got involved in the family business in 2019. He says the reason the family continues to expand the farm is to make it a destination for the customer. Zwald credits the network he found within the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association for helping him navigate new revenue streams. He encourages you to get out and enjoy strawberry season while it lasts. Zwald says don't forget to check websites, social media, or give the grower a call before you head out to pick. Conditions change by the hour. 

In the rich agricultural region of southeast Wisconsin, you’ll come across a unique specialty crop with an unmistakable fragrance. Lavender. You may think of lavender as an ingredient in soaps, sachets, or perfumes. But the field we’re visiting today is full of lavender for you to consume. At Lavender Near Me in Whitewater, Amy Curtis describes what culinary lavender is used for and how it's grown. She says the schedule for this year's crop is unusual compared to past years. Harvest will be about two weeks early. That means the public U-Pick event is early, beginning Father's Day Weekend -- June 15. Amy and her family manage about 1,300 plants and five varieties of culinary lavender. What doesn’t get harvested by the public, they clean and package for sale to those interested in culinary lavender. Plan your visit: https://lavendernearme.org/. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

We’re heading into hoop houses in east central Wisconsin to get acquainted with a farm family that produces, in their words, green magic. We’re talking about sugar peas. They are fresh, they are green, they are delicious. Sullivan Family Farm in Manitowoc is growing peas among other specialty crops to live a healthy lifestyle and give back to the community. Ryan Sullivan and his wife are the first generation on the farm following Ryan’s 26-year career with the U.S. Air Force. Ryan found support for his family's farm through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farmer Veteran Coalition, Marbleseed, and Grassworks, just to name a few. The next step, he says, is to expand the farm's interaction with the public through agri-tourism. Sullivan Family Farm is enrolled in the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association's Peer-to-Peer Mentorship program. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

Welcome back as we introduce you to the bounty of specialty crops that Wisconsin has to offer and the families who produce them. Ovans Peony Farm in Beaver Dam is one of the sweetest-smelling farms you'll visit. Here you’ll find more than 100 varieties of peonies. Michelle Ovans takes some time with us as she prepares for the Wisconsin Arts & Peony Festival. This is in Beaver Dam June 7-9. Ovans Peony Farm will be center stage during that event, but things might look a little different than years past after a spring storm came through. She estimates hail damage took out 80 percent of her crop, meaning that she won't be able to harvest flowers this year. However, the blooms currently on the plants will still be stunning. Her farm will also be the centerpiece for the National Peony Society's annual convention and flower show in 2025. Michelle tells us how a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy turned into flower farming. She says through the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, you can find a network of specialty crop farmers to help you start or expand your own farm venture. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

Welcome back as we introduce you to the bounty of specialty crops that Wisconsin has to offer and the families who produce them. Today we’re heading to Mayberry Farms in Dodge County. That’s where you’ll find first-generation strawberry grower Danielle Clark. Her family of six started the adventure in 2017. Mayberry Farms in Mayville is known for its 12 acres of strawberries, but they’ve also got honey, dairy goats, chickens, and row crops. Danielle and her husband Tim grew up in farm families, but specialty crops are new territory for them. Keeping bees was also an unexpected joy. Danielle says the apiary has improved strawberry production through pollination. It's also drawn in customers across the country seeking raw honey or natural honey skincare products that she makes on the farm. She says through the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, you can find a network of specialty crop farmers to help you start or expand your own farm venture. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

Welcome back as we feature specialty crops across Wisconsin and the producers who not only grow them but welcome you to the farm for an agricultural experience. Today, we take a walk through the rolling pastures of Bull Brook Keep in Clear Lake, Wisconsin. They’re about 65 miles northeast of the Twin Cities. In the pasture, you’ll come across what looks like, at first glance, weeds. In reality, these plants can prevent sickness or cure ailments. Sylvia Burgos-Toftness considers herself a medicinal herbal student. She’s been undergoing formal education for eight years to become an herbalist. Her farm hosts pasture walks and workshops for people with similar interests. This is how the farm sustains itself after transitioning from a labor-intensive grazed cattle operation. Burgos-Toftness says the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association is a resource for farmers who look to transition the farm to a new commodity or add value through a new revenue stream. This podcast series is brought to you courtesy of Specialty Crop Block Grant 23-10. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.

This is the first episode of a new series that features farm destinations across Wisconsin and highlights the bounty of specialty crops that these farms produce. Over the next several months, we’ll go to strawberry patches, vineyards, cranberry bogs, fields of flowers, and more with the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association. Executive Director Sheila Everhart joins us in-studio to remind us that Wisconsin is a powerhouse in producing specialty crops from fruits to vegetables and from evergreens to peonies. These producers have an opportunity to open their farms up to the public to provide a food, recreation, relaxation, or education experience. WATA was awarded a specialty crop block grant to promote these agricultural tourism destinations. This series that we are about to embark on is possible thanks to this funding. Learn more about how to engage with Wisconsin's agricultural tourism industry at https://gowiagtourism.com/.