2008 North American Farmers'
Direct Marketing Convention
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Friday |
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Feb. 15 |
Feb. 16 |
Feb. 17 |
Feb. 18 |
Feb. 19 |
Feb. 20 | |
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Join us for all or part of the convention! | ||||||
Goebbert’s Farm Market & Pumpkin Farm Green Thumb Farms Inc. Haunted Mansion Hoekstra's Market & Greenhouse Jonamac Orchards The Little Farmer Milaeger's Inc.
The Goebbert family has been in the farm market business since 1947. In 1972, Jim & Esther Goebbert bought the 40-acre farm in South Barrington, Ill. Jim & Esther’s three children, Luann, Lee, & Lloyd, started raising and selling pumpkins on the roadside in 1978. The fall festival was born when the Goebberts realized that people loved being on the farm. In 1979, Jim & Esther made the farm a destination by having the fiberglass pumpkin, “Happy Jack,” made for the silo. Happy Jack is 18 feet wide, 15 feet tall, weighs 1 ton and is a landmark for many people.
In 1985, Jim & Esther purchased a second location in Hampshire, known as Goebbert’s Pumpkin Patch. This 200-acre farm is open to the public in late August for pick-your-own vegetables and in late September through October for the fall festival & pick-your-own pumpkins. Jim & Esther have retired, and their sons Lee & Lloyd, along with their wives and children, run the farm.
Green Thumb Farms started out as a lawn care business. In 1997, Chad expanded by purchasing a garden center in Prairie du Sac. In 2002, Chad
moved the business to a farm once known as The Berry Patch. He expanded yet again two years later, when he added Pumpkin Land and the Haunted Hayride. The retail stand is open seasonally for produce and greenhouse sales, plus donuts and caramel apples in the fall. Pumpkin Land features many attractions, including the Pumpkin Eating Dragon, Tom Sawyer's Fort (and tube slide), hay bale maze and Pumpkin House.
Located in Wisconsin Dells, the Haunted Mansion has been a Dells staple for many years. This is not an attraction for young children, as it aims to scare. It features "nine dreary dungeons of dreadful decor, complete with moving monsters and ghoulish things! Dark & dreary, just how this eerie home for lost souls should be."
Hoekstra's Market grows a variety of vegetables, plus melons, annuals and perennials as well as Indian corn and gourds. The Hoekstras have been operating the farm since 1981. They sell at their retail store on the farm as well as at five area farmers' markets.
Jonamac Orchards is owned by Jerry and Mary Lynn McArtor and Kevin (their son) and Denice McArtor. Kevin’s parents, Jerry and Mary Lynn, have owned the farm since 1984. Kevin and Denice got involved in 1996. The 40-acre farm includes 8 acres of pumpkins, a 10-acre corn maze and, of course, apples. They rent another 20 acres. More than half of their apples are harvested by their u-pick customers. On weekends when the farm is bustling with agritainment visitors, they McArtors operate a concession trailer. They have four cash registers in the store and two outside for u-pick customers. They brought in a retail consultant and are implementing a few of his suggestions, including expanding the bakery’s sales area.
Wade and Kim may have only been in the farm direct marketing business since 1998, but they have plunged in sleeves rolled up and a progressive attitude. Their can-do capabilities prompted them to buy a neighboring apple orchard in 2002, which complemented their pumpkin farm. They now have 230 acres, including 25 acres of pumpkins, squash and gourds, 23 acres of apples and 20 acres of Christmas trees. They have four full-time employees and have around 80 when they’re open to the public.
The farm’s agritainment activities include two corn mazes, Scarecrow Acres, the apple orchard and a retail store. The Kuipers charge admission for u-pick. With the admission price, visitors get a quarter-peck bag and a hay ride. They are selling tickets to an experience rather than selling a product.
The Little Farmer Orchard and Farm Market, Malone, Wis., is a seasonal farm situated on 139 acres along Lake Winnebago. The farm has been in Linda Struye's family since 1886. She grows 20 acres of apples and about 15 acres of pumpkins. Her mission is to provide visitors with the experience of a rural farm and a return to the land and their roots. She sells fresh produce, bakery items and caramel apples. Visitors can take a hayride and purchase food from a food stand. Linda offers special event weekends throughout the season, as well as school tours.
Medieval Times
Medieval Times began as a dinner attraction on the Spanish island of Majorca in 1973. The owners based the idea on the medieval tradition of royal families inviting guests to a festival and feast to watch Knights compete on horseback. Be prepared to step back in time and be part of the medieval pageantry. You won’t find forks and knives at your table as you eat an authentic feast while watching the center arena. Knights display classic equestrian skills astride snowy Andalusians. Medieval Times expanded to Spain and, in December 1983, to the United States. The first U.S. location was Kissimmee, Fla. The Schaumburg location opened in 1991.
Milaeger’s traces its roots back to 1949, when Dan and Joan Milaeger built an 8’ by 13’ hobby greenhouse in the backyard of their first house. In the 1950s, they moved to a house in the country and grew an acre of
vegetables. Joan, 7 months pregnant with twins, sold strawberries door to door in the city. In 1960, they bought the original 2 acres of Milaeger’s central location in Racine. Their first crop was hothouse tomatoes. Today, Milaeger’s has two locations, with 87 greenhouses covering 3 acres. In addition to thousands of perennials, annuals, hanging basketse and more than 80 variety of geraniums, Milaeger’s sells gifts, home accents, clothing, footwear, and an array of Christmas collectibles. It is an interesting blend of nursery, gift shop and home furnishings store.
Milford Hills Hunt Club
This lunch stop is set on 500 scenic acres in southern Wisconsin. Brothers Lloyd and Don Marks have operated the facility for 12 years. The hunt club caters primarily to sportsmen, who come out for the pheasant hunting as well as clay pigeon shooting. With their prime season from October to April, they’ve been seeking other ways to get people to the facility. With a chef and sous chef on board, they’re looking to expand into the corporate party/event market. 
62 White Loaf Road
Southampton, MA 01073