Pick-Your-Own Farming

Megan Neubauer and her father Jack founded Pure Land Farm in 2012. After five years without a profit at farmers markets, they decided to convert Pure Land to a pick-your-own and quickly discovered the benefits of agritourism. By reallocating all the harvesting labor to visitors and because the produce is sold upon harvest, Megan and Jack have found they're able to spend more time on the work of growing, allowing them to produce much more food than they could pick, prep for market, and sell by themselves. Upon encouraging other farmers to try pick-your-own, Megan and Jack ran into the same resistance over and over; most farmers are hesitant to allow the public onto their property, and they don't know how to create a good guest experience. "I searched high and low for resources on how to run a pick-your-own when we started, but there's just nothing out there, which is why I wrote the book," said Megan. "I hope it will help other farmers see the potential in agritourism not only for profitability, but to push the entire local food movement forward by educating the public about regenerative agriculture through the power of fun, immersive experiences on farms."