Growing Family Fun

Darrell Geisler, co-owner of Growing Family Fun, participated in the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association’s 2010 Bus Tour in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Feb. 6-8. Malinda Geisler, who attended on behalf of Iowa State University’s Value Added Agriculture Program, accompanied him.

The NAFDMA bus tour drew more than 225 attendees from across the United States, Canada and England and traveled through Lancaster and surrounding counties to learn more about direct farm marketing and agritourism. The tour was shortened by a half day due to 20 inches of snow that fell Feb. 5.

Lancaster County consistently ranks number one among all counties in the United States on the chart of direct sales from farms to consumers by USDA’s Census of Agriculture. The population in Lancaster County is about 500,000. Of that, the Amish population is about 25,000. Lancaster County welcomes nearly 11 million visitors each year. Peak tourist season is August through October. The county hosts 11,000 motor coaches each year.

From left, Darrell Geisler, Angie Plager and Malinda Geisler.

Growing Family Fun was represented at the 2010 Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers & Marketers Conference held Jan. 29-30 in Des Moines. Staff member Angie Plager gave a presentation on Making Your Farm More Accessible to Visitors. She addressed how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 applies to farm venues. For more information on ADA, visit: www.access-board.gov/adaag/about/.

Darrell Geisler, co-owner of Growing Family Fun, was elected to a three-year term on the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association’s board of directors. Malinda Geisler, representing Iowa State University’s Value Added Agriculture Program, served on the conference planning committee.

More than 200 people, including about 20 vendors, attended the conference. The meeting was held in partnership of the Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, Visit Iowa Farms and the Iowa Department of Agriculture. The USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant Program provided funding. Additional sponsors included ISU’s Value Added Ag Program, Iowa Farm Bureau and Hy-Vee. The conference program had general sessions plus breakout sessions for beginning farmers, fruits, vegetables and agritourism.

The 2009 Growing Family Fun Share the Bounty food drive collected 937 food items plus a $25 check from corn maze customers. On Nov. 5, the food donations and money were given to the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s Emergency Food Pantry. The council serves short-term food needs at nine locations.

Thank you to our maze customers for their generous food contributions.

Darrell & Malinda Geisler, co-owners of Growing Family Fun at Geisler Farms, were featured Dec. 22, 2009, on Living the Country Life, a rural lifestyle show on RFD-TV. The four-minute segment explained why the Geislers added agritourism to their farm in 2005.

The segment is located on the Living the Country Life Web site. Go to www.livingthecountrylife.com and select Video/TV. Under the Living the Country Life Videos, select Country Life. On the Country Life video page, select Agritourism.

The Living the Country Life TV show and its companion magazine are published by Meredith Corporation in Des Moines.

Creativity in pumpkin decorating was showcased at Growing Family Fun during October. Part-time staff members at the farm were invited to participate in the first pumpkin decorating contest. They were allowed to decorate, not carve their pie pumpkin entries. Votes were cast from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31. Here are the People’s Choice awards for the following categories: 

Funniest, “Crazy Daryl,” by Matt Righi, Bondurant.

Scariest, “Scary Clown,” by Joshua Mosher, Bondurant.

Most original, “Linus and Snoopy waiting for the Great Pumpkin,”  by Becky Plager, Cambridge.

Honorable mention goes to “The World,” by Zachary Quick, Bondurant.

Congratulations to all of the participants.