09/05/2026
LOVE THIS! "If you have the chance to share Joy, why wouldnt you!" Peace, Love, and SUNFLOWERS! What a great read! š»š»š»
The sunflowers are beginning to pop open, so once again it's time to cover the basics. If you intend to visit our farm, please read:
THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
(THIS IS HOW IT WORKS)
-We are a corn and soybean farm, and we also plant a few sunflowers. Farmer Jim (Farmer Tedās dad) started planting sunflowers in the 1970s in the hopes of producing biodiesel. That didnāt pan out, but he liked the flowers and so he just kept planting them. Farmer Ted continues the tradition. We were never successful at keeping looky-loos out of the field, so we adopted an āif you canāt beat āemā attitude and allow people to stroll amongst the flowers. They seem to bring people joy and we are not about crushing dreams.
-The field does not have business hours (itās a field!), but if itās dark or youāre up to no good, go home! Take your shenanigans elsewhere. Go on, now, git!
-Week days and mornings are the paths less traveled. Although traffic hasnāt really been an issue since the day in 2016 that we have named āCarmageddon,ā to help with any possible issues, try to come out at a less busy time.
-The best sunflower is one not picked, so try to preserve the beauty for those after you. We REALLY prefer you not pick the flowers, but if you āaccidentallyā pick one, just know that they will probably wilt and die before you get home. Also, if you have a kid that really wants one, be prepared for that same kid to scream when they realize there is a bug on it. This generally happens when youāre driving homeā¦ (Youāve been warned!) Weāve seen sunflowers that have been chucked out of a moving car and we can only assume this was the cause. Also, if you do pick one, please leave a dollar for each in one of the red āboxes.ā They are a crop for us (birdfeed), so picking them costs us real money. As always, weeds are freeā¦the āpokey onesā are cockleburs. Donations are always welcome and very appreciated. (Even if the flowers donāt get picked, there is quite a bit of loss from trampling.) A sunflower in the field only lasts a couple of weeks; a picked oneā¦far less.
-***PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS*** Remember that if you're making $ off our field, a donation in the box is a lovely and much appreciated gesture. Donāt set up shop. And PRETTY PLEASE refrain from using the Grinter Farms name on your advertisements. It gives a false impression of endorsement and honestly, I get tired of fielding questions about what time slots we have available. (We donāt know, man! We just work here!) Plus, they get confused when I ask if they are signing up to pick weeds or rocks. (Yes, both real jobs.) Also, if youāre sending a series of messages demanding to know the exact date the flowers will bloom, the āmagic 8 ballā is what we will be using as a prediction tool.
-Still no restrooms. Itās a field and we donāt charge admission, so āholding itā is the price you pay. I used to tell people to find a secluded place out in the field...but that made the health department cranky, so I don't say that anymore. (Farmer Ted just uses the en suite in his tractor.)
-No, tractors do not have bathrooms.
-If you lost something in the field and itās big enough to damage a combineā¦find it! Trust me in that you donāt want to buy us a new combine. At least, I think that's what the person ultimately decided that left me her contact info demanding that I return her ladder once we found it. (It was beginning to rain and she couldnāt be bothered to go look.) I merely thanked her for letting us know where to send the bill. Strange! We never did find that ladder...
-If you find a sign that says, "Private Drive," that's exactly what it means; turn around and donāt go that way. If you see someone driving there, assume that they live there, are guests of the people that live there, or that those individuals find themselves immune to rules.
- DO NOT park on the street AT ALL. Itās just not safe and the sheriff doesnāt like it. Consider yourself warned. Also, slow down and watch out for people. (Always a good idea.)
- If you see a chicken crossing the road, itās not wildā¦this isnāt Hawaii. Us rural folk sometimes like to let our flock roam. Just slow down and let it pass; maybe try to figure out why itās crossing in the first place.
-We love friendly dogs, but not everybody does so please put your fur baby on a leash. And for the love of everything good and holy, please PICK UP after them. They make those doggie doo bags for a reason.
-We would never leave our trash in your yard, so donāt leave yours in ours. Yes, this especially applies to diapers! (Every rule has a precedent; this one has too many to count.) We do not supply trash cans.
-Although we considered planting the field in our climate-controlled superdome again this year, we opted for outside in nature. Nature is buggy. Honeybees are a given and are our friends. We go to great lengths to protect them. They are not at all interested in stinging you as they are just busy doing their jobs. To reiterate: there will be bugs!!! Thatās just nature, baby!
-Despite some sincere belief, birds and bees do not draw faces on the sunflowers. Humans do that. We kindly ask that you refrain from doing so. Sure, itās cute and all, but if done too soon, you are literally knocking the flowers off the seeds and killing any chance of that seed getting pollinated. The seed then wonāt form and it decreases our yield. (Remember. Itās a real crop for us.)
-I canāt stress this enough: There are no toilets!!!!!!!!!!!! (Itās a field.)
-Our farm is just thatā¦a farm. This is our livelihood. We grow the flowers for birdfeed. They are a crop and, yes, we have to replant them every year. Nothing makes farmer Ted testier than finding picked sunflowers thrown on the ground.
-Please remember that our farm is not a playground. If you see a tractor, round bale, grain bin, barn, semi, or any other equipment; we didnāt put it there to be climbed on or into. Please be respectful. (Google āprice of 2026 JD combineā if you need encouragement.)
-After careful consideration, we opted not to put sidewalks in the field. It was a thoughtful suggestion, but we came to the conclusion that the local deer population might slip and become injured.
-If you canāt find the answer here, but youāre still questioning whether something is permitted, the answer is probably āno.ā Wellā¦ I meanā¦it could be āyesā¦ā but assume itās a āno.ā
-There will never be restrooms. Ever.
-We are told repeatedly that we really need to charge admission or a parking fee. We still have no intention of doing so. For us, this is just what feels right. This is not an event or a festival; it is just a crop that weāve been growing for nearly 50 years for all the wrong (or all the right) reasons. We continue to share our field because, truly, if you have the chance to share joy, why wouldnāt you? No, we didnāt set out to do this but here we are. Some of the greatest things in life arenāt planned, and we are truly grateful for the chance to share this with all of you while we are still able.
-The last and most important rule: ENJOY! Put the phone down for a few minutes and just take it all in. Just be. When the sunflowers are in their prime, it truly is breathtaking. Look out for one another. While you are here, you all (quite literally) share common ground.
Kindness is contagious.
We are not here for ourselves.
Peace, love, and (of course) sunflowers!
-the farmerās wife
