I visited Hansen's a couple of weeks ago with my boyfriend and his family. His parents said that we…read morewere going to a farm to milk a cow, so I decided to join them. When we got there, I wasn't sure what to expect. Everything looked okay, and we were lured by all the ice cream flavors, so I was not prepared for what was to come. We jumped on an open air vehicle to begin our tour. We stopped at the place where they have the cows all separated by age: calves, younger ones, and adults. We were first given the opportunity to feed the babies, which is when my horror began. I had the chance to feed a five-day old calf that was HORRIFIED. I didn't want to play into this game at first, but I overheard that the calf was being a brat; rather than allowing others to make it more scared, I decided to step in to bottle feed it. I learned that the cows are taken from their mothers at birth so they don't attach, and the tour guide had the nerve to tell is that their moms don't care. I get that this is standard practice at milk factories, but please don't insult our intelligence. Then we move on to the factory part, where we see the cows lined up and attached to the devices that are milking them. My horror grew. We learned there about the artificial insemination, got to see some cows not wanting to be herded in, and our tour guide saying they "should get over it," as it will be over in a few minutes. And of course, this is where the tour group is invited to milk one of the cows. I couldn't do it, but the rest of my group was happy to do so. I know that what I saw isn't likely even close to the horrors of the milking practices of most milk factories, but this was enough to make me want to cry. Then we moved on to another part of the farm, where the cows are kept in filthy and crowded conditions. We were told that they prefer to be in there and not roam because they don't feel safe roaming in pastures... what?! I couldn't do it anymore; I had to step away. Then they showed us their kangaroo collection. I don't know much about kangaroos, so nothing to say here about whether or not this was a happy situation. The kangaroos were just lying there looking bored or hot. The tour ended by us trying their ice cream, cheese curds, and butter (which they had us make). This part would have been fun, had I not been traumatized already. Again, I can imagine that this is the "nice" version of what happens in most milk factories, so thank you, Hansen's for giving me a glimpse.

We took our two grandchildren, aged 3 and 5. They absolutely loved the kangaroos, chocolate milk…read moreand the ice cream that was included in the ticket price. They also enjoyed bottle feeding the calves, the cheese curds and wagyu beef sticks. The 5 year old even milked a cow! It was a very well run tour! They had tables set up with our names ready to wait for everyone to arrive. They also gave out crayons and sheets for the children to color. We then loaded up on a tractor drawn trolley to take us to the farm. Our large group was divided into two groups. 1/2 went to the kangaroos and the other 1/2 to the calves. We were given slices of bread to feed the kangaroos. It was fun for the adults too, lol! When then moved on to bottle feed the calves, then visit the heifers and then the milking room. We were provided with some very interesting facts as we went along. We then visited with their 2 one year old female kangaroos. Super cute! We loaded up on the trolley to return to the main building. There they provided us with a choice of whole milk or chocolate milk, plates of curds and beef sticks. They also had jars of heavy cream for us to make butter. 5-6 minutes of shaking and we had butter! We then were able choose from around 20 flavors of ice cream. Very delicious! We watched a video on the making of their products and had the chance to purchase items. This was the second time we had visited the dairy in the last 2 years. This was just as enjoyable as the first time. I highly recommend this for anyone with young children! Or even adults! We'll take the grands again in a couple of years. Thank you for a wonderful time Hansen family!

Love this cute natural food store. Clean and open with a great staff…read more A little pricey, but it is Iowa and not a ton of locally supplied organics in the area. I especially love the barrel aged balsamic vinegars and herb infused oils. They are SOOOOoooo good!!!! Buy a bottle, use it up, bring it back and get a discount for recycling.

Absolutely adorable fine-foods and gourmet cooking store! HUGE selection of artisanal, local, and…read moreorganic products. Friendly and helpful staff, affordable prices. Check out their bottle-yourself oils and vinegars: all barrel-aged and cost-efficient when buying in bulk. Great place to pick up Rada utensils!

Luckily a friend of mine KNOWS how much I love U-Pick farms. Of all kinds. And this one is…read morecompletely full of flowers. Wild flowers, sun flowers, other flowers I didnt even know the name for.... Their season is short (Minnesota summers are short) but that makes it all the more special when you can sneak away from the city and explore Berry and Bloom Farm. It's also the most instagrammable spot ever, and the most quaint. The U-pick flower portion is on the "honor system." It is family owned, they only ask people leave a couple bucks for a few flowers (vases can be purchased for a few dollars more.) And I would probably hunt someone down if they took advantage of this amazingly open, kind, gift to humanity. I didn't take any flowers home, but left a few dollars any way because you truly can FEEL how much love and passion goes into this farm. Please understand that if you plan to visit: family owned. Small farm. Trusting people. Dont ruin the kindness :) Its about 30 minutes out of Rochester (great spot to explore if youre visiting the Mayo Clinic on a health trip.) Be sure to check their website though to ensure they are still open. This is going to be a permanent stop every time I visit this part of Minnesota.

From the owner: "U-pick Blueberries & Bouquets Seasonal Workshops Sunflower Fields & Festival Let Life Bloom! Check…read moreout farm hours and info at our website Sign up for our newsletter for the latest farm happenings at berryandbloomfarm"

Another off the beaten path garden center. Beautiful view and a charming setting on the farm…read more Plants are well taken care of and you will surely find something you want to add to your garden.

Visited this orchard on a nice late October Sunday and had the best afternoon! It is $8/person for…read morea 1/4 peck of apple picking (tasting allowed) and can pay more for bigger bags. As a group of four we greatly enjoyed walking around the orchard and finding our favorite apple varieties. Afterwards we stopped at the little cafe for some apple cider donuts and beignets, all which were warm, fresh, and absolutely delicious!! Ended our visit by picking a few pumpkins to take home for carving/painting! Would definitely recommend for couples and families as a fun fall activity!

The people were friendly, fresh veggies and plenty of place to move around. It was nice to stop…read morehere one afternoon.

My absolute favorite pumpkin farm since I've been a kid. In recent years, they've done away with…read morepicking your own out in the field but they have tons of sizes and gourds to choose from inside the shed. Dick and Letha DeMoss are the sweetest people and honestly, the reason I make the drive up from DSM. Letha bakes all of the bread and makes most of the jam, you must grab at least one of each! Dick is great for cooking advice; he'll tell in great detail how to prepare anything you buy. They have other seasonal produce: tomatoes, green beans, onions, etc. Find them at Ames Farmer's Market and their veggie stand in town! Lots of good photo opportunities as well-- antiques, tractors, fields, outbuildings. The cutest!

Hired a some teens to pick strawberries. Didn't communicate well with employees kept putting off…read morethe start date. Told teens to come get paychecks some did but they couldn't find anyone to get checks from. I have all of the screen shots. Communicate with your employees!!!! Pay them!!!

Heartland Farms will be a part of our lives for as long as we live in Iowa. It feeds the soul to…read moreget out there and see what the earth has produced with the hard work from local farmers. Always a great time with the family, whether it's picking pumpkins in the Fall or strawberries in the Summer, Heartland Farms is our good to for good healthy fun.

Access to this cute Cheese & Pie Mongers shop at Welsh Heritage Farms is rather convoluted right…read morenow (summer 2025) due to Highway 60 construction, but it's worth the trip, gravel roads and all! A whole crew was inside the business, visibly baking in the back. We were greeted and offered sample cups of apple pie, which were delicious. I scouted out the cheese selection; it is fantastic, with a nice variety of Wisconsin cheeses by makers like Hook's, Marieke Gouda, and Hoards. They do not sell pie by the slice. They have full-sized fresh pies and also frozen pies in small and large sizes. We bought a small frozen apple pie, because that's what would fit in our cooler. I also bought a goodly pile of cheese. Leaving the business was much easier, as we were able to turn onto Highway 60 toward Mankato.

Best pie that I have ever had. The service was amazing, very helpful. Nice little shop outside of…read morelake crystal that was very clean. I recommend to everyone. Personal favorite is strawberry Rhubarb.