About two weeks ago, our phones started ringing off the hook as word traveled that the Farmstead property had recently sold to Idaho Central Credit Union! News outlets were eager to get the scoop, and our loyal friends and Farmstead patrons were very concerned about what would come next. Is this the end of The Farmstead? What will we do for a living? Where will Idahoans go for their Farmstead experience?
We typically don’t tout everything we are working on behind the scenes for several reasons. For one, there is plenty of stress and risk in each of our crazy ideas and we want our patrons to enjoy the fun fruits of the efforts, not be burdened by each step of the way. In this case, however, we think it may be helpful to share with our loyal followers just a little bit of what we have been working on.
For us, the idea of a corn maze and all that has followed began from a love of agriculture paired with the loss of our family farm and ranch. The economics of the time had gotten the best of my family when I was a child and my inheritance was this: a love of agriculture and the challenge to live it without land or equipment. From this predicament was born the vision of The Farmstead. Over the years, we have leased land that was slated for future development, knowing full well that it would not be available forever. These future development fields have had the benefit of good visibility and reasonable rent. The business of The Farmstead has allowed us to add value to our farm production—using our creativity and people skills to make up for what we lacked in acres and tractors. Although there have been some lean years, we have used the good years to build the attractions and experiences of The Farmstead as well as grow our production farming operation from the ground up, with the intent that we would eventually be able to bring our Farmstead friends to our home place. I won’t lie. The prospect of a future move from our familiar freeway location is a bit nerve-wracking. But it is also bursting with excitement for what will be the best chapter yet in Farmstead history.
For now, our lease at I-84 and Eagle Road will continue under the new owners. The MAiZE is cut (stay tuned for the design reveal coming soon) and pumpkins are growing nicely. We are building away on several new attractions and have some really fun plans in the works for this fall. ICCU has been a sponsor of The Farmstead for several years and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them as our landlord all the way until the time is right for a move. We are not quite ready to announce where or when that will be… we are still working out a few details!
Rest assured, though, once all the chips have landed our loyal customers will be the first to know. Which reminds me, if you have a friend looking for good information on The Farmstead—what’s going on, deals, or future plans—have them sign up for this email newsletter here. In the meantime, feel free to send us your thoughts by replying to this email. We’re all eyes and ears as we gear up for another season of Farming Fun and Harvesting Memories.