Our land is a historic farm that was sold to developers over 17 years ago. On the farm's last day of business over a decade ago, the minimum wage was $4.00 an hour. For seven years, this historical farm sat vacant. The weeds were as tall as our tractors. The buildings were sold, torn down, or stripped of everything, including the copper wire in the walls. The land was in distress. The mayor of Dewey-Humboldt and the development owners came to our family asking us to lease the farm, revitalize the land, and care for this historic property.
In 2010, we began a long-term lease with the property owners of what is now known as Mortimer Farms. Our priority - revitalize the land and open our real working farm up to the public to connect to the story of their food.
Fast forward ten years, a miracle occurred at the finale of our tenth anniversary! On December 30, 2020, a remarkable turn of events led to the opportunity of bidding on the property - a shock to all those involved, including my family. Today we are thrilled to own the entirety of the property once marked for development - a property that was saved from development after 17+ years of development plans.
In the last 17+ years, the country has seen astronomical price increases. Minimum wage, seed, labor, tractors, flour, transportation, butter, packaging, fertilizer, fuel, irrigation parts, interest rates, and every item we need to farm has increased and continues to increase daily.
Our business plan's foundation is economical pricing - competitive prices with others in our industry. Our prices are comparable to that of Sprouts, Wholefoods, and other agritourism farms.
We look forward to this fall season and enjoying the festival that made us famous with your family. The biggest, the most exciting, and the most fun of the entire year - the Pumpkin Fest & Corn Maze. Get lost in our giant corn maze, find the perfect pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, enjoy farm-inspired rides, games, activities, the animal encounter, and farm-to-table food. Plus, guests will enjoy an extensive list of shows, entertainment, Grain Train rides, Barrel Train rides, hayrides, and vendors each Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Columbus Day.
It is a pleasure to grow food for the community and share our farm with you! It is a pleasure to care for this farmland, its natural resources, and the animals/wildlife that call it home. We are beyond thankful for our community and the overwhelming support given to our farm and family.
We absolutely love Mortimer Farms and visit daily if not weekly! I am glad the developers never came! -Mandah Weeks!