Agritourism is big business in Indiana with nearly 300 agritourism destinations across the state. That includes Kelsay Farms—a sixth-generation farm in Johnson County that has been in the agritourism business for the past 17 years.
“We enjoy telling the story of agriculture—and what a great time to celebrate in the fall,” says Joe Kelsay of Kelsay Farms. He and his brother Russ not only farm 2,200 acres near Whiteland, but his wife Amy also sets up part of the farm each fall to draw in tourists looking to spend an enjoyable day in the country away from the hustle and bustle of city and suburban life—and provide kids with teachable moments about where their food comes from.
“A young person loves to stand eye-to-eye with an animal, so we have all different types of livestock here. We can teach about all the different types of animals here and its eye opening for the kids. It’s fun to see their eyes light up when that light bulb turns on,” says Amy Kelsay, who manages the agritourism business for Kelsay Farms.
The farm also includes a seven-acre corn maze—as well as hayrides, a jump pad for kids, corn crib, and a snack bar for kids and adults.
“All along, my goal with this was to be able to work side-by-side with my family. I wanted to stay home with my kiddos, but also maintain my career. This has allowed me to do that. Even when our kiddos were itty-bitty, they could carry pumpkins, so they would help us,” says Amy. The Kelsay “kiddos” are no longer “itty-bitty.” Their oldest daughter Jenna is currently a freshman at Purdue University studying Agricultural Economics. Their other two children, Josie and Jack, both attend Whiteland Community High School and are active in FFA. Amy says all three still plan on helping out at the farm throughout the fall.
Before putting a business plan together, Amy says she did her research on agritourism.
“I looked around at other farms that were open to the public and even visited as many of those as I could to try to gather information,” says Amy. “There are so many amazing groups out there that are agritourism organizations that you can belong to. One thing I found is that everybody in this industry is so willing to share information. We don’t really compete with each other because we all have different geographic locations, and so most everybody is willing to share what works and doesn’t work for their farms.”
Joe points to agritourism as one of the many ways that producers have found to be creative in diversifying their operations and bring supplemental income to their farms. He encourages other farmers to seek those creative and unique ways to expand opportunities for their farms.
“I think farmers take a look at the resources they have, as well as their location, and find ways to add value [to their farms],” says Joe. “That might be processing some product that they grow on the farm. It may be growing a unique specialty crop or it may be producing goat cheese. It could be lots of different ways including agritourism. I think it’s really fun to be a part of this community because those in the ag industry have been innovative in the ways to add value to the things that that they do everyday.”
Kelsay Farms’ Fall Season kicks off Friday, Sept. 29 and runs Fridays through Sundays, as well as select weekdays, through Sunday Oct. 29. In addition, they are also hosting their Holiday Stroll from Dec. 1 through Dec. 23 featuring Christmas trees, displays, lights, and visits from Santa.
Click here for more information about Kelsay Farms.
