This year's drought has slowed what's become a Minnesota tradition: visits to sunflower fields.
At Fresh Acres in Monticello, Zeke Berg said he would typically see sunflowers start to bloom in late July. "They're way behind. We're at least a week or two out — or later," Berg said. "It's hard to tell with Mother Nature."
While the start of sunflower season may be delayed a bit, several farms hope to roll out the welcome mat this week in Minnesota, the nation's third largest sunflower producer.
"The length of our days and number of growing days fits well with sunflowers," said Doug Joyer, general manager and a fourth-generation farmer at Waldoch Farms in Lino Lakes.
Viewing areas in many fields will be open — some donation-based, others for a small fee — as soon as the earliest blooms arrive and into September. Some sunflower farms also offer selfie stations, live music, wagon rides, places to picnic and pick-your-own opportunities.
Several state sunflower farms began inviting visitors six or seven years ago, after people seeking a closer look at the statuesque beauties trespassed or even trampled sunflower crops, Joyer said. As a result, some farms opened up their places for revelers with tourist-friendly features such as walking trails.
The popularity of Instagram combined with the pandemic, which prompted people to find more outdoor activities, helped propel trips to sunflower farms into a summer tradition for many.
"They make great social media posts and that drives a lot of younger people to the farm," Berg said. And "the pandemic opened the world of 'agritainment' to a whole new group of people."
