Agritourism: Fun on the Farm

Fun on the Farm

Every fall, thousands of people descend on New York Mills, Minnesota, to visit Otter Berry Farm and see what Kris and Cordell Huebsch have come up with for their annual corn maze. Preparations for the maze, which features a new design each year, begin months before the seven-acre maze is ready for guests come September.

The Huebsches, members of the East Otter Tail County Farm Bureau, start envisioning the upcoming fall’s corn maze in January or February, when Cordell maps out and digitizes the design.

“It’s a blank canvas,” says Kris, pointing to designs they’ve done over the years, such as outlines of Minnesota, Big Foot, pumpkins and honeycombs. They also create sponsored designs, like 2022’s “Find Your Inner Otter,” a collaboration with the Otter Tail Lakes Country Association.

Around the first week of June, silage corn is planted in both directions, leading to thick, leafy corn stalks that grow to at least 12 feet tall. As fall nears, the digitized design is uploaded into a GPS, and Cordell cuts a path on a riding lawn mower, creating the corn maze that people drive from all over the Midwest to experience year after year.

“[Visitors] really enjoy being outdoors and spending time with their family and making memories,” says Kris. “Nobody’s on their cell phones. Everybody is playing and having fun and engaged. You see the same people come back year after year, and their kids are getting older, and Grandma and Grandpa come. It’s really fulfilling.”

Forging a New Path

Though Kris and Cordell both come from farming families, neither had experience running an agritourism operation like a corn maze.

A sixth-generation farmer, Kris grew up on a dairy farm in northeastern Ohio, while fourth-generation farmer Cordell was raised on a corn and kidney bean farm in Minnesota. The two met while studying at Montana State University. After graduation, they returned to Cordell’s hometown, where they purchased an 80-acre plot of land from his dad, right down the road from where Cordell grew up.  

Cordell began farming with his dad and brother, while Kris accepted a job with the Wadena County Extension office. But when they were ready to start a family, the Huebsches wanted to find a way for Kris to stay home with their two girls, Klara and Isabel (now 15 and 13), while still bringing in an income. That’s how the idea for the U-pick strawberry farm the Huebsches operate every summer—and later a fall corn maze and pumpkin patch—came to fruition.      

“We wanted to diversify and do something a little bit different than our family did,” Kris says. “At first, we didn’t dream about the fact that we were creating this experience and inviting people to the farm. We never thought of agritourism. We didn’t even know what that word meant when we started.”

Where Agriculture Meets Tourism

Agritourism is most simply defined as the intersection between agriculture and tourism. This includes activities like the Huebsch’s corn maze and U-pick strawberry operation but extends to other on-farm experiences, such as farm stays, horseback riding, weddings, concerts and farm stands.  

While agritourism is becoming more popular, it’s not necessarily a new concept.

“Going to your neighbor’s to pick their blueberries has been happening forever, but now we have a word for it,” says Freya Thurmer, a University of Minnesota Extension educator. “You’re not just someone cultivating blueberries. You are now also someone welcoming other people onto your farm to engage in the farming activity of harvesting those blueberries.”

According to the most recent Agricultural Census, 3,862 farms in Minnesota offer direct sales or agritourism across categories like outdoor recreation, hospitality, education and entertainment.

“From a farmer/producer perspective, there are a handful of reasons why one might choose to either get involved in agritourism or add agritourism as an additional enterprise to their operation,” Thurmer says.

One common reason is when a farm transfers from one generation to the next.

“The adult child of a farmer inherits the farmland, and maybe they already have a career and a lifestyle they are engaged in that they don’t want to leave, but they don’t want to lose the family farm,” she says. “So that’s where you see a farm stay or an Airbnb or a wedding venue that’s on that farm now.”  

Agritourism can also be a creative way for farmers and ranchers to generate an additional income stream while continuing to operate as usual. It can also provide social connections with others who want to experience agriculture.  

“Folks are wanting to engage in recreational activities that feel more grounded, authentic and genuine,” says Thurmer. “There is something, for many of us, that is more fulfilling and meaningful [about engaging] in an activity like interacting with animals or going and picking out your own Christmas tree and cutting it down. It provides a feeling of authenticity that you might not accomplish that same way from other tourist activities.”

Perhaps most importantly, these agritourism opportunities help promote agricultural literacy, educating people about the fundamentals of where our food and fibers come from, especially those who live in urban areas and might not have that exposure.  

“The byproduct of that is not just the good time they had visiting the farm but also the awareness they now have of where our food is coming from [and] the effort that’s going into agricultural processes,” Thurmer says. “Ideally, they carry that with them, and maybe they make choices to buy local, Minnesota-raised products, because they have a personal connection with that one farmer that they can extrapolate to other aspects of local agriculture, or they might choose to vote in a specific way that’s going to help rural life. We all win when we know more.”

It Started with Strawberries

A few years before starting the corn maze, Kris and Cordell launched Otter Berry Farm as a U-pick strawberry operation.  

“Our soil is perfect for strawberries,” Kris says. “We have very sandy, light soil. It drains very well. Then, being in the lakes area of Minnesota, we get quite a bit of tourism in our tiny town, so that helps in the summer.”

Before opening the strawberry patch, Kris spent time researching and calling strawberry farmers to pick their brains about running this type of operation. “It just kind of became a perfect fit, and what started with one acre of strawberries and ‘Let’s kind of see what happens’ went out of control.”

Since the Huebsches planted their first crop of June-bearing strawberries in 2016, that one acre has grown to eight. Today, Kris estimates that 10,000 to 12,000 people visit Otter Berry Farm every year to pick strawberries during the two- to three-week harvesting season that runs from mid-June to early July.  

“We didn’t realize how good the demand was [for strawberry farms],” Kris says. “We kind of stumbled upon that later.” The Huebsches don’t charge admission for strawberry picking; instead, they charge by the number of pounds picked. “Once people found us, it’s literally like one of those, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ And they do come.”   

Even with the popularity of Otter Berry Farm, the Huebsches are not immune to the challenges of growing a fruit that only produces one crop each summer.

“If anything happens to those flowers that are going to become strawberries [before] that berry is ready to be picked, we lose that opportunity with that flower and that strawberry until next summer,” says Kris of the invasive pests, fungal diseases and volatile weather that can decimate a strawberry crop. “After those first two years, we realized the weather could go either way in the blink of an eye, and we should diversify.”

Diversifying for Success

Cordell had been toying with the idea of a corn maze for a couple of years, so the need to diversify felt like the perfect opportunity to bring that activity to the farm.

“The folks that found us for the corn maze then found the strawberries, and people that came for strawberries then realized we did a corn maze, so it helped build both up,” says Kris, who welcomed the first fall visitors to Otter Berry Farm in 2018.  

Open on weekends September through October, the corn maze—like the strawberry patch—draws 10,000 people over the course of the season. Families make a day of their visit, spending time navigating the GPS-enabled corn maze and participating in other fall activities, which include wagon rides, a corn pit, a straw bale slide, food trucks and a pumpkin patch.

Seeing farm animals up close is another big draw for Otter Berry, with sheep, goats, chickens, miniature Jersey cows, bunnies, turkeys, pigs, a llama and a pony who doubles as a unicorn making up their “baby Noah’s Ark,” says Kris. “I used to show horses and grew up with horses, and I have an animal science degree, so I was kind of adamant that … kids should be able to see farm animals. What other chance do they have to see this and then talk to someone about it?”

That opportunity to connect with others in the community and educate them about agriculture is Kris’s favorite part about inviting people to Otter Berry Farm.

“Our business model has shifted,” she says. “Originally, we started as a strawberry farm, and we were farmers and it was a commodity. We didn’t have public education or agritourism on the radar at all. Now, we’re really selling an experience. Come find myself or my husband, and we would spend as much time as needed and would love to answer any questions about agriculture. I think it’s super important, because people are just so far removed from it. Knowledge is power.”   

Advocates for Agriculture 

Kris and Cordell are passionate about both educating on the farm and advocating for agriculture off the farm. Cordell serves as the vice president and director for the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, and Kris is chair of the East Otter Tail County Farm Service Agency Committee. Kris is also a longtime 4-H leader and fair judge.

Last year, Kris was named the 2025 Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year. The award, which recognizes Minnesota women making meaningful contributions to agriculture, is a testament to the success of Otter Berry Farm and the impact it’s had on the community.   

When the first acre of strawberries was planted, Kris says, “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so much work. I don't know how we even manage all of this.’ And if little old me back in 2016 would know me in 2026, I think my mind would have been blown.”

She is always thinking of new ways to engage with people on the farm, whether it’s planting new fruits to pick, like raspberries, or hosting additional weekend activities. In fact, Otter Berry Farm launched its inaugural “Sunflower Stroll” in August, where guests could walk through fields of sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and wildflowers, whether for pure enjoyment or as a photo opportunity, while also spending time in the farmyard to see the animals. “It’s just so fun to see how we've grown,” Kris says.

Visit Otter Berry Farm at: 
 38132 470th Ave., New York Mills, MN 
218-346-5034 otterberryfarm.com 

Is Agritourism Right for Your Farm or Ranch? 

Agritourism can provide many benefits, such as additional income streams and social connections with your community, but it isn’t right for everybody. Freya Thurmer, a University of Minnesota (U of M) Extension educator, recommends going through the following questions to start the process of determining if agritourism is right for your farm or ranch.  

• Why do you want to start an agritourism operation?
• Are you comfortable with having people on your farm, especially kids?
• What is your current schedule like? Do you realistically have the bandwidth to start and run an agritourism venture?  
• How hands-on do you want to be?
• What is the appeal of your farm to visitors?

If you decide agritourism is right for you and your farm, these steps can help get you started:

• Decide what type of agritourism operation you want to start, whether it’s farm-to-table dinners, goat yoga, weddings, concerts, farm stays or another experience. You are only limited by your imagination.
• Make a business plan. The U of M offers free business planning software called AgPlan (agplan.umn.edu), which includes an option for agritourism operations.
• Check with your farming neighbors to make sure they’re OK with the impact your agritourism operation might have near their property, such as a potential increase in traffic or noise.
• Look into your local zoning regulations and ordinances to make sure you can legally run your agritourism operation.
• Get the proper insurance. Farm Bureau Financial Services offers a policy specifically for agritourism operators.
• Connect with and learn from other agritourism operators by visiting their farms. Also, the U of M Extension hosts an annual Agritourism Exchange event in November for agricultural entrepreneurs to share ideas and experiences. Visit z.umn.edu/agtourismexchange for more information.      

Plan an Agritourism Experience 

If you don’t live on a farm or ranch—or if you do but want to explore other Minnesota farms—agritourism is a great way to experience agriculture up close and connect with local farmers, ranchers and growers.

Both Explore Minnesota (exploreminnesota.com) and Minnesota Grown (minnesotagrown.com) offer directories of on-farm experiences throughout the state, including petting zoos, wine making, tours, apple orchards, pumpkin patches and more.