December 2020 - 30

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Crops extend season at Minnesota berry farm
By Dean Peterson
FGN Correspondent
It came in a hurry. After nearly 30
plus years of working in agribusiness,
and regular stays at their cabin on
Lake Nisswa in Minnesota, Todd and
Tracy Linbo visited a nearby berry
farm in Lake Shore, Minnesota. " It
had a 'For Sale' sign on it, " Todd said,
" and we put in an offer. "
They bought the farm, renamed it
Double T Acres, and 2020 was their
first full year in production. " We were
looking for options to move to Nisswa
full-time, " Todd said. " It was the berry
farm that provided that opportunity. "
Both Todd and Tracy are originally
from Minnesota. The move back
meant a new job in agribusiness for
Tracy where she could work from
home.
The berry farm had been modernized
with a deer fence and the five acres of
production have irrigation available.
However, the previous owner was only
in Lake Shore during the summer.
The business was growing with
more customers every year but the
farm only produced asparagus,
blueberries, raspberries, tart cherries
and some flowers.
One of the Linbos' first steps was
to add new crops to lengthen the
production season and give customers
more choices.
Asparagus was expanded as the early
spring crop. Tomatoes, onions and
peppers were added and described as
the " Salsa Row. " Pumpkins, gourds and
ornamental corn were also added in
2020. " We're living here full-time and
wanted to extend the season into the
fall, " Todd said.
More fresh flowers, most notably
more gladiolus and sunflowers -
and the addition of mums - have
expanded their offerings. " They're
colorful, eye-appealing and make a
creative display, " Tracy said.
The displays help at the Nisswa
Farmers' Market that Double T Acres
attends. " We also get some plants and
apples from other growers and that's
worked out well, " Tracy said.
Lake Nisswa is a tourist area. " The
people coming here are a pretty
diverse group, " Todd said. " We didn't
really know what to expect this year.
We were happily surprised at the
number of customers we had and the
number of return customers. That's a
huge compliment. "
" The key is to make sure we
exceed the customer expectations, "
Todd said. " You get to know people.
You want to understand their story
as much as they want to understand
our story. "
Visitors to the farm are the main
source of sales and Double T Acres
emphasizes messages people can
relate to.
A pick-your-own berry farm
is a way to enjoy the outdoors
while picking fresh blueberries,
raspberries and cherries. Planting
wildflowers in the spring attracts
bees to improve pollination and
enhances the farm's ecosystem.
The farm's sustainable agricultural
practices are a way to care for
nature.
The goal is to create an outdoor
experience that's a little slowerpaced
for people to enjoy.
" Some customers drove down
from near the Canadian border, "
Todd said. " They saw our website
and said, 'Let's go do that.' People
have a good experience and what
do they do? They tell others. You
aren't just selling a product. You're
providing an experience. " FGN
Adding pumpkins and other fall crops to lengthen
the production season helped Tracy and Todd Linbo
in their first year of production at Double T Acres in
Lake Shore, Minnesota. Photo: Dean Peterson
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December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2020
