The 2022 Northeast Iowa Farm Crawl is Saturday, September 17, and Sunday, September 18. Enjoy the autumn weather and the scenic views of the driftless region as you visit the region’s agricultural businesses.
If you plan on visiting all the businesses on the tour, it will take both days as there is so much to see and do, plus there is quite a distance between stops, plus you may want to stop and take pictures of the scenic beauty.
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Convergence CiderWorks
New to Decorah and new to the Northeast Iowa Farm Crawl, Convergence CiderWorks is a must-visit in historic downtown Decorah. The business may be new, but the building is not and is worth a stop just to check it out. Once inside, you will want to try a full-bodied hard cider and their delicious food.
Empty Nest Winery
Empty Next Winery specializes in small-batch fruit wines. Instead of posting a picture of a glass and bottle of wine, it seemed appropriate to post a picture of the family’s farm, as the views from the patio are spectacular.
Also available are sangria, craft beer, and hard cider.
Sit outside on the patio or under the gazebo and enjoy a palate-pleasing glass of wine.
The winery is located on the Pam and Dave Kruger family farm, formally a dairy farm. Materials from the dairy barn were used in the construction of the winery.
Cheers!
Northeast Iowa Dairy Center
The Northeast Iowa Dairy Center, is a place to learn about the dairy industry, which will be a great help when you play trivia pursuit, you can pet a cow, and watch in awe as a robot milks the cows. Oh, yeah, don’t forget to snap a selfie with your favorite cow.
Peake Orchards
You never know what you will find at Peake Orchards. In this case, it was a baby calf. The hay rides out to the orchards are a lot of fun and an opportunity to meet new friends. The hays brought back lots of memories of 4-H hay rides on the gravel roads in Winneshiek County.
Purchasing a bag or more of apples is a must, as is enjoying a sweet-tasting sticky caramel apple sundae.
Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins
A favorite purchase at Pinter’s Gardens & Pumpkins gift shop is the freshly made fudge and cupcakes. Don’t forget to grab a bag of made-on-site popcorn, which comes in different flavors.
The garden center is filled with healthy, colorful, blooming fall flowers.
Seed Savers Exchange
Be aware that you can spend hours at Seed Savers Exchange exploring the picturesque farm. Take time to visit the gift shop, as you will want to pick up heirloom seeds to plant in your garden next year.
There are many opportunities to take selfies at Seed Savers Exchange.
Winneshiek Wildberry Winery
A family-owned and operated winery located on the family farm in northern Winneshiek County. Visitors are sure to find a favorite wine at Winneshiek Wildberry Winery.
Cheese Capital of Iowa
A cooler full of fresh squeaky cheese curds will be waiting for you at WW Homestead Dairy. You will also find a selection of hard-packed ice cream.
Other participating businesses
The following businesses are also participating in this year’s NE Iowa Farm Crawl. The plan for this year is to visit these nine agriculture businesses in the quest to experience new favorites. The businesses are Pop’s Produce, Plagman Barn, Iowa Dairy Farmer Dan Venteicher, Great River Maple, Country View Dairy, Heaven Boutique Winery, Unionland Feed & Food Market, Red Rock Farms, and Frisky Fox Vineyard & Winery.
Recommendations
If you are an early riser, make sure to include a visit Saturday morning to one of the area’s Farmers’ Markets. Decorah is from 8-11:00 a.m., Guttenberg is from 8-12:00 noon, and Independence is from 8-12:00 noon.
The “Farm to Fork” dinner at the Volga City Opera House, 609 Washington St., Volga, Iowa, on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Lunch is made from local ingredients. For tickets, visit vctcinc.org or call 319-509-0308 for more information.
2022 NE Iowa Farm Crawl map
The 2022 NE Iowa Farm Crawl map can be found at Visit Iowa. The map lists phones, addresses, and hours for each business.