So You Want To Visit A Sustainable Farm
You are one in a million, a person wanting so much to understand food production that you’re willing to take time out to visit a local farm.
That is exciting, and we are honored to be able to show you our side of the story… the story of a really-pasture-raised, grass-centric, rotational-grazing Crazy Farm, right here in East Texas.
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We are a truly family-run farm, and pretty much all the time, all hands are on deck! But we feel it’s important to carve out some time each spring and fall to invite you, the consumer, to come and learn about a better way to eat.
What to Expect During Our Farm Tour
Our tours are fun, but a bit physically challenging! Wear comfortable, closed-toe walking shoes or boots, and be prepared to cover a good amount of East Texas pasture terrain while observing our methods for raising grass-fed-and-finished beef, rotationally-pastured meat chickens, really-pasture-raised hens, pastured pork, and if you’re especially lucky, you might get to meet our Thanksgiving turkeys and some baby calves and chicks!
Our tours are engaging and educational, and though you won’t get to touch any livestock, (Sorry! They’re not pets!) we do have some farm critters that love a good ear-scratching, such as our friendly farm dogs, Shadow and Long John, and our farm cats, Tiger, Sassy, Attila, and Boudica.
Depending on the particulars of the day you visit, you may get to experience a cow move, observe a poultry shelter move, gobble at the turkeys, toss some veggies to the pigs, and check out the forage crops we’ve planted for the season. This is a real working farm, so you never know exactly what a tour day will hold, but we get wonderful feedback from visitors to our tours, and we know you’ll enjoy it and learn a lot.
A Special Tour-goer Discount
After the tour ends, you are welcome to visit our new farm store. As a thanks for taking the time to come and learn more about your food source, farm tour attendees get 5% off their orders (regular-price in-store items only, and excludes bulk/case purchases, volume deals, and online orders). Bring a cooler along, or occasionally we have leftover shipping boxes you can have to transport your cold goodies home.
Arrival on Tour Day
Please arrive at least 10-15 minutes early to get settled in. When you arrive, park according to attendant’s instructions, then visit our check-in table to … check in! Ha! There, kiddos will receive their scavenger hunt materials and farm sticker for the classic and 2.0 tours, and we’ll check you off the attendance list so we can make sure everyone has arrived prior to setting out to pasture.
What to Bring / Amenities
We request that you plan to bring your own bottled water, but we will provide additional water for those who run out. We do have a restroom in our farm store. We suggest “going” before the tour begins, as we will be quite far from the facilities once we depart.
We strongly suggest dressing for the weather—our weather can go from quite cold to very hot in just an hour, and our hill here in East Texas tends to run a little cooler than surrounding areas–great for summertime tours! Wear a hat, breathable sleeves, and closed-toe shoes. We strongly suggest tall-sided boots to help deter fire ants, thorns, and mud.
You are welcome to bring a camera, but please try to point it away from any project messes you may see! Remember—we’re a real, working farm, and we always have more to do than time to do it! Feel free to tag us on Facebook or Instagram @Shady Grove Ranch.
Hazards and Our Expectations
Pretend you’re a farmer for a day, checking out the beauty of your workplace, but taking care while you do it! Please be mindful of pasture holes, electric fence, thornbushes, fire ants, large equipment, construction zones, and farm critters. We have several varieties of wildflower that have wicked but invisible thorns, so best practice is to ask before you pick! We want your first experience with us to be a wonderful and fun one!
We humbly but firmly ask that you inform your children of the expected behavior on a real farm. There are real dangers on a working farm, and it is important that we all be respectful of those as well as other people around us. Children (and adults) should not touch or enter without first being invited or instructed. Do not feed, pet, chase, grab, or shout at the livestock. Do not throw anything at any time. No smoking on the property is permitted at all. Please put your trash in the proper receptacle.
Advice for Bringing Children
Our terrain may be too difficult for most sidewalk strollers, but a large-wheeled jogging stroller or off-road wagon would be suitable to pull toddler-age children. For very young children, a backpack-style carrier can be a good option. For older children, remind them that God gave them two strong young legs to explore a beautiful farm with. Enjoy getting some exercise! We will also provide a farm scavenger hunt game for children to complete during their visit.
Weaker Walkers
We do not have vehicular transport during tours at this time. If you have issues walking long distances outdoors or up and down hills, our tours may not be a good fit at this time, but you are welcome to visit our farm store and enjoy some time on our large Texas-style porch where some rocking chairs are located. We have some comfortable chairs indoors in the A/C as well.
Purchase Your Tour Tickets Here
We now host ticket sales on our regular online store page. Use the big green button to hop over and view the current tour schedule and purchase your tickets!
Private Groups and Consulting
If your group would like a private tour or farm business consulting, we offer private tours for $200 per hour for a max of 50 people including children. Private tours are fully customizable–tell us what you’re interested in learning about, and we’ll cater to your interest areas and cap the length according to your budget needs. Typical lengths are from 1 to 3 hours. Private tours must be scheduled 2 weeks in advance and can be weekdays or Saturdays. Call us for information: 903-665-7076
We also offer homeschool field trips for co-ops. Contact us for more information.
For the Farmers
We have lots of inquiries from other folks interested in sustainable farming themselves. You are welcome to join in on our monthly farm tours for consumers. If you need more technical assistance, we offer consulting services by appointment. Call us for information: 903-665-7076
