Dustin and Nikki Snow were representing their rural agritourism venue located near Carnegie, Oklahoma, Horn Canna Farm, at the Local Ag Summit recently, and were happy to explain to Farm Director KC Sheperd how they diversified their operation. Established in 1928, Horn Canna Farm has been under family ownership and management for, going on, five generations.
In 2019, the Snows were trying to improve their soil with a cover crop and planted sunflowers. “The sunflowers were amazing,” Dustin said. “I was really quite proud of myself because I grew this wonderful crop. That was during COVID, and we decided to invite people out to the farm. We knew it would be a blessing to people because they were stuck in their houses, and it was a safe place to go.”
Located 1.5 hours from Oklahoma City, 3 hours from Tulsa, and 3.5 hours from Dallas, the Snow family was doubtful if many would make the drive, but according to Nikki, it has opened up an entirely different crowd to them.
“Where we didn’t think that anybody would drive that far for the cannas – that is a little bit older demographic of the typical gardener – not necessarily the Instagram crowd. The sunflowers provided this totally different opportunity for people to come out and take their really amazing Instagram photos. They really drew people in ways that we weren’t anticipating.”
Nikki pointed out that they are a working farm and that the work isn’t glamorous, but they have added props to their sunflower fields to add to the photos taken there and they try to add new ones each year.
“The highlight last year was a blue, vintage door that just popped against the sunflowers, and we had a working piano, so people sat in the middle of a flower field to play a piano, and that was huge,” Nikki described.
She said that people like it because they can come and walk in the fields at their leisure with no hustle or bustle and take as long as they like to get the pictures that they want for only $5 per person.
“I’m still speechless that people would come to our little farm just to see a few sunflowers and cannas because of the distance we are from… population, and there is really no other draw in our area,” Dustin said. “It is amazing to have people come that far and to be able to share with them what we do and experience people from other walks of life. That is really the biggest blessing of the whole thing.”
The farm’s Sunflower Days are planned for the third full week of September, from Friday, September 12 through Sunday, September 21, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.
“We have had photographers contact us and set up mini sessions and spend the day out there. We have had wedding engagements, and people bring their horses… People bring their own props; they use our props. The creativity has no bounds and so it is super fun,” Nikki said.
