Moms and Money: Sunshine Valley Farm

ROGERSVILLE, Mo. (KY3) - On crisp Saturday mornings in September and October, Sunshine Valley Farm in Rogersville is quite busy. Carloads of people come for their Pick-Your-Own apple event.

“Well, we started this farm about 30 years ago, in 1989,” said Jan Wooten, President of Sunshine Valley Farm. “We bought the property and planted all the trees and built all the buildings and grow all the berries as well.”

Wooten said it’s a labor of love, running the farm, which has seen some growing pains along the way.

“There are many challenges in growing locally produced food and we appreciate the customers who come out to enjoy it,” said Wooten. “This year particularly showed the challenges of trying to provide enough water with the drought and the heat.”

Wooten said despite the challenges, they’ve managed to find a sweet spot for their orchard in the Ozarks, growing Liberty, Red Delicious and Fuji apples among others.

“This part of the country is more known for its beef cattle production because we have a lot of pastures here and the Ozarks is not known for its fertile soil but we happen to be in one of the areas that has some of the best soil in Greene County,” said Wooten.

Wooten said it’s a joy to see the families come out and take pictures in the orchard.

“Well, first of all, everybody takes pictures so all the cameras are in overdrive and we do have a little picture area with our bench,” said Wooten. “Some people do a posed picture. We have lots of moms having their child pick their first apple. So that’s one of the favorite things to do.”

The Pick-Your-Own event happens on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. during September and October (weather permitting). It’s $7 for a three to four pound bag, $20 for a ten pound bag and a half bushel is $29. You can check their Facebook page for updates.

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