Joan Allgaier
Joan is special counsel and practices as a litigator. She is a seasoned trial attorney and specializes in general casualty, medical malpractice, board actions, hospital liability, automobile liability, premises liability, aviation matters, recreation and amusement liability, product liability, professional liability, commercial matters, construction defect, and provides guidance on insurance coverage issues. Ms. Allgaier also counsels insurance professionals, adjusters, recreation providers, and non-profit agencies on safety, risk management, and issues such as best practices to prevent accidents and, when the inevitable happens, accident response.
Ms. Allgaier is active in several local and specialty bars and is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusiveness efforts in the legal industry. She presents at safety seminars for amusement and recreation providers to teach on matters related to risk management, requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act, responding to accidents, and claims handling. Ms. Allgaier teaches continuing legal education classes on trial skills and how to navigate privileges in order to identify and locate pertinent medical records. Joan was selected for inclusion in Colorado Super Lawyers Magazine, Rising Stars Edition 2013-2017. Most recently, Joan was selected as a “Super Lawyer” in the Medical Malpractice Defense practice area 2021-2024.
Kim Ayers
Kim Ayers has been a dedicated insurance agent at Leavitt Group since 2016, specializing in commercial insurance for Agritourism, Haunts, and any manner of outdoor recreation. Her approach to serving clients is rooted in her deep understanding and experience in these specific sectors. Kim’s expertise extends to understanding these risks and providing appropriate insurance solutions. She values the opportunity to meet with her clients and industry leaders in person. As an educator she strives to meet the needs of the participants. Her sessions are often lively and robust with real time data to help participants feel more involved and educated about their insurance choices. Now an agent for Risk Services Leavitt out of Louisiana, you can find more information at https://www.leavitt.com/louisiana/staff/kim-ayers
Maureen Ballatori
Maureen Ballatori (she/her) is the founder and CEO of Agency 29, an award-winning creative agency for food, beverage, and agriculture brands. Her experience in brand strategy helps companies scale business growth, define their unique marketing message, and attract their ideal audiences.Maureen’s rural roots are the source of her passion for agriculture marketing and food. She grew up on a dairy farm in Upstate NY. An active community member, Maureen holds multiple board seats for local and international organizations and she is a national speaker and workshop facilitator.
Erika Bayh
A leadership development specialist, speaker, trainer, advisor, author, & adjunct professor, Erika has been in people-development for 30 + years.
Erika cultivated her leadership development skills as the New York City-based The Leadership Program’s Senior Vice President of Leadership Development, where she worked in service to K- 12 youth, writing leadership curriculum honored by CASEL, OJJDP, SAMHSA, and more, as well as creating programmatic initiatives for youth and youth-serving professionals across NYC and the entire country. She oversaw the growth of The Leadership Program’s afterschool leadership and violence prevention programming for youth in grades K-12, becoming one of NYC’s largest providers of youth leadership programs, offering services in over 200 schools across all five boroughs of NYC.
Outside of the educational realm, Erika has spent the last decade lending her leadership expertise to college campuses, corporate boardrooms, community organizations, and individuals seeking to expand their personal and professional approach to Emotionally Intelligent Leadership and Motivation.
As a DiSC certified trainer, Erika enjoys guiding individuals and organizations towards greater insights into how teams thrive.
She is the author of the interactive personal growth journal, “On Wings & Whimsy: Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary,” as well as the deck of cards, “52 Ways to Connect,” designed for leaders to strengthen their team time. Both are available on Amazon.
Erika offers interactive leadership experiences centered around Emotional Intelligence, and she works in partnership with her clients to transform their personal and professional approach to relationship- building, communication, and lasting impact.
Erik Beard
Erik Beard has worked in the amusement industry for over 30 years. Since 2018, Erik has been Managing Member and General Counsel of International Ride Training LLC, a consulting firm focused exclusively on ride operations. Erik has worked with amusement parks, waterparks, FECs, cruise lines, and standalone attractions throughout the globe on any number of safety-related issues and projects. He is one of the guiding forces behind the International Ride Operator Certification program, the world’s only third-party certification of ride operator safety, professionalism and efficiency with over 75 certified facilities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Spain, Mexico, and The Netherlands.
Dale Bertrand
Dale Bertrand is a marketer and founder of Fire&Spark, an SEO and content marketing agency.
He has two decades of experience in AI and marketing, drawing on his graduate work in artificial intelligence at Brown University's Laboratory for Engineering Man/Machine Systems. At Fire&Spark, Dale deployed AI technology to make operational improvements. Now, he consults with marketers and businesses to help them integrate AI into their strategies and develop new capabilities.
He holds a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University with a focus on AI and computer engineering. Dale worked on a team of engineers who designed and built a 5,832-processor supercomputer for the NSA.
Dale was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurship Program and he speaks at marketing conferences such as SXSW, AI Summit West, Content Tech and the MIT Enterprise forum.
Lyndsay Biehl-Mercer
Lyndsay Biehl, the owner of Wildroot Flower Co, located in Marietta, Ohio, has over 20 years of commercial growing experience. She is a Landscape Horticulture graduate from The Ohio State University. Wildroot grows seasonal cut flowers from March-October. Their customers enjoy their flowers through a seasonal CSA, on-farm workshops, and a flower U-pick. Agritourism is the heart of her farm, and she loves sharing her passion for horticulture with others.
Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm
In 1971, Bill and Sandy Bishop moved to Wheatland, CA and purchased 40 acres and a rather run down farmstead. Bill farmed corn, alfalfa, beans, and hogs on adjoining rented property; but in 1973 Sandy convinced him that pumpkins were the way to go. Sandy was a trained school teacher and wanted to find ways for students to spend some time on the farm and have hands on exposure to California agriculture.
The field trips proved popular and Bill and Sandy soon learned that many of the children wanted to bring their families back to the farm on weekends. More pumpkins including bigger varieties were planted the following year and word was also getting out around town about the mouthwatering pumpkin pies that Mrs. B was baking from scratch in her kitchen. An old farm wagon was put into service for hayrides and the Bishop kiddos' ponies were saddled and tied to a tree for self-service pony rides.
The farm continued its growth from there with big additions to the grounds being the bakery built in 1982, the first train in 1991, and the Cider Mill that same year. The train was upgraded with a new locomotive in 1999 and a second loop to the track was added. Coyote Mountain and the first Corn Maze were created in 2001 and Hamburger Farm field trips debuted in the spring of 2002. Pig racing came to the farm in 2006 (NASPIG started in 2008); PigaDeli Square with its myriad of dining options was added in 2007; the sunflower field and Fanny Annie’s Candy Shop opened in 2009. The farm was annexed into the City of Wheatland in 2011 allowing them to build permanent bathrooms in 2012.
They built the play area known as Coyote Bend in 2013 and Charlie’s Carousel and Babe’s Cookieactory came in 2014. In 2015, Wayne and Ann were able to purchase an additional 42 acres of land adjacent to the farm giving the farm a new crop: almonds! Fire pits and the Harvest Barn were introduced in 2016 with much more planned for the coming years. Farmer Bill retired in 2004 with Mrs. B following suit in 2013.
Today the farm is run by Wayne and Ann Bishop along with their sons, Austin and Lee, and Lee's wife, Courtney. The 5 Bishop family members, with the help of 15 full-time employees, and approximately 800 more seasonal team members, continue to operate the farm seasonally every September-November for 9 weeks of harvesting memories. In 2021, they created 2 custom rides: Bishop's Flying Service and Farmer Bill's Tootling Tractors. The tractor ride is especially meaningful to the family as it was designed as a tribute to the founder, Farmer Bill, who passed away in May 2021.
Robert Bosken
Robert Bosken is a Risk Manager with 25 years of experience in the Insurance & Risk Management Industry. Following a job change in 2013, Robert shifted his focus to the Amusement Park Industry. With a proven track record of reducing claims and increasing safety awareness Robert is confident in his ability to promote safety and get results.
Michele Brown
Michele Brown is a seasoned floral hobbyist and co-owner of Brown Hill Farms, located just outside the town of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. Alongside her husband, Scott Brown, Michele plays a pivotal role in managing the farm's agri-tourism operations that opened in 2017, where she oversees the flower fields, retail market, and animal care.
With a background in entrepreneurship, Michele successfully ran a full-service bridal shop with her sister for two decades. During this time, they integrated an existing floral shop into their business, which they operated for 10 years before selling it to family members. This venture provided Michele with invaluable experience in floral design, proper care and handling of cut flowers, and customer relations.
Michele's artistic background has significantly influenced the aesthetic and creative development of Brown Hill Farms, transforming it into a vibrant and inviting destination for families and flower enthusiasts.
In her leisure time, Michele enjoys traveling with her husband, hiking, and exploring other farms that share similar agri-tourism experiences.
Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker. Before building and selling a thriving digital marketing agency, Andrew produced for NBC’s Today Show, worked for The Muppets in New York and wrote for Charles Kuralt. He's appeared in the New York Times, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and on NBC and the BBC.
Davis has crafted documentary films and award-winning content for tiny start-ups and Fortune 500 brands. Recognized as one of the industry's "Jaw-Dropping Marketing Speakers”, Andrew is a mainstay on global marketing influencer lists.
Wherever he goes, Andrew Davis puts his infectious enthusiasm and magnetic speaking style to good use teaching business leaders how to grow their businesses, transform their cities, and leave their legacy.
Michael Diettrich – Chastain
Michael Diettrich-Chastain is an expert on change management & peak performance in the workplace. As an executive coach, author, facilitator, licensed therapist, and international speaker, Michael has a unique understanding of behavior change, leadership, workplace culture and group dynamics.
He is the founder and CEO of Arc Integrated, an organizational consulting and executive coaching firm based in Asheville, NC. Michael and his team specialize in creating company cultures of radical engagement and purpose through improving leadership, emotional intelligence, and communication. In the last two decades, he has helped thousands of leaders from across the globe improve their influence and impact.
Krista Duynisveld Hulshof
Krista Duynisveld Hulshof is the Owner and Principal Architect at VELD architect—Canada’s only architecture firm focused exclusively on rural design and telling farm stories through built spaces. With 17 years of experience in architecture and a deep-rooted background in agriculture, Krista specializes in designing practical, beautiful spaces and sites that boost farm operations, improve visitor experience, and increase revenue.
She grew up on a dairy farm, is married to a pig farmer, and lives in a passive barn conversion she designed herself. Krista is a leading voice in agritourism and high-performance rural buildings. She holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Architecture from the University of Waterloo, along with certifications in hospitality design and informal training in theme park design. Clients value Krista’s no-nonsense approach, deep understanding of farm life, and ability to cut through red tape to deliver practical solutions. Her designs aren’t just buildings. They're tools to help farmers tell their story, connect with visitors, and run better farm operations.
Angie & Chris Eckert
Angie Boeker Eckert earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois in Horticulture and a Master’s of Science in Agricultural Education from The Ohio State University. Angie taught horticulture at Southwestern Illinois College, coordinated Adult Education Classes for the Missouri Botanical Garden and ran a horticultural speaking business for several years before joining her husband’s seventh generation orchard and retail operation. At Eckert’s, Angie initially managed the greenhouse and landscape design entities. Currently, she serves as the Vice President of Retail Operations for Eckert’s located in Belleville, Illinois where she oversees the specialty food store, garden center, as well as retail products at four seasonal locations.
She is avid promoter of local foods and she speaks regularly to visitors and groups. She has co-authored three cookbooks with her sister-in-law: The Eckert Family Spring, Summer and Fall Cookbooks.
In her free time, Angie loves to cook and garden at her home on the farm where she lives with her husband Chris, and two children and golden retriever. Angie believes the best family memories are made around the dinner table with good food and company!
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Chris Eckert is the President and CEO of Eckert’s Country Store and Farms in Belleville, IL. Chris is a member of the seventh generation of Eckerts to farm in St. Clair County. Eckerts grows approximately 600 acres of fruit and vegetable crops and operates a farm market, restaurant, garden center and the largest pick your own fruit business in the country.
Chris also serves the fruit industry as Past President of the National Peach Council, and the Illinois State Horticulture Society. He has advocated on behalf of the fruit industry for immigration reform both locally and nationally.
Chris is married to his high school sweetheart, Angie. Angie also works in the family business and serves as the Vice President of Retail Operations. They reside in a historic family home on their farm in Belleville with their children, daughter Ella and son Theo.
Kylee Zdunic-Rasch & Kyle Gannon
Kylee Zdunic-Rasch has been working in crop insurance for a decade. Her experience growing up on a farm and being married to an apple farmer translate well into her professional life - so she is not exaggerating when she says she lives and breathes agriculture.
Kylee earned her undergraduate degree in Agribusiness Management from Michigan State University and then went on to complete her MBA. As an insurance agent at Newaygo Insurance Agency, she is proud to be able to help growers in the event that a disaster strikes, while keeping their bottom line in mind.
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Kyle Gannon lives in Montana with his wife Kelli and their son Van. He’s been in crop insurance for 14 years and has spent his career working in the western half of the country where WFRP and Microfarm have a heavy concentration. Through his involvement with various industry committees, he has worked to help develop these two products into sustainable options for the ag industry. Kyle’s passion is providing the American farmer with viable options for risk management for their operations.
Jeff Greenwood
With over 20 years of experience in the agritourism industry, Jeff Greenwood has a proven track record as the owner/operator of a highly successful agritourism business that welcomed 80,000+ guests annually. Today, Jeff is a recognized leader who is passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise. Through his specialized consulting company, Growing with Greenwood, Jeff has assisted farmers nationwide in improving their operations. He works with clients to drive strategic improvements and develop creative solutions that boost profitability while also enriching the experience for guests, employees, and owners.
Peggy Kirk Hall
Peggy Kirk Hall is the Director of The Ohio State University’s Agricultural & Resource Law Program, providing research and outreach on legal issues affecting Ohio agriculture with a focus on land use, natural resource, and property law and food and agritourism businesses. She is a research partner with the National Agricultural Law Center and has taught Agribusiness Law in OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural & Environmental Sciences for 25 years. Hall has served as President of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) and has received AALA’s Excellence in Agricultural Law Award and Distinguished Service Award. She’s also the recipient of the Distinguished Extension Faculty award from her College and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents’ Distinguished Service Award. Hall holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Natural Resource Policy from OSU and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming College of Law, where she was on the Land & Water Law Review.
Melissa Hunt
Melissa Hunt has worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for 22 years, 21 of which have been in the Division of Marketing and Development. As the department’s agritourism point person, she loves visiting farms and being an agritourist. Her role at the department allows her to interact with farmers, policymakers, and members of the community to promote agritourism.
Marc-André Isabelle
Marc-André Isabelle graduated in Bioresource Engineering from McGill in 2010 and began his horticulture career with strawberries in 2015.
He then gradually gained experience with flowers and sunflowers. Over this period, he has grown over 100 varieties of sunflowers and well over 200 varieties of flowers to create a picturesque 10 acre flower and sunflower field that surrounds a flower U-pick area.
He acquired knowledge on growing flowers in and out of ground through both research and experimentation resulting in an improved design year after year.
In his free time, Marc André enjoys discovering new ideas and exploring other farms.
Sara Mazzolla
Sara actively defends matters involving premises liability, amusements, sports and recreation, construction, automobile, and condominium/community association law. Sara also defends professional liability claims involving sports coaches and real estate professionals.
In her career, Sara has defended Fortune 500 retailers, restaurant businesses, and major hospital networks in New Jersey premises liability actions. Sara routinely represents sports facilities, World and Olympic coaches, athletes, sports teams, and contractors in a wide array of matters.
She is a former U.S. International Figure Skating Team Competitor, two-time U.S. National Figure Skating Championship Medalist (including winning a National Championship) and World Junior Team Member.
In conjunction with a pro bono organization, Partners for Women and Justice, Sara has successfully represented domestic violence victims in obtaining final restraining orders in New Jersey family court.
Hugh McPherson
Hugh McPherson, the seasoned Maze Master at Maize Quest, has been entertaining and ‘losing' guests with his “corny” jokes since 1997. Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park is home to the signature Fall Festival and now features a Lavender Festival, Sunflower Festival, and HalfToberFest events.
He’s the 5th generation at Maple Lawn Farms which welcomes guests to pick their own peaches, apples, pumpkins, cherries & blueberries throughout the season. In 2015, Hugh launched Maple Lawn Winery to add value to the fruit crop and welcome a new market of wine-loving guests.
Hugh, the mastermind behind Maize Quest and Super Mega Slide, has a proven track record of innovative, profitable attraction design. He brings value across the agritourism industry with online courses in marketing, employee training, and pricing strategy, as well as his books “The 31-day Turnaround” and “Customers Coming Out Of Your Ears,” which debuted at the top of Amazon’s Agriculture Books category.
Hugh holds an Agricultural Business Management degree from Penn State University and serves as the choir director at Centre Presbyterian Church in New Park, PA. His pride and joy are his wife Janine, daughter Annie, and son Ian.
Frank Price
FL Price is a consulting and training firm for the family entertainment and leisure industries. Frank Price personally challenges new starts, modernizations and current owners with over 25 years’ experience, to deliver high level, quality experiences. He specializes in providing the tools to build the perfect staff, including placement by personality temperament type and the training systems that make your people an attraction.
Frank designs and customizes key revenue center processes. He develops the systems and processes that mold your business beyond the design and build phase, by redefining the way you do business.
Frank founded Birthday University in 2000 to answer the need to produce high quality, profitable commercial birthday parties. Birthday University continues to tour in its 18th successful year, teaching businesses like Disney, Hershey Park, Bam Fun Center, Hollywood Park, Andretti Thrill Park, San Diego Ice Rink, Roseville Skate Town, The Ontario Science Center, The Florida Aquarium, Hero’s and thousands of other family entertainment enterprises, the business of remarkable and profitable birthday parties.
Jonathan Raduns
Jonathan Raduns's deep-rooted passion for farm retail began with his family's produce sales, Western NY tailgate markets, and fresh produce retailing with Wegmans. Since 2012, his company, Merchandise Food, advises leading restaurant and hospitality groups, along with natural, specialty, grocery, and farm retailers across North America. He's here to give you practical, actionable advice that you can put into practice tomorrow.
Kirsten Ramos
For nearly 20 years, Kirsten Ramos has worked in the learning and development field, with experience working for both large and small organizations.
In 2016, she founded Elevate Performance Solutions which helps individuals and teams communicate better for greater employee retention and job satisfaction leading to higher organization profits.
Kirsten is an executive coach, conference speaker, faculty at Mary Baldwin University, and a pained Chicago White Sox fan.
Courtney Ramsey
With a focus on relationship-building and communication, Courtney Ramsey helps leaders and high performers quit hitting snooze on the things that drive employee satisfaction, retention, and engagement.
Courtney received her MBA and BBA from Texas A&M University and was part of the adjunct faculty at SMU’s Cox School of Business. She’s a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) with the Society of Human Resource Management and Certified Training Professional (CPTD) with the Association for Talent Development. She’s also the President of the National Speakers Association of North Texas.
As a wife and mom, her idea of a good time is true crime, a glass of wine, and being in bed by nine. (Dateline is her favorite!)
Chris Roehm
Chris Roehm is a Certified Financial Planner™ located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Three years ago, he created niche offering tax savings plans for farmers across the USA. To date, he has installed eighty (80) custom designed retirement plans.
Chris has a degree in Food Science from the University of Florida.
Outside of work, Chris has many interests. He's been a rugby referee for 40 years and loves getting pulled around the neighborhood on a skateboard by his 70-pound pit bull Toto.
Jackie Schweichler
Jackie Schweichler is a Staff Attorney at the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law at Penn State University. In this role, she provides legal research, analysis, and education on a wide array of issues impacting agricultural law and policy. Her primary areas of focus include liability, agritourism regulation, seed law, pesticide use and compliance, and rural economic development.
Ms. Schweichler is also the Director of Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Mediation Program, a USDA- initiative that facilitates alternative dispute resolution for agricultural producers and landowners throughout the Commonwealth. In this capacity, she oversees mediation services addressing matters such as credit and lending, conservation compliance, and farm transition planning.
Marshal Sewell
Marshal is a lifelong agriculturalist, raised on his family’s fifth-generation fruit and vegetable farm in Plant City, Florida. With a degree in agricultural economics and a deep personal passion for mental health advocacy, he co- founded the Mind Your Melon Foundation, an organization dedicated to addressing farm stress and farmer mental health. Through both personal experience and professional work, he has come to lean on the pillars of faith, family, and farming. Having witnessed the peaks and valleys of farm life firsthand, he remains committed to cultivating resilience in agricultural communities.
Paige Simpson
Paige Simpson is the Food and Beverage Manager at Wickham Farms, where she oversees operations serving more than 100,000 guests each season, and leads a team of over 85, many of whom are part-time high schoolers. Although she grew up in the family business, Paige was determined to forge her own path, spending seven years after college working in purchasing, product development, and supply chain analytics for national retailers including Walmart and Trader Joe’s.
In 2021, following the farm’s relocation and a major reinvestment strategy, Paige returned to the family business to lead the Food and Beverage division. Since then, she has transformed operations across eight kitchens, implementing scalable systems, developing staff training programs, and elevating guest experience—all while supporting strong business growth. On peak days, her team serves upwards of 6,000 guests with high-quality, efficiently delivered offerings that contribute meaningfully to the farm’s success.
Adam Stoker
Adam Stoker has worked closely with tourism destinations across the country since 2012. In 2016, he acquired the agency where he was employed, subsequently rebranding it as Relic—a widely recognized tourism marketing agency. Leading a team of 36 professionals, Adam is committed to holistic marketing, providing comprehensive solutions to various challenges. For nearly a decade, he has specialized in owned media, stakeholder engagement, destination branding and more. Adam is also the host of the Destination Marketing Podcast, a weekly show with over 120,000 total listens showcasing engaging discussions with industry professionals worldwide. Adam’s industry influence has allowed him to present at various events, including the North Carolina Tourism Conference, Myrtle Beach NTTW Summit, Utah Tourism Conference, Texas Travel Summit and Destinations International Advocacy Summit, among others. Currently, Adam serves as a board member of the Utah Tourism Industry Association.
Tricia Phelps & Erika Tebbens
Tricia Phelps is the Chief Executive Officer at Taste the Local Difference (TLD). She has led the business for more than a decade of its twenty-year history, transforming TLD into a nationally recognized local food marketing agency serving thousands of passionate local food and farm entrepreneurs across the country. Tricia's expertise in marketing strategy, business development and local food systems positions her, and the rest of the TLD team, as a valuable resource and go-to technical assistance provider for the local food community. To learn more go to LocalFoodMarketing.com
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Erika Tebbens is the Director of Impact at Taste the Local Difference. TLD is a marketing agency for purpose-driven food and farm businesses, working across the food system value chain since 2004. Before joining TLD, Erika spent a decade working with entrepreneurs on their sales and growth strategy as a highly respected business consultant, and she used to farm and keep bees. To learn more go to LocalFoodMarketing.com
Mary Temple
Prior to becoming an independent consultant and coach in 2020, Mary co-founded BTS Consulting and Training, LLC. For 20 years, she led a team of professional facilitators and support staff who conducted leadership, management, customer satisfaction and specialized training and for automotive retail, manufacturing, government, consulting and retail clients.
Her delivery footprint includes locations throughout the US as well as Australia, South Africa, Mexico, Canada and Europe – quite an accomplishment for a country girl who grew up on a farm in mid-Michigan. Mary holds an undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University in Communication and a master’s degree from Michigan State University in Education. She has two fabulous daughters and loves to travel to escape Michigan winters and hang out on the pontoon boat in the all too short Michigan summer.
Kellie Crye Ward
Kellie Crye Ward is a graphic and web designer with nearly two decades of experience working with marketing agencies, higher education, and major corporations. Alongside her professional career, she has taught graphic design at the University of Tennessee and founded CryeStudio, a design studio and educational YouTube channel. Kellie's core mission is to make design and software learning accessible for all.
Randy White
Randy White, CEO of White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, has assisted farms throughout North America since 1994 with all aspects of agritourism design and operations. Randy’s company also publishes the Agritourism Today newsletter with over 1,200 subscribers.
Debbie Wickham
Debbie Wickham is the co-owner of Wickham Farms and a big fan of all things blooming. After studying Mechanical Engineering at Cornell and spending years working at Xerox, she traded in the office life in 2017 to become a full-time (and then some) flower farmer.
Since then, Debbie has been growing everything from sunflowers and lavender to wildflowers and nearly 30 varieties of specialty cut flowers. She’s been at it for over 14 years, learning through lots of trial and error—and she’s picked up a ton of practical know-how along the way.
These days, she not only runs the flower fields but also plans all kinds of fun, flower-focused events: yoga among the blooms, Mommy & Me tea parties, dried flower workshops, bouquet bars for parties—you name it.
Debbie's happy place is the flower fields!