Why We Changed How We Do Tickets — And Why It Took Us This Long

If you've been out to the farm in the past few seasons, you may have noticed that things work a little differently now when you buy your tickets (or make your reservations). We’re experimenting with moving away from the à la carte ordering to an all-inclusive ticket. You buy your ticket, you show up, and everything is taken care of.

We wanted to take a minute to explain why we made that change — because it didn't happen overnight, and the reason behind it is the same reason behind everything we do out here.

The farm has always been about one thing: slowing down.

You already have a full week. Decisions about work, kids, schedules, what to cook, what to buy, what to do next. By Friday evening, the last thing you need is more choices.

That's what kept nagging at us about the old system. You'd drive out, find your spot, get settled — and then the decisions started again. Which pizzas? How many tokens? What does everyone want to drink? Do the kids get ice cream?

The farm is supposed to be the place where that stops. Where you sit in the grass and watch the chickens and let the evening slow down around you. We weren't making that easy enough.

So we simplified. Your ticket now covers everything — pizza, a drink, and a scoop of Berrybrooks Organics ice cream. You show up. We take care of the rest.

Berrybrooks. Because if we're going to do ice cream, it's going to be the right ice cream.

We didn't just want to throw a generic scoop at the end of the meal. We partnered with Berrybrooks Organics because they share the same values we've always operated by — small, local, and doing things the right way.

That's not an accident. It's the thread that runs through everything on the farm.

Speaking of which — the food hasn't changed. It's just more visible now.

We've always been particular about where our ingredients come from. We grow vegetables right here on the farm. Our buffalo comes from Wild Idea Buffalo Co. in Rapid City — raised on open pasture, wild harvested, the real deal. Our produce comes from Caselli's Market Garden, The Harvest in Lennox, and the Sioux Falls Farmers Market depending on the season. Every sauce is made from scratch in our kitchen.

That's always been true. We just haven't always done a great job of saying it out loud.

The reservation change gave us a reason to step back and look at the whole experience we're offering — not just the logistics of how people pay and order, but what the evening actually means. And what we kept coming back to was this: the food, the setting, the people, the pace — it all belongs together. It's all part of the same thing.

Simplifying the ticket was a way of honoring that. When you're not worried about the transaction, you're just... there. Present. That's the whole point.

The why behind the ticket is the same as the why behind the farm.

This farm has been here since the 1880s. We've done our best to take care of it and keep it a place where people feel something when they arrive — something they can't quite name but know they needed.

Holding true to local ingredients, local partners, and local community isn't a marketing strategy for us. It's just how we've always done things. The reservation change is part of that same thinking: keep it simple, keep it honest, keep it worth the drive.

We think you'll feel the difference. And if you haven't been out yet this season, now's a good time to come.

Farmer Nancy