My Father’s Farm now open south of Ash Grove

A new attraction has made its way to the Ash Grove area, offering a family-friendly farm experience to locals.
 
My Father’s Farm is a new business created by co-owners Chris and Jessie Trogdon that hopes to bring families together with an easy-going atmosphere and myriad options for youngsters to enjoy themselves.
 
Chris Trogdon said that he intends the name of his new endeavor to hold a double-meaning. “My Father’s Farm” is both a tribute to his faith and to his own father, who passed the farm down to Trogdon after a lifetime of dairy and beef farming. Farming, he said, was a formative experience in his life.
 
“The memories, the experience I have, the work ethic, the morals, the appreciation for our lord,” said Trogdon. “I want to share that with them.”
 
It’s this knowledge that Trogdon wishes to share with the others in the community, especially the children.
 
“Just like discipleship in the church, this place I want to be a discipleship for the family,” said Trogdon. “For parents to stop using TVs for babysitters, spend time with their kids.”
 
 
Family activities
My Father’s Farm will have all the necessary facilities for family fun said Trogdon. One offer at the site will be a petting zoo, complete with rabbits, 150-pound tortoises, furry Highland cows, and many other animals, which can be fed for free with paid entry.
 
Trogdon also installed bounce houses and inflatables for the children to spend their energy, but he envisions the farm to be a much more relaxed, easy-going experience than some may expect.
 
“The main thing we wanted to do is to make a very calm, family-oriented atmosphere,” he said. “That way a family could come in here and not feel like they’re going from exhibit to exhibit and then [they’re] done and they go. We’re going to have a lot of chairs, a lot of bales, a lot of places for parents to sit and watch their kids.”
 
Trogdon also had a couple of food trucks slated for opening day, Sept. 12, with more to come on following weekends. Additionally, the farm will feature a multitude of mums and gourds, including some rare varieties, all of which are for sale.
 
My Father’s Farm will be open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. now through Nov. 7, which will be their last day in operation before the season is done, though they do have some ideas for a Christmas event in the future. Also planned is a Halloween Trunk ‘r Treat event as well as a potential concert.
 
Trogdon intends the farm to be a nearly year-round affair and foresees opening the venue to birthday parties and events in the spring. What matters to Trogdon at this point, however, is that the community feels welcome.
 
“What I want to see is everybody just not feel like they’re pushed out, that they can come in here and feel welcome, that this is part of their community,” said Trogdon.