ROCK, Mich. (WZMQ) – Many in Delta County have been eagerly awaiting the start of sunflower season. As of Wednesday, it has officially arrived at one sunflower farm in Rock.
“We’ve been here for 44 years,” said Dan Hall, co-owner of Hall Farms. “We’ve grown the sunflowers since, I think, around 2011.”
The sunflower field at Hall Farms was originally intended for only a functional purpose.
“About mid- to late-October, we’ll combine these sunflowers,” Hall explained. “We clean them up nice, we bag them, and we sell them right here off the farm for birdseed. They’re the black oil type, and that’s what the birds like to eat.”
However, the field has become quite the tourist attraction over the years. This summer, Hall Farms has grown roughly 10 acres of sunflowers.
Hall says the public is encouraged to visit.
“We open at about 8:00 in the morning til about 9:00 at night,” he said. “We don’t really charge anything for people to come. If you can, we ask that you do leave a donation you feel appropriate to leave. We try to put that back into, for example, the port-a-potties are pretty costly to get. We also do it to build things and to make things out here for people to enjoy.”
That includes a viewing deck, as well as a number of activities for kids and families.
“There’s Minions, there’s Spider-Man, there’s a Statue of Liberty,” Hall said, gesturing to a group of colorfully decorated hay bales. “There is a basketball shooting wagon over here. There’s a big chair to take pictures. Then we have the corn box, which is absolutely, totally a complete hit with the kids. This year, we’ve actually thrown a handful of quarters in it, so if they find some money, it’s all theirs.”
Sunflowers only show their faces for a brief period, so visitors have to act quickly to catch them at their fullest.
“Sunflowers will be in bloom for about a week, ten days, maybe two weeks depending on the weather,” said Hall. “Last year, we did have a big storm that shortened the season up considerably, but this year we haven’t had rain and we could use some rain. They do have a life expectancy. The heads will start tipping down, the petals will start falling off, and we always say they go from sunflowers to sad flowers.”
Hall Farms invites guests to wander the yellow fields, cut some flowers for $1 each, and enjoy the beauty of U.P. sunflowers while they last.
“You go out there, and you stand in them, see the brightness of them, the beauty of them,” Hall said. “It’s really hard not to smile and to have a bad day when you’re standing out there in the middle of the field with sunflowers. Bring a picnic, bring the kids, take all the photographs, and make memories.”
Hall Farms is located at 2623 St. Nicholas 31st Road. For updates on days of operation as the sunflower season progresses, follow Hall Farms on Facebook.
