Christmas in the Country
Farm Journal teams up each year for “Christmas in the Country.” The special editions of AgDay and U.S. Farm Report shares stories of lights, laughter and love. This year, the team travels across the country to capture stories of giving and joy, from the magic of bell-making, to a life-saving gift.
Hidden among farm fields, a small chapel preserves rare relics tied to the Christmas story, offering visitors a quiet place to reflect on faith, history and the meaning of the season.
Stensland Family Farmers started their creamery to diversify their Northwest Iowa farm. Today they make over 80 flavors of ice cream at the farm and this time of year offer many holiday favorites and promotions.
Surrounded by Delta farmland, Wilson, Ark., surprises visitors year-round with its English Tudor-style architecture, high-end boutique hotel and unique charm. But at Christmas, the town lights up.
The Palmer’s Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe draws customers from all over the region and country and is a delicious step back in time during the holidays or any time of year.
While the use of bells when Bevin Bells was founded in 1832 is much different today, the sixth-generation company continues to spread Christmas cheer year-round.
At just 11 years old, Reed Marcum had an idea for a project: Collect toys and give them to children in his community. Eight years later, the toy drive has given away more than 64,000 toys at an annual event people wait in line for hours to attend.
Brian Forrest of Maple Ridge Dairy near Stratford, Wisconsin, embodies a spirit of selflessness and resilience, as he has been an organ donor, not just once, but twice.
A few decades back, stopping at a Stuckey’s during a holiday road trip wasn’t uncommon. Today the company is eyeing a business comeback by focusing on its farming roots and leveraging quality Georgia pecans.
The Prescott Family Reindeer Farm in southern Missouri is 240 acres rooted in a deep desire to give everyone a full Christmas experience. Cattle producers by trade, they decided to also add reindeer to their mix.
Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue started Christmas at the Stables three years ago as a way for visitors to see the work and rehabilitation that goes on all year. It’s hosted every Saturday night leading up to Christmas.
When Badger FFA Adviser Larry Plapp decided to retire after 37 years of teaching, his students got to work restoring a Farmall tractor, but it wasn’t just any tractor. The 1954 Super M-TA was Plapp’s dad first tractor.
John Phipps unexpectedly stumbled into the real Christmas spirit recently, and as he shares in his annual Christmas in the Country commentary, the Christmas spirit is alive and well.
The reference to chestnuts, let alone roasted ones, will trigger few remembrances even though Chestnut trees once dominated Eastern forests comprising as much as half the hardwood in those woodlands.
Unlike reports of a Christmas tree shortage, the Real Christmas Tree Board, which is the checkoff for Christmas tree farmers, says growers from across the country have been able to meet the increasing demand.
It’s hard for grain farmers to gift their harvest bounty but a Nebraska company is helping change that and providing a way to share some Christmas spirits.
Indiana musician with bizarre instrument gleans inspiration from the farms and fields near his home helping his Christmas and pop song arrangements go viral.