DODGE CITY, Ala. – Tucked into the small backroads of Dodge City, J. Calvert Farms is a small family owned farm that has been providing residents across the county with farm-to-table produce since its inception in 1999. Owners Jeremy and Julie Calvert, along with their three children James, Julianna and Jennie, pride themselves on the quality of the produce they grow and send into the community.
With strawberries in the spring and pumpkins in the fall being their most popular crops, the Calverts were devastated when an exceptionally wet growing season wiped out a vast amount of the farm’s pumpkin harvest.
Gazing over the fields, Julie Calvert stated, “It’s been a tough year this year. If you’ve talked to any local farmers, we have had a tough season.”
This fall, instead of harvesting the pumpkin patch, the Calverts are making the best out of their would-be disaster and spreading their roots, growing their farm into one of the most beautiful sunflower fields in the area.
As it turns out, planting the tall, hardy flowers where the pumpkins once lay proved to be a good idea. The sunflowers stand over 5 feet tall, nourished and fertilized by the withered and lost pumpkins, attesting to the fact that sometimes there is beauty and strength in devastation. Jeremy Calvert is the master planter responsible for these flourishing majestic giants, and standing on the hill looking over the sunflowers, you may notice an accidental ode to his wife and children in the flowers.
“It’s got a design to it, if you can tell,” Julie Calvert revealed, “He planted it in the shape of a ‘J’,” she laughed. “He said it he didn’t mean to plant them that way.”
When you visit the Calverts and their beautiful sunflowers, you can find the perfect family picture location, have a Hippie selfie session, or just have fun walking the rows, catching some shade from the flowers themselves.
Group admission to explore the sunflowers is $5, and a fresh cut stem will cost $1 (please note an instrument to cut stems is not provided). After you have your pictures and stems, make sure you remember to stop into the storefront and peruse the large selection of homemade goods. You can find local beef, honey, eggs and elderberry syrup, along with goat cheese, freshly dug peanuts and jams and jellies made from J. Calvert Farm’s fruit.
“The meat is from the Haynes in Fairview, our elderberry syrup is from Hanceville and then our goat cheese is from Good Hope. We try to source as much locally as we can, and grow what we can,” Julie Calvert remarked.
J. Calvert Farms will host its second annual Fall Festival on Oct. 21, 2023. Games and activities will be kicking off at 10 a.m. and running until 4 p.m. There are not any confirmed activities for this year’s festival; however, last year’s festival boasted a host of activities such as vendor booths, face painting, hayrides, pumpkin bowling and a bounce slide. If you would like to become a vendor, contact the farm at 256-636-2752.
J. Calvert Farms is located at 30 County Road 260. Get more info at www.facebook.com/j.calvertfarms.
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