Female Farmers

In West Virginia, roughly 36% of farm producers are women, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Three women—Brookedale Farm Owner and Operator Donna Brooke-Alt, Sunset Berry Farm Owner Jennifer Gilkerson and White Picket Farm Founder and Owner Deb Hartshorn—are leading the state in agritourism, combining traditional farming methods with entertainment and community building offerings.

Brookedale Farm

Located in Keyser, WV, Brookedale Farm was established in the early ‘70s as Brookedale Holsteins Dairy Farm. When its founder, Donald Brooke, passed away in 1986, the farm was left to his children, Donna and Bill Brooke, at the ages of 19 and 20.

Bill and his son run the dairy farm while Donna, alongside her husband Donald, branched out into agritourism to launch Brookedale Farm as it is known today, featuring a corn maze, greenhouse and event venue that’s open year-round for weddings, showers and parties.

Visitors come from all over West Virginia and surrounding states, and the farm hosts school tours for local communities. Donna says she hopes to continue educating the public about agriculture in not only traditional ways but also with new and unique trends.

“Sharing with folks who come to Brookedale where their food comes from is so important and often taken for granted so easily,” Donna says.

Brookedale is also focusing on the next generation of farmers. Donna plans to transition some responsibilities to her son, including this fall’s corn maze. In exchange, she and her husband will narrow their focus to the event venue and greenhouse, thinking outside the box to stay relevant and unique to both industries.

“There have been over a dozen other venues built since we built ours as well as many more greenhouses put up, so we try to differentiate our offerings, the landscape and especially the experience,” she says.

Donna and Bill are on-site and completely involved with each event at Brookedale. “We get to know our customers and their needs. At the end of each event, they are not only customers but friends,” she says.

Sunset Berry Farm

Sunset Berry Farm launched in 2010 in Alderson, WV, with 500 strawberry plants. Today, its strawberry field is home to 50,000 plants, and the farm collaborates with the town to host the annual Alderson Strawberry Festival.

“Our claim to fame is our award-winning strawberries, known for being the sweetest strawberries in West Virginia,” says Gilkerson, who runs the farm with her husband, Kent.

The farm hosts between four and six festivals per year to highlight their favorite crops. Each festival features a kids’ fun zone, performers and shopping from local businesses.

“There is a huge tourism opportunity when you combine food and entertainment, and farms are beautifully positioned to take advantage of the booming tourism industry,” Gilkerson says.

The farm also offers sunflowers, peach trees, watermelon—Gilkerson’s favorite fruit—and green beans. Gilkerson applied for grant funding to support the purchase of a green bean harvester so the farm can increase its production, accompanying a festival.

“We are experiencing increasing costs of groceries while income levels in our state remain the lowest in the country,” she says. “With the addition of a green bean harvester, our goal is to grow green beans on a large scale and offer beans by the bushel at a very affordable price.”

Gilkerson is also working to develop a healthy, year-round snack option for West Virginians through freeze-dried fruits and veggie chips. The farm currently offers freeze-dried strawberries and cucumbers and are working to expand. It is able to ship these products throughout the state and hopes to soon have an online storefront with the ability to accept SNAP. Sunset Berry Farm was one of two farms in the nation to be awarded a 2024 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant and was awarded a Specialty Crop Block Grant to support this initiative.

White Picket Farm

Hartshorn and her husband, Jeff, were both raised in homes where farm-to-table was a way of life. Together, they grew gardens of their own on their farm in Elizabeth, WV, which flourished and left an abundance of produce that they sold on Facebook. After 15 years of trying, Hartshorn successfully convinced her husband to convert part of their land to a flower farm and then purchase adjacent property to meet the demand.

Today, they make jams and syrups from berries raised on the farm and tap trees for maple syrup. They also offer peony jelly and lilac jelly made from flowers they harvest and spices made from herbs dried from the garden. White Picket Farm offers in-house sourdough bread, seasonal bakery items and holiday confections as well.

An assortment of non-food items are also available, including in-house, small-batch candles with 100% soy wax featuring seasonal scents and a calendula and lavender salve. White Picket Farm supports small artisans by carrying hand-made wooden breadboards, bread saws and cheese cutters. They also offer olive oil and balsamic oil imported from four small farms in Italy.

Customers enjoy the farm’s pick-your-own flower experience, as well as events hosted year-round, including classes for creating dried florals, floral designs, wax items, woodland arrangements and sourdough—a popular offering. Hartshorn plans to pilot a Flowers After Hours event this fall. Small, intimate gatherings of six to eight people can also be hosted at the farm.

“White Picket Farm is an agritourism destination that nourishes more than just your body—it feeds your spirit and creativity,” Hartshorn says. “Our tagline is ‘Rooted in Love,’ and we, indeed, are. Everything we do is rooted in our love for nature, beauty and the value of creating a space that elevates the importance of home.”