October 27, 2025 - By Vicky Boyd - As the Kimmel family of Valley Springs walked along the edge of the U-pick pumpkin patch at Linden Blooms in San Joaquin 
County this month, eldest son Ronny kept shaking his head at the choices his parents pointed out. Finally, he found the perfect pumpkin—a traditional orange jack-o’-lantern type.
But it was too heavy to lift, so he rolled it the few feet to the field’s edge, where his father, Robert, was waiting with a wheelbarrow the Linden-area operation provided for just such occasions. Once the pumpkin was loaded, Ronny quickly turned his attention to the ladybird beetles roaming the plant leaves.
His mother, Riley, said they wanted to do a fall activity but were afraid some of the larger operations might overwhelm their three young sons, two of whom were in a stroller. They’d learned of James Chinchiolo’s agritourism activities—which featured a pumpkin patch, corn maze, farmer-guided tour and country store—from a Facebook post her mother had seen.
“It’s something to do, and it’s a nice day for it,” Riley Kimmel said. “They might feel lost if they go to the bigger farms, and I felt it was nice to support local.”
The Kimmels were among the hundreds of families who visited the inaugural season of Linden Blooms, which complements Chinchiolo’s existing Lodi Blooms U-pick cherries started in 2019. He added direct-to-consumer cherry sales in 2020 and direct-to-consumer walnut sales in 2024 to diversify his revenue streams and better connect to the public.
“I want to create something—and the reason I put ‘true country’ (on his road sign)—that’s a little bit slower paced and not a mess of people,” he said. “I’m honing in on a segment of the population that appreciates a little bit more authenticity and a less amusement park-type of feel.”
Chinchiolo joins a growing number of producers who have opened their farms to the public and seek different income sources while educating the public about agriculture, said Rachael Callahan, University of California statewide agritourism coordinator.
“Overall, I’ve seen increasing interest from farmers in offering agritourism, not specifically pumpkin patches but all types of opportunities for the public to come onto the farm,” she said.
Callahan cited increased attendance in UC conferences on the subject to back her observations.
The current agritourism efforts seem to resonate well with the public as people seek family-friendly outdoor experiences, a trend that has only grown stronger since the COVID pandemic, she said.
“And of course, there are those producers who are trying to connect, and agritourism is a great way to connect and educate the public about their food,” Callahan said. “A lot of farmers enjoy teaching kids about agriculture, and they see a demand from the public.”
As part of this desire to connect and educate, some agritourism enterprises offer school tours that allow students to learn about the origins of their food. In addition, she said many producers also have looked at agritourism to diversify their income.
After opening a U-pick cherry operation near Lodi, Chinchiolo had planned to follow up with a similar apple and other fruit enterprise on part of his family’s walnut farm near Linden. But when he removed some diseased walnut trees, he pivoted to plant a 2-acre pumpkin patch and 4-acre corn maze because they’re both annual crops.
Chinchiolo also added hay wagon rides and a country store, where visitors can buy prepicked pumpkins from bins, locally produced eggs and honey, and Linden Blooms merchandise.
He said he still plans to eventually add a U-pick for fall fruits to complement the Halloween attractions.
Since this is Linden Blooms’ first year, Chinchiolo said he’s learning as he goes and has already tweaked a few things based on consumer input. For example, the farm has extended its hours into the evening to accommodate families with other afternoon activities. He said he also plans to add beverages such as water and cider for sale.
To help spread the word, Chinchiolo has conducted extensive digital marketing. While it appears to have been successful, he acknowledged the effort does eat into his profits.
“I’m very happy with the experiences that we’ve created for people,” he said. “In my judgment, those people are going to go back and communicate how much joy they had, and this will only grow.”
As an agritourism veteran, Dutch Hollow Farms owner John Bos of Stanislaus County has benefited from a loyal following and associated word-of-mouth marketing. Based on input from his growing customer base, he has continued to add new offerings.
“Every year we strive to increase what we have but still promote our ag side as well by creating different events to keep people coming out and teaching them about ag,” Dutch Hollow Farms manager Amy Crabtree said.
Dutch Hollow Farms started when Bos and a high school friend began selling pumpkins at the corner of two rural crossroads near Modesto in 2006. A few years later, Bos added a tulip farm nearby to pay homage to his Dutch heritage.
When Costco wanted to build a store on the land he leased, he moved his operation in late 2020 to his parents’ old dairy farm east of Modesto. The larger acreage has allowed Bos to expand to include U-pick tulips and other flowers, a vegetable stand, a pumpkin patch, a 7-acre corn maze, zip lines, a hayride, a petting zoo, baby animal days in the spring, a fall craft fair and a rustic venue he rents for events.
Throughout the activities, Crabtree said the farm’s underlying goal is to teach the general public about farming’s importance.
“We try to mix ag and fun and just educate the public about ag,” she said.
Dutch Hollow Farms also is a member of the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association, Crabtree said. Each year, the group holds an annual conference and expo where members from throughout the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom get together to learn about the latest developments in direct marketing and share ideas.
Vicky Boyd is a reporter in Modesto. She can be reached at agalert@cfbf.com.
The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 32,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 5.5 million Farm Bureau members.
Source: Reprinted with permission CFBF
