Story of the Trail

A gentler way to find the farms that feed our communities

Farm Wander Trail grew from a simple but powerful idea: make it easier for people to find real farms, real growers, and real food, and connect them. For more than a decade, its founder, Deb Kolaras of Hop & Hen Farm, envisioned a way to strengthen local food access while supporting the microeconomies that keep small farm and producers thriving.

The trail wasn’t born from a committee or a collaboration. It came from years of watching how hard it can be for the public to find genuine producers, and how easily those producers can be overshadowed by resellers, hobbyists, and trend‑driven cottage food makers. Farm Wander Trail was built to change that.

Today, the trail highlights farms, specialty growing operations, apiaries, mushroom growers, hydroponic and aeroponic systems, farmstands, and community food producers who grow, cultivate, raise, or craft goods from what they themselves produce. Every listing represents a place with a true, working connection to agriculture, whether that agriculture happens in soil, in controlled‑environment systems, or through responsible animal husbandry.

The experience is intentionally simple and welcoming. No clutter. No noise. No complicated rules beyond the basics that protect the integrity of real production. Just a clear, friendly way to explore the roots of your community. We're starting in Illinois and Wisconsin, but this will spread because people are hungry for better options.

Whether you’re planning a weekend outing, searching for fresh produce, or hoping to meet the people behind your favorite goods, Farm Wander Trail invites you to slow down, wander, and reconnect with the growers who nourish your world.

Every farm has a story. This trail helps you find them.