Wisconsin farmer plants millions of sunflowers, invites visitors to each take home a dozen

(Image credit: Eric Cabanis/AFP via Getty Images)

published 9 September 2020

Usually, the fields at Scott Thompson's family farm in Bristol, Wisconsin, are only filled with strawberries, raspberries, or pumpkins, but this summer, he wanted to try something new to bring joy to visitors.

Thompson planted more than two million sunflowers, with the cheerful blooms covering more than 22 acres on the farm. He told CNN his family has operated the farm for more than seven decades, but this is the first time flowers have been planted. "We just did it ... and we just kept building," Thompson said.

The sunflowers dot more than 15 fields, so people have plenty of space and can safely social-distance as they take in the beauty of the flowers. The farm is still selling fruit, but visitors are also invited to take a dozen sunflowers home with them. "One of the things that's so cool about this is everyone is so happy," Thompson told CNN. "We get all these comments on Facebook, or if I'm out in the field, everybody is like, 'Thanks for doing this' and 'This is what I needed.'"

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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