Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
Drivers traveling on the stretch of U.S. 50 between Delta and Montrose don’t have many reasons to pull over. But in the summer, one family-owned farm boasts an eye-popping roadside attraction that’s well worth a pitstop.
DeVries Produce in Olathe plants 10 to 50 acres of sunflowers each year and allows the public to come snap a shot among the blooms. When on the edge of the plots, the sunflowers tower tall and seemingly extend forever into the horizon. Yes, they are just dying to be on your Instagram.
Farmer Randy Friend said the attraction started by accident eight years ago when he first planted sunflowers to provide bird seed to a local coop. But because they sometimes grow right on the highway – Friend rotates crops throughout farm plots – people couldn’t help but notice.
Now the sunflowers are a marketing tool for the DeVries Produce roadside stand, which sells homegrown fruits and veggies alongside Colorado favorites like Palisade peaches and locally made cheeses, jams and honey. The family has operated the shop since the 1940s.
“We grow (sunflowers) for many reasons, but mainly as an attraction to our roadside store,” Friend said. “Nothing is free to grow, so we have to get creative to remain profitable.”
Plus, it’s a fun addition to the farm’s lineup of community events, such as its fall pumpkin patch and corn maze, he added.
Friend said the blooms usually last about three weeks, until early September. Visitors are advised to check in at the produce stand before heading west off U.S. 50 to where the sunflowers are growing this year.
Anyone interested in doing a professional photo shoot will be required to pay a $25 fee. But if you just have your cellphone, access is free. Just be sure to purchase a bag of produce on your way out as a thank you and to ensure the farm — and its sunflower fields — can be sustained for years to come.
DeVries Produce is located at 60542 Gunnison Road in Olathe. The stand is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 970-323-6559 or visit devriesproduce.com.
