It was a year ago in October that Morgan Satterwhite, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, wanted to take her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Riata, to a pumpkin patch for some fall fun, but could not find one in her community that was open during weekdays.
“As a working mom who has her kid with her every day, when the weather is nice and things are slow, it’s enjoyable to go do something like that,” Satterwhite said. “You can buy pumpkins in parking lots, but you’ll have to drive to Oklahoma City or Tulsa to find a pumpkin patch.”
She vented to her friend, Meagan Stephens, also of Stillwater, about the lack of fall children’s activities in the area, and an idea arose for the two friends to open their own pumpkin patch on Satterwhite’s farm just outside of town. Satterwhite and Stephens had always wanted to go into business together and this seemed like the golden opportunity to work together on a joint venture and also provide agriculture education while selling local agricultural products.
“Less than 2% of kids come back to the family farm and I know that it’s a statistic that gets beaten into the ground, but I don’t know if it’s getting driven hard enough,” Stephens said. Although Satterwhite and Stephens come from different backgrounds, they both share an appreciation of agriculture and a desire to educate the public about the industry. Stephens owns a marketing and photography business and grew up on a farm two hours north of New York City, where her family raised registered sheep and cattle. Her family would sell beef, lamb, pork and eggs at farmer’s markets. They used that as an opportunity to connect with consumers and tell the positive story of agriculture.
Satterwhite grew up on a farm and ranch near Elgin, Oklahoma. Along with her husband, Dylan, they own Top Hand Field Services, Top Hand Agriculture Equipment, Rambling S Land and Cattle, Lawton Meat Processing and Rambling S Airbnbs and rent houses.
“I think with both of us growing up in production agriculture, it was important for us to give back,” Satterwhite said. “When this came about it was an opportunity in good times to help other producers sell their products.”
Open for business
A year later, The Twelves Events and Agritourism venue is open to the public and on opening weekend 150 visitors stopped in to experience the farm. The name of the venue was chosen due to the number of times 12 has played a part in the two friends’ lives. They met in 2012 while in college at Oklahoma State University. Additionally, Riata was born Dec. 12 and her birth measurements equal 12. Stephens and Satterwhite also knew that they did not want to limit the venue to just being a pumpkin patch, so they chose a general venue name that would work year-round.
The pumpkin patch will be open from Sept. 29 to Nov. 5 spotlighting Oklahoma agriculture. The Twelves has partnered with multiple Made in Oklahoma vendors who are selling their products on consignment at the venue. Satterwhite said working with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and the MIO program was a given.
“There’s nothing better for us to do than to highlight Oklahoma ag, especially since a lot of these producers have other jobs and they don’t have retail space of their own,” Stephens said. “So, if we can teach kids a little bit about agriculture, open their mom and dad’s eyes to the products and merchandise that are available to them from local producers, that’s what we’d like to do.”
The barn at The Twelves includes a vast array of MIO products, including honey, beef, teas, syrups, nuts, barbecue sauce, baked goods, clothing, toys, jewelry, fresh flowers, photography prints, décor, bath bombs, and soaps.
“If nothing comes out of this other than helping some local producers get their name out and allowing my child to learn that this is the right way to live, I’m good with that,” Satterwhite said.
Pumpkins of all sizes and shapes are available for purchase in the pumpkin patch. Satterwhite had planned to only sell Oklahoma-grown pumpkins and gourds, but a poor pumpkin harvest forced them to purchase pumpkins from Coffeyville, Kansas. Adjacent to the pumpkin patch is a haystack maze, twice-daily stick horse races and a small petting zoo, which includes two goats, Buddy and Brownie, and two Highland cows, Nancy and Loretta. All of the petting zoo animals are on loan for six weeks while the pumpkin patch is open to the public. The Satterwhites also own 80-head of cows on the farm that surrounds the venue.
Stephens and Satterwhite are making plans for more special events at their venue over the coming year. They are planning two Fall Fest events Oct. 15 and Nov. 5, as well as a Christmas event with Santa Claus. They have already booked parties, photography sessions and other private events as well. Stephens also hopes to begin holding cattle sales, farm-to-table dinners and other agriculture meetings at some point in future. To learn more about The Twelves, visit www.bookthetwelves.com or follow them on social media.
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
