In the heat of summer, sunflower fields start popping up across Alabama giving hope for a hint of fall coming soon. In Harpersville, Alabama, Old Baker Farm takes the Sunflower Field to a whole new level - providing a family experience complete with a hay wagon ride out to the field, petting zoo and day of crafts, music and food. Its a backdrop for extraordinary photos - especially if you pick a special day like we did.
I attended Old Baker Farm's Sunflower Festival in late August of 2023 with my mom. It was beautiful, but a very hot and humid day in Alabama. Upon arrival, we hopped on the hay wagon and rode out to the field of sunflowers. I was truly in awe by the magnificent beauty of the sunflowers - but what struck me most was the backdrop with a gorgeous blue sky and rays of sunshine coming down from heaven.
The common sunflower (helianthus annus) is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds which are used in the production of cooking oil. The Helianthus annus has a variety of purposes including food for livestock, bird food, and planted in domestic gardens for aesthetics.
The Old Baker Farm stands as a historic marker of days gone by. Homesteaded over 200 years ago, the Old Baker Farm withstood the perils of the Civil War and remains today as a traditional family farm, growing crops from cotton to corn, including pumpkins.
The farm has been worked by the Baker family for over 100 years and was one of only 12 farms featured in the USDA 2000 calendar titled "Millennium Celebration of Century Farms." Since its founding, the Old Baker Farm ahs seen six generations of the Baker family.
Today, the Old Baker Farm is managed by a fourth-generation family member, proprietor and entrepreneur Jerry Baker and his wife, Pam. Over the many years, the Baker farm has raised cotton, soybeans, corn, pumpkins, watermelons, as well as the garden that feeds the entire family.
Each October, the Bakers invite the public to join them for their Cotton Pickin' Celebration, where everyone gets to see what life is all about on a real working farm. Other festivals and celebrations are surrounded by the pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm.
The family tends to numerous livestock such as cattle, pigs, chicken, mules and horses, and a ram named Curly Horn. Some of the animals will eat right out of the hand, which trills the school children who visit the farm. The Christmas Tree Farm raises acres and acres of beautiful Leyland Cypress and Virginia Pine as well as other varieties of Christmas trees grown in Alabama.
The farm is open to the public for seasonal events and activities, so visit with them at Old Baker Farm and take a step back in time. Learn more at https://oldbakerfarm.com/.
Sunflower paintings are available wherever Brook's Nook Alabama Blooms collections are sold in multiple sizes. Pieces can also be commissioned based on size of canvas and preference of style - choosing from an abundance of photos captured of sunflowers that hot day in August.
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