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August 18, 2025
EAU CLAIRE – Officially open for the season, Ferguson’s Apple Orchards is all a buzz this season as the operation celebrates its 15th anniversary.
From a giant corn pit (think sandbox but with corn kernels); a “cow train” ride made from barrels; a petting zoo; a straw bale pyramid; a corn maze, pedal tractors; multiple lawn games and a 70-foot inflatable pumpkin-shaped pillow that doubles as a trampoline – Co-owner Andy Ferguson said the crew at Ferguson’s Apple Orchards take fall harvest fun to the next level.
And though 2025 marks a significant milestone in the Ferguson family’s apple farming history, the origins of apples on its property dates back much earlier.
The apple doesn’t fall far
The Ferguson family’s leap into apple orchards, Andy said, was inspired by his dad’s desire for a life change.
“We lived in Southern California, and for several years my dad had been a plant manager for Imation, which was a spinoff of 3M,” he said. “He always said when he turned 45, he was going to fulfill his dream of becoming a farmer.”
When the whole family – “all five of us, my brother, sister, my mom, dad and I” – was touring colleges in the La Crosse area for his older sister, Andy said his dad saw an ad for a small commercial apple orchard for sale in Galesville.
“The next year we were moving across the country,” he said.
According to fergusonsorchard.com, when Tom and Deb Ferguson (Andy’s parents) first took over operations of the original Galesville orchard, they knew nothing more about apples than “there were red ones and green ones.”
But Andy said his family learned quickly and grew the business.
After college and law school, Andy said he decided to follow “the apple orchard lifestyle I had already fallen in love with.”
Today, the Ferguson family grows approximately 400,000 apple trees in Galesville, Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls and Lake City and Jordan, Minnesota.
As he assumed more leadership responsibilities with the business, Andy – who co-owns the orchards with his brother, Joe – said he saw significant opportunities for growth.
“I’ve always had a very entrepreneurial spirit, so my goal in coming back to join the business was to expand,” he said. “I knew at the time that it wasn’t really big enough to sustain all of us as our individual families were growing, so we really had no choice but to expand. I was involved with the Eau Claire expansion, becoming a co-owner with my parents. A couple of years later, my brother Joe joined after serving in the [U.S.] Marines.”
Per the website, the Fergusons purchased the Eau Claire orchard – which was first planted with apple trees in the 1980s – in 2011, and planted 40,000 new Pazazz trees in 2014.
The former McIlquham Orchards in Chippewa Falls – which have been growing apples for nearly 100 years – was added to the operation, per the website, in 2015.
The Fergusons expanded the operation again when they purchased Pepin Heights orchard in Lake City, Minnesota, and Minnesota Harvest Orchard – which is known as the state’s largest you-pick orchard – just southwest of the Twin Cities in Jordan, in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
The Pepin Heights purchase, Andy said, doubled Ferguson’s acreage and included the Pepin Heights Store, a well-known tourist attraction.
“The University of Minnesota, which developed the Honeycrisp apple, contracted with the Pepin Heights Orchard to grow the first crops of Honeycrisp,” he said. “So, we’re excited to be a part of that history.”
Endless apple-tunities
Across its orchard locations, Andy said they have 21 different varieties of apples – from Honeycrisp, Regent and Zestar, to Redfree, Sweet Sixteen and Ginger Gold, to Red Delicious, Prairie Spy and everything in between.
Not only do they offer you-pick options at the orchards, Andy said Ferguson’s has a robust wholesale business as well – appearing in big box chains, as well as local grocery stores.
“The big favorite is always Honeycrisp, and we believe that’s going to continue,” he said. “Newer varieties that we also grow, such as Sweet Tango, First Kiss and Pazazz, are also big, as well as McIntosh, Cortland, Haralson and other older varieties.”
As apple growers, Andy said “we almost need to predict the future” for what’s going to be popular in 20 years, “because the trees we’re planting now are still going to be producing then.”
Though expansion is often just good business – and it has been for Ferguson’s Orchards over the last decade and a half – Andy said the family has another mission in mind with these acquisitions.
“People are getting so removed from agriculture that we almost feel a responsibility to have a venue for people to meet their farmers and see where their food comes from,” he said. “The average age of the farmer is still pretty high, and there are quite a few apple orchards that may not have the next generation willing to take it on. So, the last thing we want is to see a neighboring orchard get turned into a development.”
Their most-recent purchase of Minnesota Harvest in Jordan, Andy said, is an example of that.
“It’s a very historic orchard,” he said.
All of the Ferguson orchards, Andy said, leverage a growing interest in agritourism – attracting people from across the country.
“We’ve had people from Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, and I always assume they must be visiting family nearby and decided to stop by, but no, they’re like, ‘We saw this amazing slushy on Facebook,’” he laughed.
The visitor-favorite apple cider slushy, Andy said, is made with Ferguson-grown apples and cider topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle and one of their homemade apple cider donuts on top.
Other ways the Ferguson family aims to keep the visitor momentum going, Andy said, is focusing on new activities.
A ropes course, he said, debuted at the Eau Claire location last year.
And this year, Andy said they’re launching a paintball attraction called the Shootout Saloon, where people can shoot at different wild west-themed targets.
The food offerings at the orchards are also expanding – with the installation of a new building at the Eau Claire location, Andy said, that will serve pizzas made from scratch on-site.
Family affair
Though officially retired, Andy said his parents help out wherever they can, as “family is a big part of what we do.”
And he said it’s true what they say about apples not falling far from the tree.
“With the grandkids here and my brother Joe and I running things and my wife, Ashley, oversee[ing] all of our retail stores – [it’s a true family operation],” he said.
Over the years, Andy said the family orchards have racked up several recognitions, including:
- Best Apple Orchard in Minnesota
- Small Business of the Year
- Best Fall Destination
- Best Family Entertainment Business
- Best Apple Orchard in Trempealeau County
- Best Family Outing in the Chippewa Valley
- Six Best Midwest Apple Orchards
- Midwest Apple Growers of the Year
New look, same family, focus
Not only does 2025 mark the family’s 15th year of apple farming, it also brings with it a fresh new logo and name: Ferguson’s Family of Farms, which Andy said represents its family focus and growth.
From employing two or three part-time people on weekends in the early 2000s, to now employing nearly 400 seasonal and part-time staff – Andy said a lot has changed since his dad’s “life change.”
The new logo, which he said features Ferguson’s iconic original apple outline drawn by his dad – is prominently displayed on the barn and honors “our apple growing root, while reflecting that we’ve since grown into so much more.”
As an all-around farm destination with multiple locations, Andy said “we are both a family farm and a family of farms.”
“We expect to welcome our two millionth visitor this year,” he said. “Every new season, we can’t wait to start seeing those smiling kids running through the gates. It keeps us going for sure. That and knowing how many people we’ve introduced or reintroduced to agriculture and how we’re helping to preserve a part of its legacy.”
For more, visit the orchards’ website or find each orchard location on Facebook.
