‘Come for the flowers, stay for the stars’

Heather Graves

Staff

July 22, 2024

BEAR LAKE – Once upon a time, the farm at 2528 15th St. in the Town of Bear Lake in Barron County was an active dairy farm – milking several cows daily.

“It’s the farm I grew up on,” LaCresha Kolba said. “I spent my childhood unloading hay, milking cows, chasing barn cats, running barefoot through the fields and riding the cows because I wanted a horse. Then when I got a horse, I pretended I was a real cowgirl – you couldn’t get me off that thing.”

After graduating high school, Kolba said she attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where she majored in technical theater/theater design and technology, with a minor in equine studies – with ambitions to train horses for film.

“I trained horses for many years and had a successful career doing that,” she said. “I also enjoyed working as a stage manager and the events coordinator.”

Kolba’s career eventually took her to Tennessee where she worked as the marketing, sales and event manager at the Agricenter Show Place Arena in Memphis.

“I worked there as liaison with the show producers,” she said. “We put on barrel races, team ropings, boat and dog shows and concerts.”

Though Kolba was living out what she said she thought at that time was her dream, in the back of her mind, there were always thoughts of returning to her family’s farm.

“I always knew I wanted to do more with my parents’ farm,” she said.

However, even at a young age, Kolba said she knew she didn’t want to milk cows.

“I love animals, but you are chained to that operation,” she said. “And the industry was evolving rapidly then, and I didn’t want to escalate up to a 5,000-cow herd.”

Though she continued her work in Tennessee, Kolba said the idea never went away.

“I don’t know how this idea came to me when I was in school, but I thought, how cool would it be to transition the field into spaces for people to stay, pick flowers and for people to host special events,” she said. “So, I created an agritourism business before there was an agritourism business.”

Making it happen 

When her parents retired as dairy farmers, Kolba said her late father sold the animals and began renting out some of his acreage to a commercial farmer – something she continues to do today.

With the idea in hand, Kolba said she got to work – researching everything she could on how to take her dream from concept to reality.

That research, she said, led to her working on two different farms in Tennessee.

“I learned how they did their work and how they became successful,” she said.

Since then, Kolba said the concept has changed. 

“The idea of what it would be initially has evolved, as things should over time,” she said.

Kolba said she spent the better part of two years transitioning her parents’ old dairy farm into an agritourism business complete with you-pick flower opportunities, a farm stand, camping and glamping sites and a special events space.

“There are a lot of things in motion,” she said.

Having the opportunity to bring her parents’ farm back to life – though slightly different – Kolba said, is something she doesn’t take lightly.

“It’s a privilege to have access to land like this, and I don’t take that for granted,” she said. “The quiet of my farm offers healing. I know how walking through the pastures gives me a sense of calm, and I want to share that with others.”

Slowly, but surely

Since deciding to transition the farm into an agritourism business, Kolba said the process has been slow but consistent – with goals set for each year.

“Last year was clearing and cleaning up the space – it hadn’t been used since my dad retired,” she said.

The to-do list in year one, Kolba said, also included using flowers to help get the word out about what she was doing with the farm – a preview, per se, of what was to come this year.

Though the you-pick side of things was supposed to be ready for customers this month, Kolba said due to the abundance of rain the Badger State has received this season, it has been pushed back into early August.

Each year, she said, has also been accompanied with additional tasks. 

“This year, I’m adding bridal flowers – I’ve got two rows of flowers that would be for brides who want to have fresh flowers for their bouquets,” she said. “I’m also adding an entire section where I’m doing an arrangement of flowers for photo sessions. When people come out, they will have a field of flowers and specific areas like wildflowers, sunflowers and patterns of flowers.”

Kolba said Stargazer Farms is in the end stages of establishing a partnership with Marshfield Clinic Health Systems in Rice Lake where she will provide flowers available for purchase in the gift shop.

“I also have partnerships with some local businesses – a couple of restaurants and a bank – that have me come in and bring flowers to lighten and brighten the space,” she said.

Stepping out of the box a bit on offerings, Kolba said Stargazer Farms tries to provide the community with things a bit different – which this year includes popcorn.

“I always see the sweet corn signs, and I also grow sweet corn, but when I was ordering my seeds for the season, I thought trying popcorn would be something fun and different to offer people,” she said. “I wanted to see how well it would grow. I want to offer different things here at Stargazer Farms than what you’re going to experience somewhere else – and I thought popcorn would be a fun addition to the farm stand.”

Kolba said this year’s plan also includes the opening of the camping and glamping sites.

“I am working through the county and doing everything I can to get my campground permit,” she said. “There are criteria you need to meet, and you have to work hand in hand with the county to make sure you meet all their requirements to get that permit. That’s probably been the biggest hurdle.”

Stargazer Farms, Kolba said, has 12 camping sites and two, in-progress, glamping sites.

“I’m working as quickly as I can to get the glamping sites ready for when I’m able to officially open,” she said. “I want to be open this year, and that was part of the plan. My contact at the county has been great at doing what she can to expedite the process. Now, it’s going through the hoops they want me to dance through – I’m doing choreography to get there.”

Next year, Kolba said she plans to add special events to Stargazer Farms offerings – many of which will take place in the property’s barn which is in the process of renovations.

“I’m talking to a couple of people about booking events for a couple of retreats and a private party next year, so that is exciting,” she said. 

Though the slow growth takes time, Kolba said it was the recommendation she received from her financial advisor when she first set out on this venture.

“Last year, when we were discussing what steps I should take, (we discussed whether or not I should) get an investor,” she said. “He talked me out of getting an investor. He said it would take longer for me to do everything by myself, but he felt it was the better decision for me.”

Though she said it would be easier “if there were five more of me,” Kolba said she tries not to be too hard on herself and “accept that each day is another day of trying to get things done.”

“It’s taking it day by day, trying to meet the goals I set for myself and do everything I can to make that happen,” she said.

Worth it

Kolba said she thinks for anyone starting their own business – “you question your sanity sometimes.”

“There’s a reason why people give up – because it’s hard,” she said. “I get messages probably every other week saying, ‘you’re living my dream;’ ‘oh my gosh, to be a farm girl;’ ‘oh my goodness, to be surrounded by flowers’ – when I’m out there digging in the dirt and exhausted. Those are not the easy days.”

Social media, Kolba said, doesn’t always paint a fair picture of farming – “it’s hard.”

“To watch the season get pushed back further because of this rain and wondering if my seeds are even going to grow – that’s hard,” she said. 

Kolba said at the end of the day, thinking about the endless tasks that still need to be done can be overwhelming, especially because she’s doing everything herself – “farming is also isolating, and that makes it hard.”

“But I keep my eye on the vision,” she said. “I keep my eye on the goal, and my goal is to provide a space where people can come out, relax and clear their minds. We have an increase in anxiety attacks and depression, and I want to give people a space where they can be free of that stress and where they can have the open space to let their thoughts escape for a few minutes or even a couple of hours.”

Kolba said she hopes Stargazer Farms becomes a place where people can forget about their problems and reconnect with nature.

“If that goal can help one person, then everything I’ve done that’s hard is worth it,” she said.

A balancing act

Being essentially a one-woman operation – except for her dog Bristol, “he supervises” – Kolba said it’s important she keeps pace with what needs to be done and what she can physically accomplish each day.

“Those who are successful in business set up strategies to lead themselves to success,” she said. “Part of my strategy is to have a business meeting every week – mine is on Mondays and my staff is my dog – but the meetings help establish habits and procedure.”

Each Monday, Kolba said she takes note of the tasks needed to be completed and selects three she aims to accomplish.

“So that’s my goal – I take three things from that massive list and I work on those,” she said. “If I get those three things done, then I add another thing. Sometimes one thing gets done and I reassess the following week.”

Kolba said it is similar to the metaphor of how you eat an entire pie – “you take it one bite at a time.”

Looking back, Kolba said she’s proud of what she’s already accomplished – and “I didn’t give up.”

“Getting a barn section that had collapsed several years ago cleaned up and cleared out last year is something I’m proud I was able to do,” she said.

Kolba said it’s easy to sometimes get lost in the chaos of what needs to be done and not take a moment to step back and recognize what you’ve already done.

“It’s important to look back and say, ‘oh my gosh, I have come so far,’” she said.

Kolba said she will soon get a little help in the form of an intern.

“I have connected with the Barron County Developmental Services department, and they are providing me with an intern,” she said. “I’m excited to show her around and have her on board.”

The land

Everything Kolba has done so far at Stargazer Farms as she converts the former dairy farm into an agritourism business, she said, has been a big project.

“I have seven acres of an old pasture I am completely reinventing,” she said. “I had to regenerate the soil a little bit – that was a big project last year. Thankfully, we have great soil.”

Much of the work done at Stargazer Farms, Kolba said, has been done with her own two hands.

“I don’t have a lot of equipment,” she said. “I’m out there by myself tearing up the weeds and leveling the ground with a shovel. I have planted everything from tomatoes, peas, pumpkins, watermelons, zucchini, squash, peppers and cucumbers – I can’t remember everything we planted out there,” she said.

The farm stand at Stargazer Farms, Kolba said, will be a pay-what-you-can system.

“People can come out and pay what they can – that, to me, is supportive of the community. And that is what I want this to be about. I want this to be a place where anyone can have access to affordable vegetables.”
Kolba continues to rent the remaining seven acres of property to a commercial farmer – which she said provides folks with a unique perspective.

“Commercial farmers play an important role in the industry,” she said. “I love that he’s there because it shows how two different farming styles can’t coexist in the industry.”

The operations, Kolba said, are vastly different – though both support the overall industry.

“He comes out with $100,000-plus equipment, and I have a tractor we’ve had on the farm since I was a kid and do many things by hand,” she said. “We are different, but it shows that there are different ways to get to the same solution and we can coexist.”

Though Stargazer Farms isn’t home to any animals, except for Bristol, Kolba said that is a goal for the future.

“Eventually, I will probably have chickens and possibly goats to help with the overgrowth, but I would need more staff to do that,” she said. “But eventually, I would like to bring animals back to the farm.”

For more, check out Stargazer Farms WI on Facebook.