COLGATE, Wis. — Monday is the first day of fall, and Basse’s Taste of Country is ready for pumpkin-picking season even after some of its crop was hit by the historic floods.
"I always enjoyed growing things and I enjoyed growing like the giant sunflowers ... and as I've gotten older, I've changed that where I like to grow memories,” said Roger Basse, owner and manager of Basse’s Taste of Country.
Basse and his family have spent the last 26 years cultivating about 400 acres of farmland into an array of produce-picking, pig-racing, tractor-talking activities anyone can partake in.
"You just kind of go with the punches, with what Mother Nature gives you and with the grace of God that it all works out," Basse said.
Like many farmers, he says his livelihood is a gamble.
"We put all our money into the ground and all our investment and hope for something to happen,” he said.
This year, that gamble came with a cost. Some of their crops were hit by historic flooding.
"We had like 11 1/2 inches here in two days. Some of the pumpkins were floating at times,” he said.
There was one saving grace for their pumpkin crop. Two years ago, Basse’s son convinced him to grow the pumpkins on top of a tall grass called rye.
Watch: Basse’s Farms bounces back from floods in time for pumpkin picking season
“It makes like a straw mat for the pumpkins,” he said.
He says elevating the pumpkins this way saved their crop this year — and now they are inviting everyone to join the fall festivities.
"The memories last forever. So we really try to create like that atmosphere for families to come out and just kind of relax, get back to nature, get back to farming, and just enjoy life,” he said.
As the leaves start to turn and the crisp air rolls in, Basse’s kicked off the fall season this weekend and will continue with weekday and weekend events until the end of October.
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