Pumpkin picking at family farm

OXFORD - In this week's Helen Magazine segment, it is time to pick out the perfect pumpkin! We traveled to Benton County to learn more at Millennium Farms Pumpkin Patch.

Dawn Schakel and her husband, Chris, have turned their family farm into a fall wonderland. For six weeks every year, more than 2,000 visitors come to their farm for autumn fun.

"Pretty much it's me and my brainy ideas that he can't stand because every year I add something else," Dawn Schakel said.

And, has she ever! What started in 2003 as a side job selling pumpkins out of the garage, has turned into popular fall attraction that includes U-pick pumpkins, hay rides, a petting zoo, and pedal car races.

"There is nothing more fun than taking a family out to a patch and we just kept growing from 5 acres, to 8 acres, to 10 acres and this year we've put 12 acres of pumpkins out to keep up with the demand,"Schakel said.

Millennium Farms Pumpkin Patch is one of the state's successful agri-businesses. It's nestled in the cornfields of Benton County near the world's largest concentration of wind turbines.

"It's (agri-business) a huge, growing business, especially in the State of Indiana where a lot of these people are opening up their farms and doing stuff like that," Schakel said.

Schakel said the secret to success is keeping prices affordable and making it a family affair.

"I travel with my kids and it gets expensive. There is no way I was going to make this be a place that you can't come to. I hope a family of four can come out, spend 20 bucks take a hay ride, get their pumpkin and enjoy their day here. I'll always stay behind that," Schakel said.

Millennium Farms Pumpkin Patch is open from 9 a-m until dusk on Saturdays and Sundays until November. It is located off County Road 300 South in Oxford. It costs $5- for a hayride and a free pumpkin.

For more information click here.