Michelle and Rick Grosek don’t just sell vegetables on their farm, Bear Butte (byoot) Gardens. 

It can be hard to make a living farming. (That’s been the case since sin entered the world. Read Genesis 3.) Land and machinery are expensive. Sometimes crops don’t grow. Farmers can’t always sell their harvest for enough money to cover expenses.

But people need food. And many folks want locally grown produce and meats. 

The Groseks have found multiple ways to make the money needed to keep their 80-acre farm running. In addition to their produce stand, they sell produce and home-cooked foods to grocers and restaurants. And that’s not even all!

Bear Butte Gardens is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic farm. Organic farmers use no or very little man-made pesticides and fertilizers. They rotate (switch out) crops to keep the soil healthy. They don’t give animals hormones (used to make them grow faster).

Organic foods often cost more than food not grown this way. But some customers are willing to pay higher prices. They believe organic food is better for the land and their bodies.

The Groseks also invite the community to the farm. They offer farm tours for adults and children. They hold cooking and gardening classes and special meals like a five-course mushroom dinner. They host festivals, including a woolen fiber festival with sheep shearing.

Campers and RVs park on the farm. Other folks stay in a rental home there. It turns out lots of people like to visit operating farms. This is called agritourism. Plus—visitors to Bear Butte Gardens have great views of the 1,200-foot-tall Bear Butte geological formation.

Mrs. Grosek says 2025 was a slow sales year for the farm. “But we do a lot,” she says. “We don’t have all our eggs in one basket.” 

Why? Farming is important work, but small farms face financial challenges. Farmers find ways to keep their farms going and support their communities.