Celebrate Mom with Fresh Air, Good Food, and Farm Hospitality
Celebrate Mom with Fresh Air, Good Food, and Farm Hospitality
Dig Deeper Blog
Welcome to Farmstay
Cate
3 min read
If you're new here, welcome. We're glad you found us.
You may be wondering: What exactly is Farmstay?
At its heart, Farmstay exists for one simple reason: to help people connect with the land and the people who care for it.
Many years ago, our founder, Scottie Jones, recognized something important. More and more farmers and ranchers across the country were beginning to welcome guests onto their farms, opening their gates to share a way of life that most people had never experienced. At the same time, travelers were searching for something more meaningful than a hotel room—they wanted fresh air, open spaces, good food, and genuine connection.
So Farmstay was born.
What started as a small network quickly became a community. Farmers shared ideas, supported one another, and learned how hospitality could help diversify farm income while keeping working farms thriving for future generations. Educational resources were created, friendships were formed, and a movement began to grow.
Today, Farmstay connects travelers with hundreds of farms and ranches across the country, offering thousands of opportunities to experience life closer to the land.
In 2024, I joined Farmstay after spending years operating my own farm stay and working in agricultural communications. I immediately fell in love with the mission. What Scottie had built was unlike anything else, a community dedicated to helping farmers succeed while helping travelers discover authentic farm experiences
Over the past two years, Scottie and I have worked closely together, and today I have the privilege of leading Farmstay's next chapter, with Scottie continuing to serve as our founder and trusted advisor.
Together, we're building on the foundation that started it all.
You'll notice a few exciting changes. We've expanded beyond overnight stays to include farm experiences, farm-to-table dinners, workshops, classes, tours, events, and other forms of farm hospitality.
We're also putting the finishing touches on an updated Farm Stay Workbook, designed to help farmers and ranchers explore the possibility of welcoming guests to their farms. The workbook walks aspiring hosts through the process step-by-step and is the resource I wish I had when I first started my own farm stay journey.
But our purpose remains the same.
We believe thriving farms create thriving communities.
We believe farmers deserve opportunities to stay on the land they love.
We believe everyone benefits when they have the chance to understand where their food comes from and meet the people who grow it.
And we believe some of life's most meaningful experiences happen around a farmhouse table, in a pasture at sunset, or on a front porch overlooking the fields.
So, whether you're a traveler, a farmer, a rancher, or simply someone who loves rural places, welcome.
We're glad you're here.
Follow along as we share farm stories, travel inspiration, behind-the-scenes glimpses of rural life, and opportunities to experience life on the land. We have some exciting things in store, and we can't wait to share them with you.
— Cate & Scottie
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Where Hospitality Comes Naturally
Across the country, farms are welcoming guests in growing numbers, from short visits to longer stays, offering a close look at everyday farm life. It’s an invitation to see where food comes from and to experience farm life. Those who have chosen to do this have done so thoughtfully. There is no performance or theme, but instead a form of welcoming, a chance to share the land and introduce the families who care for it. From the outside, visiting a working farm can feel a little unexpected. The farmer has laden the breakfast table with jams they made and eggs fresh from the chicken coop. You step outside your door to pick fresh fruit from the orchard, or maybe you’re invited to try your hand at milking a dairy cow or holding a bottle of warm milk for a calf. The lights are on for your late arrival, and a friendly note on the table welcomes you to the farm. This is a visit to a family’s home in the countryside. At Farmstay, we work with farms and ranches across the country that welcome guests in many different ways. Some are just beginning their hospitality journey. Others have been opening their gates for decades, shaping hospitality through lived experience rather than any single formula. This is a small glimpse of the many farms that do this kind of hosting especially well (the first three farms on our list were early U.S. pioneers in farm hospitality, welcoming guests as far back as the 1950s).