Gov. Tony Evers didn’t walk away with any pumpkins Oct. 16 after visiting Porter’s Patch in Navarino, but he was convinced to take a few minutes and put together a scarecrow.
Evers visited the farm as part of his agritourism tour around the state, and he learned about why Porter’s Patch is one of the bigger generators for visitors on a farm in northeast Wisconsin. His tour included a visit to the corn maze, meeting the family members that make Porter’s Patch so viable, and a few moments with the pigs, goats and sheep that are part of the petting zoo.
There are over 58,000 farms in the state, and many of them are turning into attractions that not only give urban visitors a glimpse of a farm but help to educate them on where their food comes from. Wisconsin tourism recently saw its third consecutive record-breaking year in 2025 with 114.4 million visitors and an economic impact of $25.8 billion, and agritourism plays its part with pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, pick-your-own orchards, farm-to-table events and even spending the night on a farm.
Evers said he learned a lot during his hourlong visit. Currently, Porter’s Patch is in the middle of its Farmtoberfest, where visitors get to pick pumpkins, craft scarecrows, enjoy food trucks, and even make chalk designs on old farm equipment every Friday through Sunday between now and Halloween.
“We heard that it’s one of the best in the state,” Evers said. “We were in the area, so we wanted to stop by before the season’s over.”
The governor appreciated that the Porters, as a family, make the event a success, citing the importance of family farms in Wisconsin’s ever-evolving landscape.
“This place is one that really brings people together during the fall to do some fun activities,” Evers said. “Agritourism is a huge part of the state’s tourism economy, and so we’re really proud to be here. Getting all this ready for the season must be an amazing amount of work.”
Evers noted it’s important for the state to know all the agritourism players in order to help them make a living and provide as much information to people searching for things to do on a farm.
“It helps bring them together in certain ways,” Evers said. “Tourism is something we talk about a lot of the time, and we do a lot of advertising for things like this.”
After the tour, Evers is convinced that Porter’s Patch is a benefit to the community and the greater part of northeast Wisconsin.
“They know what they’re doing, and they love what they’re doing, and it’s part of their DNA,” Evers said.
However, agritourism is dependent on things like the weather, crop and animal diseases and the ability to grow and not become stagnant.
“Every year, they’re doing something new,” Evers said. “They have all winter to think about what they’re going to do. It’s just one of those things that you see in America, and in Wisconsin in particular people decide we’re going to do something different than farm — raise pumpkins and strawberries and everything to be sure people have an opportunity to buy those but at the same time have fun. It’s a win-win.”
This was the first time co-owner Troy Porter had a governor’s visit to his farm, but he had the Wisconsin Department of Tourism visit last year to see what he and his family do to entertain thousands of visitors.
“This is pretty cool,” Porter said. “Having people come here and have an interest in what the state does. It’s not just our farm. It’s what all the farms do. There are so many great ones in the state, whether it’s berry picking, apple picking, or you could even camp at someone’s farm. It’s all about inviting people to your farm and having them enjoy the experience.”
Porter was excited to get Evers to work on a scarecrow and to join him in the corn maze, noting that they’re popular events when families come to the farm.
“I wanted to pick out a few things that maybe he’d never done before and show off some of the popular things we’ve got here,” Porter said.
He added that his Farmtoberfest season started slower due to the extended summer weather leading into the first part of October, but he expects to do well his final two weekends.
“We’ve got color changes, and the air is becoming crisper, so everything is coming together,” Porter said. “I expect us to be real good and busy.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
