A Family Farm in Minnesota's Heartland

FAQ

Who are the Carters?

The Carter family comprises Russell (1923-2015) and Maxine Carter (1929-2022), their seven children (Paul, Dwight, Carla, Mark, Jonathan, Rita, and Tony), and their descendants.

How did Carters’ Farm get started?

Russel Carter grew up on the Prayrie Orchards family farm in Michigan, where his entrepreneurial spirit inherited from his father, Clinton, who started a produce-hauling business during the Depression. Clinton and his brothers transported fruits and veggies to Chicago in Model T trucks. Come winter, Clinton headed to Florida, returning north with tropical fruit.

However, in October 1954, Russell Carter and his new bride, Maxine, moved from Michigan to Park Rapids, Minnesota to serve as rural missionaries. The next summer, Russell planted tomatoes on the south slope of their garden and sold his early tomatoes from a wagon on the side of Highway 71. As Russell and Maxine raised their (eventually) seven children, the farm grew as the family grew, including at various times a full dairy, Ayrshire cattle, sheep, horses, and chickens, as well as sweet corn, tomatoes, strawberries, green beans, pumpkins, hay, cucumbers, zucchini, and more.

What does Carters’ Farm focus on now?

Currently, Dwight Carter focuses on growing fresh produce at the farm. He specializes in tomatoes, but also grows quality cucumbers, sweet corn, and other vegetables.

Steven Carter, son of Mark Carter, has been overseeing the Fall Festival since 2021. Since then, the farm has inaugurated the Corn Crib Stage, an old corn crib barn that is now a show venue right in the center of the farm festivities.

In the near future, we will be offering more events at the Carter farm for the community to enjoy, including Meet the Farmer tours, musical performances, family nights, and conferences on the importance of agriculture and the small family farm.

What’s the story behind Red Wagon Farm?

Early on the Carter family began selling farm produce from a red wooden spoke-wheeled wagon with a canopy, and the farm was known as Carters’ Red Wagon Farm until 2021, when Red Wagon Farm became the particular project of Tony Carter under the aegis of Carters’ Farm.

What about Carters’ Red Wagon Farm Market?

Over the winter of 1993 and 1994, the Carter men built a barn for a farm market in town on East 34. This became Carters’ Red Wagon Farm Market, which was variously run by Russell, Dwight, Mark, and Tony and Linda Carter until Tony Carter sold it in spring 2021 and the market became The Red Barn, where Carters’ produce continues to be sold.

The first fall festival, Pumpkin Day, was held in October 1994 at the market, and steadily the Carters expanded the pumpkin festivities until Tony Carter moved the whole festival to the farm in 2010.

Who runs the fall festival now?

From the beginning, the Carter family has worked together, with family members on the farm managing operations and other family members helping out as they are able. In the mid-1990s, the Carter family together built the timber-frame barn market on East 34, where Dwight and Tony worked together on the first pumpkin parties. Starting in the 2000s, Tony and Linda Carter operated the pumpkin parties for nearly twenty years, moving the festival to the farm and expanding the event each season. Tony’s creativity fueled the festivals each year as he crafted clever and fun new family entertainment every year. In summer 2021, Tony and Linda sold the red barn market on East 34 to focus on new adventures off the farm.

As of 2021, Dwight Carter (older brother of Tony) runs overall operations while nephew Steven and his wife Renee oversee the fall festival and other on-farm events.

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