Wilson’s Orchard & Farm expanding to Des Moines

Wilson’s Orchard & Farm is expanding to a new location in Des Moines, with its opening set for April 1, 2024. The current orchard, located at 4823 Dingleberry Rd NE in Iowa City, has been a mainstay of the community since 1985. Since its inception as an apple orchard, it has expanded to become an […]

Wilson’s Orchard & Farm is expanding to a new location in Des Moines, with its opening set for April 1, 2024.

The current orchard, located at 4823 Dingleberry Rd NE in Iowa City, has been a mainstay of the community since 1985. Since its inception as an apple orchard, it has expanded to become an entire experience – featuring pick-your-own seasonal fruit, flowers and vegetables, tractor rides, live music on the weekends, a market, bakery, restaurant and events center. The farm sells its produce in local grocery stores, and employs an estimated 40 year-round workers and 150 seasonal workers. Paul Rasch, co-owner of Wilson’s, along with his wife, Sarah Goering, said the idea for expansion began a few years ago. The farm found popularity in the Des Moines market with its beverages, but it wasn’t until COVID-19 hit that they ramped up their efforts. Large meat packing plants shuttered, creating a national meat shortage. Mr. Rasch said they saw the public’s interest in outdoor spaces and locally-sourced food substantially escalate.  “We have an increasing amount of traffic out of Des Moines and our Iowa City location, so we knew there was an appetite for it,” said Mr. Rasch. “Obviously, Des Moines is the largest metro area in Iowa, and the opportunity to be part of a kind of exciting residential farm interaction came up.”

Agrihood

The new farm, located off of Interstate 35 at 3201 15th Ave., Cumming, is set on 115 acres. Of those, 30 acres are reserved for rotational grazing livestock, while the rest will be planted into fruit trees, berries, pumpkins, flowers and vegetables. The new location will also offer some of the same amenities at the Iowa City location – pre-picked produce, prepared foods, beverages, as well as merchandise, crafts and gifts. The new farm also has a unique distinction – it will be an "agrihood", a residential community that is directly connected to a farm, which provides residents with food and green space. The new Wilson’s will operate within a 900-acre residential community. “This meeting of urban and agrarian communities is a place where we can have great diversity, we can have great resiliency. It’s a place where, over time, we can learn how to co-exist, we can learn how rural and urban can thrive together,” said Mr. Rasch, in a video announcing the expansion.

Sustainability

An important aspect of Wilson’s Orchard & Farm is its sustainability practices, which it will extend to the Des Moines location as well. Cover cropping, reduction in pesticide use, improving soil and water quality, and reducing erosion are some of the ways the business tries to reduce its carbon footprint.  “The soil is probably our most important bit of work in developing a more regenerative agriculture,” said Mr. Rasch, who thinks that Iowa has the potential to become the “Silicon Valley” of agriculture and food production. “We (Iowa) should be home to lots of different innovations on farms, farm and food start-ups that really help to shape, shift and revolutionize the business of agriculture and help lead us to a more sustainable future,” he said in a video on the business’ website. At the Des Moines location, construction is well underway. The orchard has already been planted and the main building is being framed. The facility will be connected to a large indoor-outdoor seating area, and the farm will produce its hard cider on-site. Culinary director Matt Steigerwald is overseeing development of the bakery and restaurant, which will continue the tradition of cooking from scratch, using high-quality ingredients and locally-sourced food. Mr. Rasch hopes to closely connect guests and residents to their food and the land it comes from.

“Whether it's local ag or local anything, just supporting local enterprises really helps our local economies so much,” he said, “and we need to all get on board with paying attention to where our dollars go, because that's where the biggest impact can happen – is by consumers demanding things with the money they're spending.”