What started with strawberries and a few vegetables has turned into a lot more over the years. This Missouri family farm has been selling fresh produce since 1982, and the farm store now covers plenty beyond the garden.
You can still shop for seasonal fruits and vegetables, but there is also farm-raised meat, local cheese, honey, jams, baked goods, and handmade items from around the state.
The mix makes it easy to stop for produce and leave with half of dinner already handled.
That growth has not changed the feel of the place much. It still comes across like a working family farm, just with a much fuller shopping list than it had in the beginning.
A Farm Named After Ohio Memories
You would never guess that a Missouri farm got its name from a completely different state, but that is exactly what happened here. The story goes back to Jim and Jeanne Counts, who grew up in northern Ohio and really missed the fresh produce they remembered from their childhood.
Ohio is famously called the Buckeye State, so when they started their own farm, the name Buckeye Acres just made sense to them. I love that little detail, because it tells you the whole place began with a feeling of home and a craving for food that actually tastes like something.
They kept things simple in the early days, starting with a pick-your-own strawberry patch and a few rows of vegetables that they shared with the community. Nothing fancy was going on, just a couple who wanted their neighbors to enjoy the same good stuff they loved growing up.
Over time the farm passed down to Buck and Heather, who now run things and are raising the third generation right there on the land. When you think about it, that means kids are growing up surrounded by the same fields their grandparents planted, which is pretty special.
Knowing that history ahead of time makes walking into the store feel a lot more personal, so keep it in mind when you visit.
Getting Out To The Gravel Road
Half the fun of this trip is the drive, because you end up on a quiet country road before you even see the farm. The address you want to plug into your phone is 91 NE 600 Road, Warrensburg, MO 64093, and it sits a little ways north of town.
From Warrensburg, you head north on Highway 13 and then turn east onto 600 Road. After that, you roll down a gravel road for a bit, and honestly that stretch is where the city noise starts melting away and the fields take over.
Gravel roads can kick up some dust, so it helps to keep your windows up if you just cleaned your car or have someone riding along with allergies. You also want to take it a little slower than you would on pavement, since loose rock can make tires slide around on turns.
I would suggest checking the farm website or social pages before you leave, especially if you are coming for something seasonal like berries or pumpkins. Hours and picking conditions can change depending on weather and how the crops are doing.
Once you pull in, you will see the farm store and the open land around it, and you can kind of feel yourself slowing down. That relaxed arrival sets the tone for everything else.
The Year-Round Farm Store
Here is the part that surprises a lot of people, because the farm store does not shut down when the growing season ends. They put up a dedicated building for it, and now you can stop in pretty much any time of year and still find good things to bring home.
Inside, you can expect a wide spread of fresh produce whenever it is in season, laid out so you can actually see and choose what you want. Shopping this way feels different from a big grocery store, since you know the food did not travel across the country to reach you.
A smart move is to bring a sturdy bag or a small cooler in your trunk, because it is really easy to grab more than you planned. Fresh vegetables also do better if you get them home and into the fridge without letting them bake in a hot car.
The store has grown a lot from those early strawberry patch days, and you can tell the family has put real thought into what goes on the shelves. Everything feels chosen on purpose rather than just stocked to fill space.
If you like cooking, this is the kind of spot that can shape your whole week of meals. Walk around first, see what looks great, and plan dinners from there.
Jams, Cheeses, And Pantry Treasures
Let me warn you now, because the pantry shelves are where your shopping list goes right out the window. The store carries small-batch jams and jellies that make plain toast feel like a treat.
They also stock local cheeses from Missouri makers like Hemme Brothers and Grison Dairy, which is great news if you love cheese curds or a good block for snacking. Grabbing a couple of different kinds lets you put together an easy snack board at home without much effort.
Another fun find is Thompson Farms Soup and Dip Mixes, which are handy to keep in the cupboard for chilly nights or last-minute get-togethers. You just add a few ingredients, and suddenly you look like you planned ahead, even if you did not.
On top of that, you will usually spot other homemade and artisan goodies tucked around the store. These make really thoughtful gifts, especially for someone who appreciates food that comes from real people instead of a giant factory.
My tip is to take a slow lap around the store before deciding anything. Pick one item you already know you will love and one thing you have never tried, because that little gamble is half the fun of shopping at a farm.
Picking Berries With Your Own Hands
Picture yourself crouched in a sunny field with a bucket, hunting for the reddest strawberry you can find, and that is basically the u-pick experience in a nutshell. Depending on the season, the farm lets you pick your own strawberries, cherries, and blackberries.
Strawberries are actually how the whole farm got started, so there is a nice full-circle feeling to picking them here. Each fruit has its own season, which means you will want to check ahead to see what is ready before you head out.
Wear shoes you do not mind getting a little dirty, because fields can be muddy after rain. A hat and sunscreen help too, since you might be out there longer than you expect once you get into a rhythm.
Blackberry bushes can be a bit prickly, so long sleeves are a good idea if that is what you are after. Kids usually love this part, though you might find that more berries end up in their mouths than in the bucket.
When you get home, try not to wash the berries until right before you eat them, since extra moisture makes them spoil faster. Then go ahead and make a pie, a smoothie, or just eat them by the handful.
Pumpkins And The Harvest Festival
When the leaves start turning, the farm switches gears and throws its Harvest Festival, complete with a pumpkin patch. It is one of those cozy fall traditions that families look forward to all year.
The festival took a short break at one point and then came back, which tells you how much the community missed it. Walking a field to pick out your own pumpkin just feels more fun than grabbing one from a bin outside a store.
Do you have a pumpkin type in mind? Some people want a huge round one for carving, while others go for small ones to line the porch steps, so it helps to think about where it is going before you choose.
A quick tip is to lift your pumpkin from the bottom instead of by the stem, because stems can snap off and make the pumpkin rot sooner. Also look for one without soft spots, since a firm pumpkin will last a lot longer on display.
Fall weather in Missouri can swing from warm to chilly pretty quickly, so layers are your friend. Bring a jacket you can tie around your waist, and you will be comfortable whether the afternoon heats up or cools down.
Signing Up For A Share Of The Harvest
If you find yourself falling for this farm, there is a way to stay connected all season long. Buckeye Acres runs a Community Supported Agriculture program, which most people just call a CSA.
The idea is pretty simple, because you buy a share of the harvest ahead of time and then receive fresh food as it comes in. That early support helps the family plan their planting, and you get a steady supply of produce straight from the source.
One fun thing about a CSA is that you do not always know exactly what you will get, so it nudges you to try vegetables you might normally skip. You could end up discovering a new favorite side dish just because it showed up in your share.
Before signing up, think honestly about how much your household cooks at home. A share works best when you have a plan for using everything, so you are not tossing out wilted greens at the end of the week.
Keeping a few go-to recipes handy, like a stir fry or a big pot of soup, makes it easy to use up odds and ends. It turns into a little weekly cooking challenge that a lot of people end up enjoying.
Field Trips That Teach Real Farming
Here is something that does not get talked about enough, because this farm is also a pretty great classroom. Buckeye Acres offers educational tours for groups, and homeschool families are welcome too.
The tours cover how the farm actually runs, what sustainable farming looks like, and why fresh produce matters for healthy eating. For a lot of kids, seeing food growing in the dirt makes way more sense than reading about it in a textbook.
If you are planning a group visit, reach out to the farm ahead of time to set things up. That gives them a chance to plan the tour around what your group wants to learn and what is happening on the farm at that moment.
Adults tend to get just as much out of these visits, so do not assume it is only for children. Plenty of grown-ups have never really thought about how much work goes into a single basket of vegetables.
Encourage kids to come with a few questions ready, like how crops are watered or what the animals eat. Curious minds make the visit stick, and you might be surprised how much they remember when you get back home and sit down to dinner.
Cheering On Missouri Makers
What I really appreciate about this place is how much it lifts up other local folks, not just itself. Along with what the family grows and raises, the store features items from other Missouri Grown vendors.
The selection is picked with care, and the focus stays on goods that are actually made in the state. So when you shop here, your money spreads out to several small businesses instead of landing in one spot.
Look for the Missouri Grown label as you browse, since it helps you spot products tied to farms and makers in the area. It is a handy little signal if you care about keeping things local.
Shopping like this also makes a great excuse to learn about other farms nearby. If you fall in love with a certain cheese or sauce, you can look up the maker later and maybe plan another road trip around them.
Honestly, the whole store feels like a small celebration of what Missouri can produce, from the fields right outside to kitchens and dairies across the region. Leave a little room in your budget and your trunk, because you will probably walk out with more than one bag, and you will feel good about every single thing inside it.
