Rod’s Berry Farm began as a dream in the heart of Rodney Elmstrand in the late 1970’s as he finished college. He had the desire to take over the family farm (80 acres purchased by his parents in 1934), but did not have equipment for traditional farming of corn and soybeans. Rod attended “strawberry school” at the U of MN and the first plants went in the ground in 1981 with all of Rod’s siblings coming to help. Rod married Sara after the first picking season in 1982. They have been blessed with 5 amazing farmhands (oops, I mean children) who grew up helping around the farm as much as possible. Rod worked as an Extension Educator for the MN Extension Service for 27 years.

Four of our children are living away from the farm enjoying their own adventures, our oldest son has moved back with his wife and bought land down the road from us. We have been blessed with eleven grand children. Our children all come home when they can and still lend their helping hands. Anyone who has ever hung out on a farm knows that farming is always truly a family affair.

Rod’s Berry Farm is located on the Isanti County Anoka Sand Plain supplied with a bountiful supply of clean water to grow our produce.

Our goal is to provide quality strawberries and blueberries in a family friendly environment. Our family and team of helpers stress fun and safety while helping you enjoy the wonderful bounty of Rod’s Berry Farm.

The Elmstrand’s were awarded the Minnesota River Friendly Farmer Award in 1995 recognizing excellent stewardship of the land through utilizing tree wind breaks, erosion control practices, and integrated pest management practices in cooperation with the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. This means we work hard at growing a crop of nutritious and delicious fruit while utilizing the best growing practices with a minimum use of pesticides.