Missouri Life September 2023

Lane encourages those who live at a distance “to find the flower farmer near you!” Rudy Lane Flower Farm is 100-percent a family affair. Layne and Megan, along with their three young daugh ters, work the business as a family. “I do most of the planning, growing, and harvesting,” Megan says. “Layne does the tractor work, support netting, irrigation, and delivery. The girls help out with transplanting and dead heading. I’ve found that the tiny fingers of a two-year old are perfect for extracting seedlings from cell trays!” Their offerings are entirely homegrown and seasonal. Fresh-cut bouquets and arrangements are available during the spring and summer. They add pumpkins and other fall-themed items in September, and then ever green wreaths as the holidays approach. According to Megan, “One of the benefits to our farm stand is that people can make the visit part of their self care. I have a lot of ladies who like to grab a latte from the coffee shop, turn on their favorite podcast, and make the country mile drive to the farm stand on a Saturday morning. Other times, they will bring their kids out and THE VALLEY WAGON Every business that begins as a roadside operation has an origin story that explains why the founders opted for that route, so to speak. “Our property is under a 100-year FEMA flood zone, which prevents us from building permanent structures,” says Melissa Moehle, owner/operator of The Valley Wagon. “Everything we do has to be portable.” The Valley Wagon officially opened for business in June 2019 under the name “The Veggie Wagon,” but because of patent infringements with another, out-of-state business, they changed the name of the Grain Valley business to The Valley Wagon. “We literally started with just the wagon located at an intersection,” Melissa says. “Our produce stand was self-serve and honor-pay our first season. We decided to move our wagon down the road a couple of blocks when

In the fall, shoppers come to Rudy Lane Flower Farm to pick up potted mums and fresh-picked pumpkins that add seasonal color to outdoor decor.

let them pick whichever bouquet they like the best. “I think what people love about our business is that we are not trying to be ‘big city.’ We are a small family business—a farm business at that—in the community my husband’s family has been in for 150 years. We are bringing a unique opportunity for members of our county to enjoy without having to drive 30-plus minutes to the big city. People appreciate that sense of community and feel a sense of pride about it. Oh, and the pretty flowers help, too!”

437 Rudy Lane, Linn, RudyLaneFlowerFarm.com

a piece of property with a parking lot beside a daycare became available. “We employed one high school student and our daugh ter to work. With every passing year, we try to add some thing new to our growing business. Fast forward to 2023, we still have the same original wagon we started with for our produce, but we have added a farm store, an ice cream shop, outdoor seating and gaming area, several gorgeous flowers, and monthly special events.” To keep up with demand, the Moehle family sells not only their own produce, but the products of local farm ers and area vendors. They brought in four additional employees to help the family members wait on customers. The Valley Wagon’s offerings have expanded to include pies, jams and jellies, spices, honey, dip mixes, cheese dips, candy, soaps, T-shirts, jewelry, toys, lotions, towels, candles, sunglasses, and kitchenware. “We have a great repeat customer clientele. A lot of customers have been with us from day one. They are our biggest cheerleaders and love watching us grow from year to year,” Melissa says. “We look forward to seeing them on a weekly or biweekly basis. During our off-season, we miss seeing our customers because they become like part of our family.” She adds, “Our community and surrounding com munities have supported our family so much over the years that we want to give back. We want to bring joy to everyone who enters our establishment and make them feel welcome and feel like family when they come to visit The Valley Wagon.”

For Vince, Melissa, and Jayden Moehle, making their business portable is a necessity because it is located in a flood zone. The Valley Wagon has grown from a simple produce stand in 2019 to a busy market that features products from many area farmers and vendors.

1451 S Buckner Tarsney Rd., Grain Valley, Facebook.com.

THE VALLEY WAGON

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