About the Farm
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4th Generation Family-Owned Farm
Whispering Trees and Honey Bees is a U-Pick Farm located on the outskirts of beautiful Pine Island, Minnesota. We are a small, family-owned, generational farm that offers berries, vegetables, flowers, and herbs for picking in our field on the weekends and pre-picked goodies and gifts in our on-site farm stand throughout the week. Our family is passionate about supporting farmers, sourcing locally, and shopping the small business scene. We take pride in supporting our local community.
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Whispering Trees & Honey Bees
The idea for our farm came from our love of growing and wanting to share that love with our community. The name Whispering Trees and Honey Bees comes from the experience you get when out in the field on a breezy summer day. If you take a moment to stop and close your eyes, you will hear the wind whispering through the trees and the bees buzzing in delight of our breathtaking field of blooms.
We hope you stop by to check us out first-hand. Whether planning a family adventure, a day out with friends, or a special outing with that special someone, there really is a little something for everyone. We think you will agree; it truly is a magical experience!
New for 2025
The Story Behind the Corn Crib Farm Stand
The original corn crib was built in 1949 on our family farm, which was then owned by my husband’s great-grandparents, Ned and Helda Andrist. It was constructed by Roland, Willis, and Harold Andrist—brothers of Ned—and took most of the summer to complete. The lumber came straight from the woods on the property, milled with a steam-powered sawmill right on the farm.
As the story goes, the corn crib wasn’t built exactly as planned. Both side walls were supposed to angle outward, but one ended up slanting inward—giving the whole structure a crooked, slightly toppling appearance. When Helda Andrist saw the final result, she was furious! But by then, it was too late to fix, and the lopsided corn crib stood unchanged for decades.
That is, until 2024.
That year, we took on the ambitious project of saving—and straightening—the old corn crib, transforming it into a unique farm stand. It was a daunting task, especially since we were committed to mainly using reclaimed materials from our farm and neighboring farms.
Site work began in the summer of 2024, led by my dad, Dennis Johnson. My husband, Leon Trelstad, and his father, Ron Trelstad, joined in to start the straightening process. Inch by inch, we braced the leaning wall and used a tractor for the initial push. With every bit of progress, another board was quickly added to support the structure. Between the tractor and a hydraulic jack, we eventually lifted the frame nearly 18 inches.
Once the outer frame was secured, Leon rebuilt each wall to ensure stability. The interior walls were then removed, and we poured additional concrete to level the floor—corn cribs of that era typically had recessed floors and a center strip for equipment.
As we tackled the roof and its large original openings (once used to fill the crib with corn), we decided to install fiberglass panels to serve as skylights, bringing beautiful natural light into the new space. Aside from those panels, the sill plates, and some screws, nearly everything used in the renovation was reclaimed.
We’re almost ready to open our doors—the windows are ready for installation, the doors are going up, and the twinkle lights are already in place. Walking inside feels like stepping into Little House on the Prairie. It’s truly magical.
No, we’re not the biggest farm. We’re not the most high-tech, either—our two-acre field is still planted by hand—but we are proud to be different. Our farm stand is a celebration of that uniqueness and a tribute to the history and heart of our family farm. We can’t wait to share it with you.
View the story in the pictures below....