Page 10 Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, September 20, 2026 hometownsource. com / heartland /
The Olsons have discussed producing maple syrup and working with beekeepers and neighbors to make honey. They also envision small faith gatherings, men’ s Bible studies and perhaps baptisms in the lake. They have not settled on a single use for the property.“ The sunflowers are part of it,” Sarah said,“ but the farm could be any number of things. Our heart is that we want to share it and for it to be a blessing, however that looks.”
That willingness to move slowly marks a change from the earlier Fish Sunflowers years. The land also presents practical challenges. Deer could make growing sunflowers difficult. The farmhouse and other buildings need attention, and the property will require infrastructure before it can accommodate large numbers of visitors. Johnny still intends to plant.“ I will drop seed in the ground next year,” he said.“ Whether the deer eat it or not is another question. We’ ve got some real obstacles there. But we’ re going to try.”
The goal is to have public sunflowers at Sun Haven Farm in 2027, although Johnny is careful not to promise what farming cannot guarantee.
Seed can be planted and the soil can be prepared. What happens next will depend on weather, wildlife and time.
A foundation beneath the fields
One of the biggest differences between the original Fish Sunflowers project and the work planned at Sun Haven Farm is the creation of a formal nonprofit organization.
The Sunshine Foundation of America has received 501( c)( 3) status.
That structure makes it possible for businesses, hospitals and other organizations to support the work through tax-deductible donations. It also provides clearer accountability for how money is raised and spent.
“ We had hospitals and companies like Cargill who wanted to support what we were doing,” Johnny said.“ But they couldn’ t, because it wasn’ t a recognized nonprofit. That’ s changed. Now there’ s some accountability both ways, and donors can see where funds are going.”
During the early Fish Sunflowers years, Johnny and Sarah often used the fields to draw attention to other people and organizations.
They recognized families dealing with illness or loss, along with teachers, foster parents and caregivers. They also provided space for organizations addressing dementia, grief and other challenges to tell their stories.
“ We promoted others’ missions a lot more than we ever talked about our own,” Johnny said.
The Sunshine Foundation is intended to preserve that focus while setting clearer boundaries around money, responsibilities and public communication.
“ Every year, if we do this, there will absolutely be a cause,” Johnny said.“ A specific mission tied to the field
Jeffrey Hage / Stories of the Heartland
Sunflowers bloom in one of Fish Sunflowers’ first sunflower fields located in Big Lake Township.
or event. This has always been about people.”
The foundation also gives the Olsons a framework for selling Sarah’ s books, raising money and forming partnerships without repeating the informal arrangements that contributed to earlier problems.
Redemption in bloom Johnny and Sarah often use the word“ redemption” when talking about Sun Haven Farm.
They are not trying to erase the financial strain, criticism or broken relationships that came with the first chapter of Fish Sunflowers. They hope those experiences can help them build something better.
“ The whole sunflower story is really about redemption,” Johnny said.“ Redemption in our lives, in relationships, in families that were disconnected. The fields gave people a place to come together and let go of some stuff.”
The first version of Fish Sunflowers grew quickly. Success was measured in fields planted, communities reached and visitors welcomed. The next version may be measured differently. It could be found in the restoration of an old farmhouse, the preservation of the Decker family farm or the experience of a child meeting a lamb for the first time. It could be found in a grieving family discovering a quiet place beside the lake or in a field planted to support a specific cause.
“ It’ s a second chance,” Sarah said.“ The calling wasn’ t wrong before. It was our strategy that was off. Now we’ re trying to do it differently— rooted, refined and with God’ s strategy instead of our own.” Much remains to be done before visitors arrive. The land must be prepared. Buildings need work. Trails and gathering areas must be evaluated. Partnerships and financial support must be developed. Eventually, seed will have to go into the ground. The equipment in the shed is waiting, along with the memories of fields dedicated to veterans, families, people battling illness and a grieving community in Buffalo.
Johnny and Sarah are not trying to recreate those years exactly as they were.
They want to build something that can last— rooted in one place, supported by a formal organization and shaped by what they learned.
For now, Sun Haven Farm remains a work in progress. The farmhouse stands above the lake. Trails wind through the woods, and the tillable fields wait for seed.
Inside a nearby shed, the old Fish Sunflowers equipment rests beneath years of dust and memories.
If the plans come together, yellow flowers will rise from the soil in 2027.
They will not simply mark the return of Fish Sunflowers.
They will represent what the Olsons learned, what the Decker family preserved and what Sun Haven Farm may yet become.
A second bloom.