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hometownsource. com / heartland / Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, September 20, 2026 Page 9
“ It showed how we can be the light by serving others,” Sarah said.
Obstacles or assignments? The years away changed the way the Olsons viewed the difficulties they had experienced.
Sarah said they had always believed the sunflower fields were connected to a calling. During the early years, however, they relied heavily on their own plans and their ability to manage the growth.
“ When we first did the sunflowers, we knew we had a calling,” she said.“ But we ran with it using our own wisdom and our own strategy. When the problems came, we weren’ t rooted deeply enough to handle them.”
She does not believe the original mission was wrong. Instead, she came to believe their approach had been incomplete.
One phrase began to change the way she and Johnny viewed conflict and responsibility.
“ They’ re not an obstacle; it’ s an assignment,” Sarah said.
That idea also shaped how the Olsons approached their relationship with Gene Decker, the longtime owner of the property now known as Sun Haven Farm.
Gene had lived on the farm for more than 70 years. Its land, buildings and possessions represented a lifetime of work and memories, making the transition difficult.
The Olsons did not see their role as simply taking control of the property and changing it. Their first responsibility, they said, was to walk alongside Gene as the farm entered a new chapter. That work has required patience. Before the farm can welcome visitors, there is sorting, cleaning and planning to be done. There is also a responsibility to honor the man and family who cared for the property for generations.
For the Olsons, it is another reminder that their work has never been only about flowers.
A farm rooted in history Sun Haven Farm sits along a half-mile of west-facing lake frontage near the Pelican Lake preserve.
The property includes two tillable fields of about five acres each, about 25 acres of woods and trails leading toward the water.
The land also carries the history of Dave and Gene Decker and the generations of the Decker family who came before them.
Preserving the farm was important to the family. They wanted to honor earlier generations by keeping the property intact and preventing it from being divided into lots and developed.
For Johnny and Sarah, becoming stewards of Sun Haven Farm means taking responsibility for that history as well as its future.
That stewardship requires them to look ahead without erasing what came before. They want the farm’ s next chapter to reflect the memories and values already rooted there while opening the land to other families. At the center of the property stands an 1864 brick farmhouse. Johnny said the brick was made from clay taken from the farm and fired on site.
“ Gene says the old Monticello City Hall was built with brick from this farm,” Johnny said.“ You can see it in the tone of the brick— that old, warm color. It’ s like a little time capsule.”
The farmhouse ties the property to the early history of the Monticello area and to the Decker family members who cared for it through the generations.
Unlike the temporary locations used during the first chapter of Fish Sunflowers, Sun Haven Farm offers the possibility of permanence.
It gives the Olsons a home base where they can manage the land, establish consistent expectations and build slowly. It also allows the farm to remain whole as a living tribute to the Decker family.
The Olsons’ plans extend beyond sunflowers. They envision Sun Haven Farm as an affordable place where families can spend time together and experience rural life.
“ Families need things to do that are fun and don’ t cost a fortune,” Johnny said.“ We picture kids from the cities seeing their first lamb, touching a tractor, walking a trail through the woods down to the water.”
The historic farmhouse could be used occasionally for sales featuring local goods, antiques and photography.
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