About Us
Eugster's Farm Market & Petting Farm is a beautiful 349-acre farm located on Hwy 138 between Stoughton and Oregon just 20 minutes south of Madison. For 40 years we have been providing Dane County & Southern Wisconsin with our famous sweet corn, muskmelons and the freshest produce available. Eugster's Farm Market has always prided itself with quality produce, excellent service, and great employees.
Joe and Carol Eugster have been running the farm for 35 years and have added the beauty to the farm that you see today. Although we have events, we are still a fully functional farm with a diverse herd of livestock and a variety of produce. Jacob and Kat Eugster would be the 4th generation on this farm and the 6th generation of Eugster farmers in our family records. For over 150 years, Eugsters have been farmers. From the Alps to the Midwest, we have prided ourselves on our work ethic and connection with the land.
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Eugster History
In 1926, John 'Hans' Eugster left his hometown of Speicher, Switzerland to start his own farm in America at the age of 25. He made his way to the midwest with his friend Berweger. The two found temporary work at Berweger's Uncle's farm in Bartlet, IL. After a few months, he began work on a farm in New Glarus that belonged to a friend of his family.
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That summer, after being in America for a year, he was able to send for his 'lady friend' in Switzerland to join him. John and Berta (pictured together) were married late that year where they would begin creating their own American dream.
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They spent the next 7 years renting a farm from Dave Hefty in Mt. Vernon. Then in 1937, John and Berta bought a 160-acre farm in the Oregon area. That farm would have been where HWY 14 meets The Rutland-Dunn Townline Rd. The green and white barn on the hill still belongs to the Eugster Family.
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In 1946, they purchased a 300-acre farm for $50,000 at what is now known as Eugster's Farm Market. Here they ran a large dairy operation that grew to over 120 cattle.
John Eugster Jr (Pictured on the Right) bought the farm on Highway 138 from John Eugster Sr on January 1st 1961. He had worked on the farm for his whole adult life after returning from his station on Okinawa during the Korean War. For 13 years, John Jr and Pat Eugster continued the dairy operation on 138. In 1974, the sold the herd and shifted the farm into becoming a grain operation.
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They also raised peas and sweet corn for a canning company. This is the first known beginning of Eugster's Famous Sweetcorn. Some of the corn was loaded onto trucks to be sold at remote locations - and the farm as we know it began to take shape.
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As the next generation of Eugsters took the reigns, produce stands expanded into a petting farm, and then into the entertainment farm we are today. Although things have changed, we Eugsters will never forget our heritage and history.
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Improving technology helped John grow and expand the farm operations. Four horses were sold and were replaced with two tractors (Pictured to the Left). When John purchased the farm's first tractor the story goes that he didn't know how to stop it so he pulled back on the steering wheel and yelled, "woah!" - as if it were a horse. That Massy-Harris is still on display next to the Big Barn today and the Allis Chalmers is still used for light work every year.
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Milking by hand became a lot easier when the automatic milking machines entered Eugster hands - soon becoming one of the most popular items on the farm (pictured above).
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As John aged, he retired from farming at the end of 1960. His livestock from the Oregon farm was auctioned soon afterward. John and Berta lived in the area until her passing in 1968 and his passing in 1993.
