Agricultural Attractions

In addition to the natural beauty of the landscape, the climate and terrain permit a diversity of crops to be grown in the Wausau Area. In contrast to the level plains that permit large acreages of wheat and corn, central Wisconsin soil provides excellent growing conditions for many fruits, vegetables, and evergreens. You can taste fresh-picked goodness by doing the work yourself or by visiting the Farmers Market located at 400 River Drive, Wausau on Wednesday and Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. from mid-May through mid-November.

Farms and orchards surrounding the Wausau Area produce potatoes, corn, strawberries, apples, ginseng, and Christmas trees. During the summer, you can pick fresh vegetables and fruit for eating or preserving at several area farms. In fall, there are orchards with tree ripened apples and beginning the day after Thanksgiving, your family can take to the fields with a saw to select the perfect Christmas tree from one of the many tree farms nestled among the wooded hillsides of the surrounding area.

Marathon County is also well know for ginseng, a root used for 5,000 years for health benefits in beverages and food. Central Wisconsin exports 95% of the ginseng root from the United States. Ginseng farmers tend a crop for 4 years, and in the summer tarps cover the fields from direct sunlight.