Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


After four years of waiting, both the sunflowers and the Earl Farm Foundation Sunflower Festival are finally back - promising a spectacular summer celebration.

From August 1st through 3rd, guests are invited to gather once again in the heart of Howell’s 60-acre sunflower fields for a weekend of music, nature, family fun, and charitable impact.

The ticketed event marks the first Sunflower Festival since 2021 and organizers are planning a weekend that blends nature, entertainment, and purpose.

All proceeds from the festival support the Earl Farm Foundation’s mission to provide healthy ground beef protein to local food pantries. Since 2009, the Foundation has donated 94 cows—equivalent to over 44,000 pounds of beef—to families in need across the community.

Earl Farm Foundation Founder Brent Earl said “We’re thrilled to bring the festival back, and even more excited about the impact it will have. I want to accomplish two things at this year’s Sunflower Festival—one, raise as much funding as possible to convert into healthy beef protein for our families in need throughout the year, and two, have as many people as possible experience what it feels like to be immersed in a field of sunflowers.”

Earl is a fifth generationer on the farm, it having been established in 1864. He told WHMI they’ve tried to do different types of fundraisers and he had a “wild idea” a few years ago. Earl said a farmer planted around 60-acres of sunflowers at the farm property north of M-59 and there is a big hickory tree in the middle of the field. Thus, he created a place with fresh raised grass and decided to host a big celebration and fundraiser right in the middle, underneath that he 230-year-old hickory tree – calling it “stunning”.

As for the larger mission, Earl said there continues to be more and more need in the community. He noted that beef is the most expensive it’s ever been, with live cattle at a record high a couple of weeks ago, and it’s an expensive product to put on the shelves at local food pantries. Earl said pantry directors have seen an exponential rise and increase in demand since COVID for food in general but for protein. Thus, they’re trying to provide a consistent source for source of beef for around 10 local pantries.


Festival highlights include:

-Sunflower Field Concert – Friday, August 1 (6–10 PM):
Featuring live performances by Olivia Dear, Jason Harper, and The Fox & The Fiddle. Sponsored by the Ted & Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation

- The Really Big Show – Saturday, August 2 (5–10 PM):
Tim Wise, former host of Let’s Make a Deal Live, will host the crowd-favorite; Keep It or Trade It $50,000 game show, along with magic, comedy, and The Austin Scott Band.

-Family Day – Sunday, August 3 (Noon–5 PM):
A family sunflower experience of walking in the sunflowers with picture taking
opportunities.

-Daily Fitness Classes & Sunrise and Sunset Yoga in the sunflower field:
Led by MI Fitness Community, with all proceeds supporting the Earl Farm
Foundation.

-Barn Art Gallery: The Earl Farm hay barn will be turned into an art gallery by
showcasing local artists. On display will be a special painting just for this event by Susan Pominville, Founder of Art Doing Good.

-Sunflower Field Walking Trail and Local Food Trucks available all weekend.


Pre-purchased tickets are required for all events, with a cut-off date of July 25th. To purchase tickets, explore sponsorship opportunities, or donate, visit the provided link.

The bottom link is a video about the festival.

"The Earl Farm Foundation is a family-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reducing food insecurity by donating USDA-certified ground beef to local food pantries. In 2023 alone, the Foundation donated more than 10,000 pounds of ground beef. The Foundation’s 2025 goal is to reduce the growing protein gap by supplying 15,000 pounds of beef annually requiring over $90,000 in funding. A donation of approximately $3,000 covers one cow and processing, yielding 500 one-pound packages of beef for local families. Together, we can make a difference."

Photos: www.Earl Farm.com