About Sunset Trail Farm

Sunset Trail Farm is a family-owned blackberry farm in McKinney, Texas that uses sustainable, organic practices with a focus on building the soil and educating the public on regenerative farming.
The goals of this environmentally-friendly farm are to create a beautiful landscape with a focus on practices such as water conservation through water catchment and drip irrigation, using only organic methods for disease and pest control, reducing erosion through cover cropping, composting, and mulching.

Project Description & History

After purchasing the property in 2015, project organizers Trey and Kristen Hoegenauer began amending the soil with organic compost as well as cover-cropping in the hopes of restoring the over-grazed, weed-infested pasture to several acres of fertile and productive land for the growing of nutrient-dense blackberries. As a Texas Master Gardener, Kristen wanted to implement research-based information on their property. One of Sunset Trail Farm’s primary goals is to improve the microbial life within the soil by adding mycorrhizal fungi and other organic nutrients through the use of a fertigation system to apply water-soluble organic nutrients. They planted several acres of thornless blackberries in 2022 and opened as a you-pick farm in May of 2023.

Community Impact

Sunset Trail Farm would like to be a resource to the local community for the purpose of education in growing food sustainably and organically while benefiting the environment. The farm offers field trips for youth and gardening classes to teach people how to grow their own healthy food. Additionally, the farm is creating jobs for the local youth, while providing a fun, educational agritourism experience for people of all ages.