In a Sea of Blacktop, They Chose Purple: The Lavender Pivot That Saved Hoshyla Farms

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When I think about my conversation with Susan and Nicole Asendorf of Hoshyla Farms, what stays with me most isn’t just the lavender — it’s the decision. The moment when selling the land felt easier… and they chose not to. On Long Island, once farmland is gone, it’s gone. Hearing Nicole say, “Once you sell something, you cannot get it back,” carried a weight that anyone connected to agriculture truly understands. This wasn’t just a business pivot. It was a stand for legacy.

What moved me even more was the dynamic of three women and an 84-year-old grandfather working side by side to reinvent their family farm. There was honesty in the conversation — about fear, about learning curves, about irrigation powered by generators and watering plants from the back of a tractor. It wasn’t polished. It was real. And that’s what preserving farmland actually looks like.

This episode reminded me that agritourism isn’t just about events or aesthetics — it’s about connection. Connection to land, to family, to community. Hoshyla Farms isn’t just growing lavender; they’re cultivating continuity. And in a region where blacktop spreads faster than crops, that matters more than ever.

Hoshyla Farms
2026 Lavendar Festival
Hoshyla Farms Instagram

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.  

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