A Working Farm

Chris and Tiffany Linam bought their property along Highway 71 in 2021 with no plans of becoming fruit farmers. They just wanted land in the Arkansas River Valley, somewhere between Northwest Arkansas and the Fort Smith area, close enough to town but far enough out to feel like home.

That changed because of a neighbor. Randy Arnold, who runs the well-known Arnold Family Farm across the road, saw potential in the Linams’ land and encouraged Chris to give blackberry farming a try. Chris and Tiffany did their homework, working with the University of Arkansas Agriculture Research and Extension, a program recognized nationally for its fruit breeding work. What started as a leap of faith became rows of thornless blackberries, then blueberries, then raspberries grown in a new high tunnel.

Today the farm has grown to 2.5 acres of thornless blackberries, including Sweet-Ark Ponca, Sweet-Ark Caddo, Natchez, Ouachita, and Sage varieties, alongside blueberry bushes and an expanding raspberry operation. 8 years in, Linam Farm has become a destination for families across the River Valley who want to pick their own fruit, meet farm animals, and bring home something they grew themselves.

What Makes Us Different

A lot of u-pick farms charge you before you even reach the field. Linam Farm does not. There are no gate fees, no parking charges, and no admission tickets. You pull in, grab a bucket, and pay only for what you pick or purchase. It is a deliberate choice about the kind of farm we want to be and the kind of day we want every visitor to have.

This is also a working farm first. Alongside the berry fields, Linam Farm raises Dexter cattle, Dorper sheep, and laying hens. Two guard dogs watch over the pastures, and chickens wander the grounds in plain view. Kids get to see where food actually comes from, not a staged version of it.

The Farm Store

Our on-site farm store was built from reclaimed materials right here on the property, and it carries the full lineup of what we grow and make:

• Homemade blackberry jams, jellies, and blackberry BBQ sauce
• Crumble bars and muffins made with our own berries
• Raw honey harvested from our beehives
• Farm-fresh eggs gathered daily from our laying hens
• Handmade woodwork and local artisan goods

Store hours are updated on Facebook, and you can also find us most Saturdays at the Fort Smith Farmers Market.

A Day at Linam Farm

Visiting Linam Farm does not take much planning. Berry season generally runs from May through July, though exact ripening shifts week to week with Arkansas weather, so we post live u-pick updates on Facebook and Instagram before every visit.

Bring the kids, bring the grandparents, bring a friend who has never picked their own fruit before. Pack a small cooler for the ride home and expect purple-stained fingers by the time you leave. Whether you spend an hour in the blackberry rows or an entire afternoon wandering the pastures, our goal is the same: a real day on a real farm, twenty minutes from Fort Smith.

We are also proud participants in the Arkansas Farm Trail Passport Program and the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association’s statewide grant project, which means Linam Farm is helping introduce more Arkansans to what a fresh, real blackberry actually tastes like.