KIMBALL -- What began as a family’s journey through autism diagnoses and brain injury recovery turned into creating an inclusive space for the whole community.  

WeeShire Mains officially became a nonprofit farm in April 2024, and since May 2025, it has become a regular attraction for the community.

The first big event for the farm was Barnyard & Badges, hosted alongside the Kimball Police Department. 

Other visitors this year have included residents of the Kimball County Manor and children and staff from Upside Down Childcare, and families in the community.

Founder Sarah Shropshire says their focus right now is expanding the blueberry field, which will bring a major addition to the sensory activities that the farm offers.

The Kimball City Council recently approved a $5,000 grant to WeeShire Mains to put toward this project. 

Shropshire says the entire project is expected to cost about $100,000, which will include infrastructure projects such as building parking areas and pavilions. 

“We want to really make it a place for somebody to come and spend the afternoon,” Shropshire said. 

The Shropshire family started the project a few years ago by planting a test plot of 8 rows that consists of 240 different blueberry plants with 6 different varieties to test which ones would grow the best. 

They plan to expand it to 30 rows to have a total of 900 blueberry plants. 

The plan this fall is to clear out trees and dig the trenches in preparation for planting in the spring. 

Shropshire said: “The biggest reason we picked blueberries is we realized that no one is growing them around here so that’s always a fun challenge, but my cousin actually introduced the idea to me; they have a blueberry field down in Arkansas. Both of our boys have autism and ADHD, and my son was 3 at the time, and he was able to be in the blueberry field for five minutes doing the same task, which is phenomenal for anybody who understands.” 

Shropshire said she has seen major benefits that the animals have for her two boys and her husband who is recovering from a brain injury. 

“Animals are very present, they're very trusting, and they help the boys with prosocial activities and skills,” she said. “When [my husband] was coming out to sit with the animals he felt better and can re-calibrate, re-regulate, and be able to take on the rest of the day and all the stresses that adulting has.”

She goes on to explain that they were able to save time driving to physical and occupational therapy and instead bring the resources they needed right to their backyard. Her boys receive the sensory input their bodies need through the farm work, and they wanted to offer that for others with similar struggles. 

The vision of the farm has grown from providing a place for people to interact with a variety of animals and connect with nature to now creating the blueberry field and eventually building a two-story sensory barn that will have active and calming activities.

Anyone is welcome at the farm with no payment required, but donations are encouraged. WeeShire Mains is located at 1209 E 3rd St.  Go to their website WeeShiremains.org to set up your visit.