People sometimes ask why it costs to visit Winterpast Farm. Farmer Mary pays for: signs, gravel in parking lot, trash cans, hot water and soap and towels at handwashing, money box (to replace stolen one), fencing upkeep for ten acres, animal food (she spends several hundred dollars at Tractor Supply weekly), daily hay for all the animals, housing, picnic tables, chairs and benches for visitors to sit on, animal housing, water bottles, food bowls, nest boxes and other equipment, bedding (she spends a minimum of $50 at the laundromat weekly washing animal bedding, cleaning cloths, lap cloths and table cloths), buckets for animal feed, tablecloths, cloth “nests” for laps, sanitizer, toilet paper, bathroom supplies, heated space for small animals during winter, heat lamps and electricity for maternity pens and baby chicks, special feed and hay for pregnant and nursing moms, business cards, halters, leashes, collars, bandanas, labels for egg cartons, animal care books for pet rentals, medicine for sick or wounded donated animals, laminated signs around the farm, wire mesh and zipties and hardware for fixing pens and hutches, drinking water for the animals, water for washing bowls and buckets and cages, seasonal special feed like special formula for bottle feeding, bottles and nipples……photo here shows a comparison of other local similar outdoor play/animal related businesses and their admission prices. Note: HillRidge seems low but there are add-ons to the admission price. Winterpast Farm admission of $10 per person is actually the lowest.