Hello friends of Gretta’s Goats and Healing Herd Therapy Farm,

We’re thrilled to share some heartwarming news from the farm — two incredibly special additions have joined our animal family! Meet Poppy and Lulu, our new miniature therapy horses. These sweet Pinto beauties come to us with big hearts and even bigger personalities, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them here.

Both Poppy and Lulu have spent time working in nursing homes, gently connecting with residents and spreading joy with every soft nuzzle. Lulu, our sweet girl, stands at just 30 inches tall, while Poppy, is a proud 29 inches of pure charm. Despite their size, these two bring a whole lot of love and healing wherever they go.

At Gretta’s Goats, we’ve always believed in the magic of the human animal bond and these two pint-sized powerhouses fit right in. We’re already seeing how naturally they bond with visitors — especially those who could use a little extra comfort and calm. Whether it’s through quiet companionship or a bit of playful mischief, Poppy and Lulu are already stealing hearts and helping us expand our therapeutic outreach. 

Our non profit, Healing Herd Therapy Farm hosted a group of veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project last week. They joined us on the farm for a therapeutic goat hike and to relax with the animals in our nature based setting. I had a moving conversation with one of the veterans about therapy animals and how they can help people heal from invisible disabilities. He told me when his post traumatic stress and anxiety hits he cannot always pinpoint a trigger or the reason why its happening at that moment. He said it is hard to explain to people, but he feels like his therapy dog gets it. He feels many animals get it, don’t judge and provide a gentle presence for people who suffer from PTSD and anxiety. PTSD trauma is not just a memory for him but his daily experience. Animals have helped him to cut through the fear, panic, and emotional numbness he feels. I witnessed first hand his shoulders relax and his demeanor change before and after the goat hike to a much more relaxed state. It was a powerful experience for me that I won’t forget.

In addition, to our visit from the Wounded Warrior Project last week we provided numerous free goat hikes to people in need. In addition, we hosted a group of Rockford Public School teachers to explore ideas for future field trips for students with special needs. Lastly, we provided free one on one animal assisted therapy/education sessions for children with special needs in our community through Healing Herd Therapy Farm.

This is why we do what we do at Healing Herd Therapy Farm. Whether it’s a goat on a walk or a miniature therapy horse offering calm connection, these animals are part of the healing process — in ways even words sometimes can’t reach.

Want to support Poppy and Lulu’s journey at the farm and the Healing Herd goats? Your donations help us provide specialized care, enrichment, and outreach opportunities so they can continue doing what they do best — bringing smiles and healing. Click here to donate, or plan your visit to come meet them in person through Gretta’s Goats. Thank you for being part of our herd — we couldn’t do this without you!

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum I think we can all agree that filling our local food banks for the most vulnerable in our communities with fresh, local, and organic food is a win-win for all. People are looking for fresh, nutritious, and local products. To be able to walk away with beef, cheese, vegetables, and eggs from a local food pantry that was grown very close to home is exciting. The Illinois Eats program was an amazing program funded by the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance program. It was transforming our state’s food system by sourcing fresh food from small scale farmers in Illinois and delivering this food to underserved communities across the state. Small Scale Farmers, like my dear Friend Becky Stark of Midnight Sun Farm was paid a fair market value for vegetables and eggs that were grown and raised on her farm in Capron, IL. Our neighbors in need could then access this healthy food at no cost through food pantries, mobile markets, and food box programs. Becky had already purchased all the farm inputs and had started growing food because she had a contract with our government. Funding and this signed lawful contract was abruptly cut in early March. Becky was blindsided by this news, as were many other farmers. Like so many people, she’s now left in limbo dealing with potentially significant financial losses. This is just one frustrating example of how so many people are affected by this funding freeze.

As many of you know I spent almost 20 years working in public and private schools in many different capacities as an educator. Sometimes, the only meal that my students received was at school. Sometimes they received both breakfast and lunch. I always had snacks on hand for my students. I spent most of my days traveling from school to school and had stashes of food in my bag, purse, and car. In all honesty, it was not always the most nutritious food as it was mostly shelf stable stuff. This is another reason why the IL Eats program is so important because it provided nutrient dense fresh food! I know so many teachers who bought food for their students and always made sure they had a snack to get throughout the day. These experiences shaped me.

In 2021, 51% of children ages 5-17 received either free or reduced cost meals at school. In addition to the IL Eats program being cut, an additional $660 million in funding this year has been cut for the Local Food for Schools program, which is active in 40 states. These were amazing programs benefitting local farmers, local kids in our communities, mental health, families, the economy, and the environment. This is coming at a time when food insecurity is at an all time high. Local farmers can and should be the ones feeding our neighbors.

This is not all gloom and doom! Let’s band together and make a difference! Here are some resources to help guide us on what to do to move forward.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Support your local farmers! Purchase IL Eats farmer’s products to help cover sales lost. Becky will be selling at our farm on May 18 for a mini farmer’s market!

Becky’s website: https://midnightsunfarm.com/

Find More farms to support here.

2. Contact your member of congress and our two US Senators. After you send the email through the link provided by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, you will be prompted with a script and the phone numbers. Even if you have already called, call again.

3. Share the above action alert widely by email, social media, and text message. When you share it, add a sentence or two about why this matters to you and ask your friends to take action.

To support IL-Eats farmers and Farmers Rising: Contribute to Farmer’s Rising $100,000 March Bridge fundraising campaign.

4. Read more at the Local Food Forum

Eric and I have become accustomed to the cycle of life and death on the farm. The huge loss of an animal friend became slightly easier for me when I began to replace some of the sadness with acceptance and deep love for our time together.  I think what I have learned the most is to never take one day for granted with the fluffy inhabitants of Short Leg Farm. Goats being notoriously curious and destructive little beasts make for a never ending “fix it” list of repairs to barns and fencing. The never ending farm to do list used to fill me with anxiety and a feeling of overwhelm. Most days I am now able to look the trouble making goat culprit in the face and just be happy for the short time I have with them. The farm really is a wise teacher. A pause and a gigantic exhale usually helps to put most things in perspective.

We lost the sunshine of Short Leg Farm last week, Aubrey. For those of you who have met Aubs on one of your visits to the farm know exactly what I mean when I call her the sunshine of the farm. She was an extremely patient and joyful friend to all. Kids would pet this fluffy dog for hours. She never once growled or showed any aggression to any other creature on this farm. Even when faced with Hobo, the barn cat, mischievously sinking her claws into Aubrey’s very distinct fluffy Corgi butt. This happened like clockwork on our daily walks to the mulberry tree. Aubs would respond by simply shooting me a look as if to say “huh, what’s wrong with this cat.”

When Aubs came to live at the farm she was quite over weight and her body was covered with a yeast infection. We never thought she would be able to go for walks or much less zip around the farm. Slowly, over time “farm fitness”, brought her back to life. She eventually lost the weight and her yeast infection cleared up. She came to love little walks and her herding instincts came roaring back. She playfully zipped from room to room trying to get everyone in one central spot. In her younger years she would get her speed up to launch her short little legs up the wooden farmhouse stairs to go to bed at night. Over 9 years of doing this she left behind sweet little worn spots on the wood. Aubrey’s Path, as I like to call it. I am grateful for the worn little path that is etched there forever.  As I am grateful for our paths being parallel for all of those years. The worn wooden farmhouse stairs seem to reflect the worn spots on our hearts for each sweet animal we have lost over the years. None sweeter than little Aubrey.

Stop by the farm this Saturday, November 30th from 10AM – 1PM for holiday shopping hours. We will be stocked with chocolate and salted goat milk caramels, goat milk soap, raw honey, reclaimed cedar soap dishes, beeswax products and more. The sweet goats will be decked out with their jingle collars. Come enjoy a brisk and festive holiday goat hike. Tickets for the goat hike are here.

If you just want to stop by and share a memory of Aubrey we would love to see you.

The Trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let go of things – unknown

Fall on the farm equals new beginnings to me. As the leaves and walnuts begin to fall from the trees, I start to think about what worked best for the animals and the land over the past season. It is this time of year that my thoughts seem to be mostly about improving my farming practices and working to let go of what is no longer working for the system as a whole. The farm (and the trees) have been my greatest teacher to learn to let go of so-called perfection. The new season will allow me to try again, learn new things about the land and myself, and hopefully continue to improve my stewardship of this special place.

I have been thinking about my Dad a lot lately. He will soon turn 81. When he was just a baby, he and his family were forced to abandon their farm and animals when they fled what is now Romania to escape Russian soldiers from invading their small village. My family history is a heroic story of survival. My Grandmother eventually found shelter and food for herself and her three children on a farm in Poland in exchange for labor. My Dad recently told me that they all shared a room in the upstairs of the farmhouse. They had to move many more times across Eastern Europe to escape bombings and instability. They all eventually made it to the US in the 1950s, including my grandfather who was in a prisoner of war camp.

With each passing year and reflecting on my family history, I have become more grateful for the safety and the stability of the farm routines that I engage in every day. Don’t get me wrong there are days when I wish I could just take off on a road trip at a moment’s notice! Ultimately, I know that I am lucky to be the steward of this land and its cute animal residents. It’s interesting to me that if we all traced our family histories back far enough we all have agrarian roots in some way or another.

Pumpkin Spice Goat Milk Caramels are back! Eric will making these delicious farm fresh treats until Thanksgiving! We are shipping several times a week. If you would like some you can order here.

The last soap making class of the season on the farm is November 2. There are just 4 spots left. Tickets can be found here.

Find Eric teaching soap making at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest on October 19, 2024 and November 9. You can purchase tickets on their website.

Healing Herd Therapy Farm News! We were able to raise $550 from ticket sales for the fall festival on September 28! Another $150 from pumpkin sales! Thanks to everyone who showed up in person or who were with us in spirit. Check out these fun photos of kids doing art on the farm at the festival. Thanks to our local Pecatonica teachers and artist Sara Brunetti Dow who donated their time and art supplies to make the art happen! We are very excited to open the farm to more kids in 2025 for Animal Assisted Therapy. Check out the Healing Herd Therapy website for more info and please follow Healing Herd Therapy Farm on Facebook and Instagram.

August went by in a flash! We were happy that we made it through with just one stretch of super hot and humid days. Whew! One way we keep the goats cool is through rotational grazing in the woods. And I am here to say that I am crazy for grazing! In my opinion, it is one of our farming practices that I am most proud of and I feel is most beneficial to our land and animals. The goats spend their time clearing weeds, eating sumac, grape leaves, poison ivy (yep, poison ivy!) and honeysuckle. I love hearing them munching away while they graze with their friends in the sunshine and fresh air. This is what nature intended for these amazing ruminant animals. Certainly, not confined or packed in tightly in a building. The animals that are in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) have no way to move or lay down.

Goats can provide an eco-friendly option to remove invasive plants from your land if managed correctly. In fact, they are powered by invasive leaves, not gas or diesel! The byproduct of this grazing is, dare I say a beautiful natural fertilizer. The goats digestive system breaks down weeds and seeds so they are not spreading the invasive seeds back into the environment. They do very little to disturb the soil which helps to decrease any erosion. One of the best parts is watching them eat their way through a pasture or woods. They love little sapling trees that they can bend to the ground by putting their front hooves on them for their friends to join in the feast. It is a pretty cool thing to observe.

We passed our annual Animal Welfare Audit last week.  Please click here, if you would like to read more about this certification and the standards for dairy goats. We are proud to be certified by a Greener World as an animal Welfare approved farm and have been certified since 2016.

Thanks to all of you who purchased soap last month! We were able to donate 15 pounds of soap to the Eco Soap Bank! Please click here, if you would like to learn more about this amazing organization.

In other busy news, we will be harvesting honey this week! We will get it bottled in the next week or so. It will be for sale from the farm (please give us a call first) and online at our Etsy Shop.

We are hosting a Fall Festival on the Farm on September 28 from 11 – 3PM. This is a fundraiser for Healing Herd Therapy Farm (housed here at Gretta’s Goats) to provide free Animal Assisted Therapy for kids. Please like and follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for Healing Herd Therapy Farm as all news of HHTF will soon be found there.  All the details for the fall festival and tickets can be found here.

If you would like to join us for fall goat hike or farm class please click here. Tickets are selling fast for fall goat hikes.

As always we are grateful to each and every one of you who keep our farm going from year to year! See you soon.

We are beyond excited that Healing Herd Therapy Farm is officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation! We were able to launch a website a few weeks ago to explain who we are and what we offer for the community. It is a simple website, but we are happy that we were able to create it ourselves inexpensively. We hope to make improvements to it as the foundation grows. Our flower fundraiser was a success on July 28 thanks to so many! Thanks to board members Tera Miller and Rachel Hamblock for donating their time to harvest  flowers on the farm and arrange the most beautiful bouquets for supporters. We appreciate flower farmer Jenny who grew the beautiful flowers on the farm. Thanks to everyone who joined us and purchased flowers to support the mission.

Please take a look here and follow Healing Herd therapy Farm on Facebook and instagram.  We appreciate it!

The farm and its inhabitants have always stirred up wonder in me. The awe I feel when witnessing a baby goat being born never ceases to amaze me even after fourteen kidding seasons. When witnessing a powerful storm sweep across the hilltop prairie or watching a swarm of bees in a tree I feel intense respect for mother nature. The bittersweet beauty of seeing one of our livestock guardian dogs lay right up against Crouton, a goat that passed away from illness, as the other dog stood guard will forever stay etched in my mind. I have seen nature inspire awe in our farm visitors too, no matter the age. I believe that people who experience awe and reverence in nature are moved to want to protect and cherish it. That is one of the reasons we are very excited to offer Animal Assisted Therapy services to children in our community. We believe if a child’s reverence for the natural world, for animals, for good in human beings, and for peace is cultivated and nurtured; they will likely make choices that reflect their reverence, which in turn, creates a more compassionate and peaceful world. Animal human interactions help to nurture that reverence.

I continue to be fascinated by awe not just because it fosters reverence for nature but how it also seems to improve your mood and help to combat feelings of stress and overwhelm. It also sparks creativity and contemplation about the vast mysteries of the world. Awe doesn’t just take place on the farm. Awe can be found in witnessing moral beauty. Moral beauty was a term I had not heard of until recently. I thought the concept was really beautiful. If you are not familiar with the concept, moral beauty relates to one’s actions that reflect deep character and generosity. The world is filled with moral beauty, from random acts of kindness from strangers to people helping others to overcome adversity. I hope you witness some of that beauty today and are filled with awe!

Here is what is happening at Gretta’s Goats in early Fall. Goat hikes will be ramping back up in September as the weather cools off. The spring baby goats have just started to join us on the hikes and it is ridiculously cute. There will be many chances to come to the farm and learn the art and science of soap making this fall. Learn to make your own soap this year to give as holiday gifts. Click here to see a list of events and classes for the fall

We will be hosting a new event in October with Miranda Grisales-Buell, Owner and Founder of Healing Home Ayurveda in Rockford. Join us for a fall forest wellness/meditation walk with the goats on October 12 at 10AM-11:30AM. 40% of the proceeds from the sale of tickets will benefit Healing Herd Therapy Farm’s mission of providing free animal assisted therapy for kids. Get tickets and learn more here.

Thanks for supporting Gretta’s Goats and Healing Herd Therapy Farm. We appreciate you all!

Beginner Mindset and Elawa Farm

I still keep many photos on my phone of my first few years of farming. Those photos remind me of how far I have come on tough days on the farm. Often times the brief trip down memory lane gets me back on track. This photo was from my second season at Prairie Crossing Farm in Grayslake. I leased land there for several years before moving my operation to Pecatonica. There was no permanent fencing, I did not really have proper housing for when the goats were rotationally grazing or a place to milk.

That all changed when Eric and his dad built this little beauty for me and the goats! This lifesaving structure was basically a tiny barn built on an old hay wagon. They painted it a cheery bright barn red. It had the most amazing dutch doors. I loved milking inside with the top door open to keep the goats and myself comfortable while allowing fresh air in. It was also pretty funny to peek my head out and wave to my farmer friends who I shared the land with as they drove by on their tractors. Eric and his dad cleverly designed a milking stand that folded into the wall to give the goats more room at night and made it easier for me to clean. It had little wooden sleeping benches where I would often find a snuggle pile of goats to escape the heat on late summer afternoons. I hooked it up to my truck and moved it every couple of days. This provided an opportunity for the goats to have fresh pasture and to keep them super healthy. I mowed a path so the fence would not short out from grass touching it, then I proceeded to lay out the fence and turn on the solar charger. This kept the goats contained, out of my friend’s vegetables and provided safety from roaming dogs and coyotes. I try and keep those memories with me. They inspire me to keep a beginner’s mindset. This pushes me to keep challenging myself on the farm with new ideas. This is why I am so excited to launch the therapeutic portion of our farm in September and hopefully get the non-profit kicked off as well. In those beginner years I was learning so much while building a new life and a brand new radically different career. I am grateful for those who encouraged, supported, and believed in me in those early years. What didn’t seem at all possible came true – through hard work and that support. Find those people in your life, who believe in you no matter what but even more important find that person inside yourself. These people are everything. Additionally, if you or someone you know is tackling something big, a dream, a daunting project – send them some encouragement – they will never forget it.

This crazy goat group in the photo consisted of Zooie, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Lucy (Zooie’s triplets). They are no longer with us but they will never be forgotten either.

We will be back at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest this summer and fall teaching beginner beekeeping and soap making classes! You can sign up here on Elawa’s website for our July, August, September, and October classes. We are excited to announce that six of our goats will be living full time at Elawa Farm starting at the end of June. We have been working with Elawa Farm in the role of goat consultants as they expand their educational programming for children. They have spent the last year designing an amazing barn for the goats and I know the transition will be seamless for the goats to their new farm. Luckily, I will get to see them often when I am there.

Check out our calendar of events on our website to sign up for all of our farm events and classes. Just added a few more baby goat snuggle sessions. The last one will be June 9 for the season. Don’t worry, lots more stuff happening into the fall. Mini Farm Market June 1 from 11 – 3PM (veggies, eggs, grass fed meat, flower starts, and MORE). This event is free to the public. Stop by and say hi to the goats and support your local farmers.

“The earth laughs in flowers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It’s what the sunflowers do.” – Helen Keller

I feel pretty lucky to have found farming later in life. It is work that I am passionate about and fills me with meaning and purpose. It also suits my personality. I love to work outdoors most of the day and be active. It helps to calm my racing mind and burns off some of my hyper active energy! I know that I would not still be farming today without all of the people who supported and encouraged me along the way. I am so grateful for the supportive network that I have that helped to give me the confidence to achieve my goals even when I doubted myself. This farm truly represents a bunch of people who believe in small scale agriculture as a force for good in the world.

I am super happy to be able to support others in their farming journey. It has been fun this past year to serve as a farm consultant to other farmers just starting out or looking to add goats to their already existing farms. That’s why It feels very rewarding to welcome Jenny to the farm this season and host her on our land! Jenny’s plan is to start small and grow about 1/2 acre of a variety of flowers this season. Her long term goal is to make flower farming a career for herself. Jenny is a long time friend of the farm and has supported me in her various roles at the farm along the way. She worked on the farm for a season while we built the dairy and helped us to write a USDA grant to get the dairy off the ground (no easy task). She has been a steady support and someone who believes deeply in sustainable agriculture.

Oh!  And one of the reasons I am most grateful to Jenny is that she forgave me after she got the most brutal case of poison ivy while milking the goats on pasture! The kind of poison ivy where you have to look away when your friend sends you a text photo of it from urgent care!

We are looking forward to having Jenny at the farm and being able to share the beauty of her flowers with others when they visit us this season. I believe her small but mighty 1/2 acre of flowers will help to create a small ripple effect in the world that fosters support, a sense of belonging, and encouragement. Those things together equal empowerment for women farmers and I believe women farmers are catalysts for change in our society!

If you would like to join us on the farm this season for a class or goat hike, please visit our website at grettasgoats.

Looking forward to spring, FLOWERS, and baby goats.

Since I started my Animal Assisted Therapy program in September, I have been writing a lot about the healing power of nature. I have been reading numerous studies about how being in nature with animals is a powerful combination for our mental health. This past week, I came across an interesting study that touches on the benefits of nature for our physical health too. I always thought that physical health should also include our mental health (as our brains are connected to our bodies!) None the less, this is all really interesting stuff to me as I begin to make plans for the therapeutic portion of our farm.

How long does it take to get a dose of nature high enough to make people say they feel healthy and have a strong sense of well-being? Amazingly, the study suggests just 120 minutes per week!

In a study of 20,000 people, it was found that people who spent two hours a week in green spaces – local parks or other natural environments, either all at once or spread out over a couple weeks – were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don’t. The study showed that there were no benefits for people who didn’t meet the threshold. This cut across different occupations, ethnic groups, people from rich and poor areas and people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. The study is only the latest in a rapidly expanding area of research that finds nature so beneficial to our overall health – both physical and mental! Now, policymakers, employers, and health care providers are increasingly considering the need for nature in how they plan and operate.

Did you know that spending time with animals reduces cortisol (stress hormone) and lowers blood pressure? So find a way to get outside. Soak up some sun, breathe in some fresh air, walk your dog (or your neighbor’s) or come visit us at the farm!

Join us on the farm where we continue to uphold the highest animal welfare standards and are working to heal our land through regenerative grazing practices. Check out our calendar of events and purchase tickets for educational farm classes, therapeutic goat hikes and goat snuggle sessions throughout the season. Goat hikes officially kick off on March 23. In addition, our farm friends Becky, Donna, and Charlotte will be joining us for our first farmer’s market of the season on June 1 from 11AM-3PM. Join Becky from Midnight Sun Farm, Donna from Grazy Acres, and Charlotte from Soulful Blooms as we kick off the growing season and summer. Looking to book a school or corporate group? Please email Gretta at grettasgoats@gmail.com.