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 [email protected].

This past week the focus of my Animal Assisted Therapy program was the topic of Animal Welfare. I love the weeks during the program when the subject matter seems to go into a direction that I am already familiar with! My connection to the assigned reading and writing seems to flow much faster this way. I think about animal welfare daily on my farm so the topic is one I usually have a lot to say about! What I did not realize was that the concept of animal welfare was first conceptualized by the Five Freedoms which was initially proposed in the UK’s “Brambell Report” to address livestock husbandry in 1965. The Five Freedoms outline five aspects of living beings welfare which are as follows:

Freedom from thirst, hunger, and malnutrition

Freedom from discomfort

Freedom from pain, injury and disease

Freedom from fear and distress

Freedom to express most normal behavior

Its crazy to think that in 1910 half of the US population worked on small farms where there was diversity of animals and plants on acres of grass. Within ten years as the Industrial Revolution swept across the country, there was a higher standard of living and an increase in population, we turned to new technology and mass production.

High variety, small scale farms were traded for giant indoor facilities that could accommodate the largest amount of animals for the cheapest cost and smallest amount of necessary acreage. Unfortunately, the beginning of Factory Farming in this country.

I don’t attempt to know what the answer is to factory farming. I try to do what I can and farm with the highest standards of animal welfare on my small acreage. My hope and belief is that more people are becoming conscious to the issues with factory farming and our food supply chain.

As I begin to plan what I would like the future therapeutic endeavor on the farm to look like I find myself thinking about the welfare of the animals that will be “co-therapists”. I have been asking myself questions like “how can I do this in the most ethical way for the animals that will be involved?” So far I have been thinking a lot about the physical environment for both animals and people. I have learned many lessons over the last decade with having a farm that is open to the public. The most important one is keeping the atmosphere less hectic, sticking to smaller groups, setting clear standards with little ones as how to appropriately handle the animals. The animals seem to do best when they have a place to retreat to if needed when we are doing events or classes. One thing that I know for sure is that most animals are social beings and desire human contact. Working dogs appear to be internally motivated to perform. They enjoy working and having a purpose. I have seen this with sled dogs, guide dogs, therapy dogs, and livestock guardian dogs. I think the bottom line is finding a balance that works for everyone involved both animal and human.

Our 2024 calendar of events will be posted to the website by Christmas! If you are still thinking of a gift certificate for a soap making, cheese making, or bee keeping class on the farm we can mail them to the recipient or email them to you ASAP. We are also offering gift certificates for goat hikes. Just send me an email at [email protected]. Our plan is to resume goat hikes at the end of March weather permitting. Last day for guaranteed shipping for Christmas is December 18. Please check out our Etsy shop for great gift ideas.

One of my favorite poems is written by the poet Mark Nepo. The poem is about the art of netting. This concept of netting is about how the “net” helps to distribute the weight and suffering of life between two people. I think it is a beautiful poem about friendship, authenticity, and the need for community. I think about “netting” almost everyday and how I have been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of someone holding the net for me and in return have been the provider of the net for others. The art of netting has taught me the value of staying present and truly listening to someone else. The most important lesson it has taught me that in order for someone to be the net for you you have to let them in and share your authentic heart.

The art of netting is ever present on the farm too. This may seem like a stretch to some but there is no greater net casted than one from a Great Pyrenees Dog to her livestock. She never takes a day off no matter the weather and often stays up all night to protect her herd. She is always watching, protecting, and casting a big net. This net is beautiful and loyal. I am grateful that I get to witness countless other “nets” on the farm. Sometimes these nets are between animals. Other times its witnessing the relaxed shoulders and smiles I see from people when visiting with the animals – another beautiful net.

This week I look forward to diving deeper into my animal assisted therapy program and learning more about the animal human bond. I am hopeful that the therapy farm will become an even bigger net for others. What/who have been some of the biggest nets in your life? I would love to hear! Thanks to my yoga teacher Miranda for being a net and introducing me to the poems of Mark Nepo.

Super fun happenings for the remainder of September on the farm!

Join us on September 16, 23, 24, or 30 for a goat hike!

Join us on September 23 or 30 for a soap making class and tour of the farm. Make your holiday gifts this year and learn the art and science of cold process soap making.

Find tickets on our website at https://grettasgoats.com

Next Women Farmer Farm Market Day October 7! The farm will be open to the public from 10:00 AM – 2:30PM. More details to come!

The farm is typically open on father’s day to the public for farm classes and goat hikes. It is super fun to see so many families celebrating their Dad or Grandpa on the farm. Some folks have made it their Father’s Day tradition. Others we have welcomed many times before for various events on the farm. It fills us with joy to see so many familiar faces and that we have built a farm community where people visit regularly and find peace and fun in the farm too. Thanks to those to chose to share the day with us and the goats.

Even with the joy and busyness of the day we both found our thoughts drifting to our dads and missing them! Eric’s dad and my dad both live in Michigan. I grew up on the east side of the state and Eric grew up on the west side of the state. Eric and I did not meet until we both worked at a Veteran’s Hospital a few miles outside of Chicago. We quickly became friends over our shared outdoor experiences growing up in Michigan and our love for running and Bell’s beer:)

After the long and hot day of working on the farm we settled onto the farmhouse porch to take a break. We started reminiscing about our dads and our childhoods in Michigan. The conversation circled back to both of our dads’ work ethic. We wondered if we would have achieved the dream of the farm if we would not have witnessed our dads (mom’s too!) that worked like crazy and set those examples for us to work hard. I personally do not think we would have. 

My dad was a refugee when he finally made it to the U.S. from Eastern Europe just after the end of World War II. He was just a little kid who did not speak any English and had spent his entire childhood living in refugee camps and fighting to stay alive. He did not meet his dad who was in a prisoner of war camp until he was 9 years old. His story and that of my relatives on his side of the family is harrowing. He faced numerous challenges both during the war and growing up in the U.S. as a foreigner. But he NEVER gave up.  He learned english, graduated from the University of Michigan, married my mom and started a dental practice and family. Through those experiences he never became hardened as a person. He taught me to love the outdoors and included me on his sled dog adventures (his greatest passion). He encouraged me to take risks and enter sled dog races against adults as a kid! He never assigned gender roles or treated me like a “girl” but instead encouraged me to participate in the rough and tumble sport of sled dog racing. Often times I was covered in mud or snow and usually frozen:) I also think these experiences shaped me to be who I am today and for that I am grateful. 

Eric’s love of the outdoors began in childhood too. He went hunting and fishing with his dad.

Some of his fondest memories are not being able to sleep through the night before he knew he was going fishing with his dad in the morning. From the time Eric was 13 and his sister’s were 12 and 6 his dad was a single dad. Eric’s dad also never assigned gender roles to Eric. Eric watched his dad cook and care for he and his siblings. I believe these experiences made Eric the nurturing, kind, and amazing cook that he is. If you are lucky enough to be Eric’s friend (and have him cook for you) you know what I mean! 

I am glad that we took a moment to be grateful and recognize the gifts we were given this father’s day from our dads. We know that we are very lucky to have received these gifts and that many people struggle with this day because of loss or many different reasons. If that is the case we are sending you the biggest hug today and peace. 

I have always been fascinated with the emotion of fear. Why are some people able to push through the fear and others cannot?  At times throughout my life I have allowed fear to lead the way and at other times I have been able to take fear’s hand, quiet the fear and move forward into the unknown. There is no way as human beings that we will not face fear. Sometimes I find myself wishing that fear did not exist but I also recognize the biological necessity for it. Our ancient ancestors never would have survived if they did not have their “fight or flight” response when chased by a wild animal or anticipating a threat. We are fighting our biology when we push fear away.

The rhythm of grazing and milking that the farm brings this time of year allows me to sink into my thoughts. The repetitive and daily nature of these tasks allows me to have time to think in a meditative way. I feel fortunate for this time to problem solve things on the farm, dream up new ideas, and just think about things that I’m interested in. I am still accomplishing many things and moving in a very purposeful physical way but there is a stillness that I appreciate tremendously. My old professional life was filled with noise, stress, and traffic. The farm and  self employment carries its own kind of  stress but one I would not trade.

During this time on the milking stand my mind wandered to the subject of fear again. I ask myself why I have ben feeling slightly off the last few weeks. My inner critic chimes in to say “what do you have to be fearful about?” “You are sitting here milking a goat!” I listen to the milk hitting the metal bucket with its familiar sounds. I listen to Clover, the goat’s breathing as I milk her and the sounds of birds that fill the farm’s skies. My inner critic softens and I realize the things that bring me so much joy also scare me like tall grasses, grazing goats, and trail running.You see one of my biggest challenges has been overcoming lyme disease and its lingering symptoms. When I finally emerged from my sickest time with it my first instinct was to flee the farm and it’s lush wild environment. When those old fears emerge again I often find myself wanting to flee. But, what I was able to think about that morning while milking was that there are TWO parts to the flight and fight response, not just flight. I am glad that I did not give in to the feeling of wanting to flee. That I chose to fight through the fear and stay the course on the farm.  That I chose to fight for my love of nature an not become afraid of it. 

I hope whatever your big challenges are that you consider the option to fight through it. I am glad that I did.

We are in planning mode at the farm and looking forward to the 2023 farm season and spring goat babies! While planning for the upcoming season we always take a look back to see what worked on the farm and what we could do better in the future.

One of the things we could improve on is our system to get water to all the animals both in the pasture and in the barns. Our current “system” is about as low tech as it gets! In the winter months we haul warm water to the animals multiple times a day. When the temperatures dip below zero our plastic Farm and Fleet heated water buckets have a hard time keeping up and we’re left with frozen water. We spend a lot of time chipping out ice in the super cold winter months. We have been dreaming about frost free drinkers for the animals for many years.

Yep, farmers dream about frost free drinkers!:) We were super fortunate to learn in December that we had been nominated by some of our customers for a mini grant through the For Farmers Foundation. We were then super surprised and honored to learn that we had received the grant! This grant was nationwide. There were 271 nominations for 146 farmers in 36 states. 81 farmers made it to the second round and there were 28 finalists with 6 awardees. We were one of the 6! This grant will enable us to purchase one frost free drinker for one of our barns. We hope to outfit the rest of the farm with drinkers by the end of 2023. We will see how it goes!  

Keep reading if you would like to learn more about the other awesome farms nominated and what they will be using their grants for. It is inspiring to me to learn about other small farmers making positive changes in their communities and non profits groups like For Farmers helping to make those dreams and changes happen! This info is copied from the For Farmers Foundation.

What if 1,000 people you’ve never met all came together for you? Because what you do every single day is important. Wouldn’t that feel amazing?

The For Farmers movement is off and running! Its first-ever mini grants process was a tremendous success. 271 nominations. 146 farmers. 65 founders. 36 states. 11 round one outreach volunteers. 12 volunteer mini-grant reviewers. 28 finalists. 6 awardees. $4500, much of it $1 at a time. From you. And people like you… who believe.

The nominees and the 81 first round farmers who stepped into the spotlight of For Farmers have been seen and celebrated. I hope that matters to each and every farm and farmer in the way it was intended. And while our reviewers wanted to award mini-grants to all of them, we had to make decisions. It WAS tough. Here they are.

Six farms from 6 states that produce many different products, are engaged with their communities, tell farm stories, and connect you to their farms in a powerful way. Some are pioneering in new spaces and others with new products. All have powerful needs – mainly for infrastructure and support from our extended For Farmers community.

Nautical Farms – Maine – Farmers Jake and Morgan – a regenerative ocean farm that grows seaweed and mussels and produces sustainable pantry and bath items. NEED – a greenhouse for drying seaweed to increase production and efficiency.

Giving One Tenth Garden – Newark, NJ – Urban farm that provides access to organically grown fresh, local, in-season crops to the City of Newark and surrounding towns. NEED growing towers to grow more food vertically in less space.

Covey Rise Farms – Central Ohio – Farmers Charlie and Kerissa — pastured, non-GMO chicken, pork, and beef, using rotational grazing to heal the soil and grow a nutrient-dense product for families across the US. NEED — to build a pickup-pack shed to pack orders out of the elements and to allow more customers to do farm pickups – which cuts down on deliveries and builds relationships with customers.

Heritage Farm & Ranch aka @kodiakgoatdairy – Kodiak, Alaska – Farmers Kelli and Stephen Foreman — a mixed species regenerative farm that provides food sustainability to a remote island and youth programming. NEED – support for increased hay prices and a shelter upgrade.

Beringer Family Farms – Cascade, Iowa – Farmer Lillie Beringer — 3rd Generation family farm raising high-quality Angus beef. NEED – farm expenses including feed, processing, packaging, and some new recipe cards to further engage consumers in the farm-to-plate process.

Short Leg Farm aka Gretta’s Goats – Illinois – Farmer Gretta – a 25-acre woman-owned pasture-based goat dairy farm and creamery, rotationally grazed with chickens, certified Animal Welfare Approved by a Greener World. NEED – 1) a batch freezer for a new added-value product 2) two frost-free drinking fountains to eliminate daily water haul 3) an upgrade to the kidding barn.