The Day Our Hobby Farm Began
Where the Dream Started
When I was little, my mom signed my sisters and me up for horseback riding lessons. These lessons took place on a farm that felt like it was located at the edge of the known universe. I mean, rural Iowa always kind of feels like you’ll never see another soul again, but this was even more remote than usual. To get there, we had to cross a rickety bridge over a ditch and then descend into a valley where the farm sat, quietly minding its own business.
Even though I grew up in Iowa, this was probably my most up-close and personal experience with a farm at that point in my life. And I was enchanted. The animals all seemed… happy. They wandered around outside, lived their best lives, and coexisted peacefully with each other and the humans who cared for them. I vividly remember a miniature pony and a goat who were best friends and roamed the farm together like a tiny, unlikely buddy movie.
That was it for me. Dream unlocked.
The Hobby Farm Dream (and Reality)
From that point on, I imagined having my own little hobby farm someday — a few acres in the country, some goats, maybe a cow, a pig, and probably chickens (because that’s what people on hobby farms are supposed to have, right?).
As luck would have it, my husband — who grew up with horses — had very similar dreams. Unfortunately, land around here is prime farmland, which also means it’s prime expensive. Affordable acreages are not easy to come by.
When we bought our first house, we looked at a few acreages anyway, just in case the universe was feeling generous. It was not. Everything was either wildly out of budget or required more work than we were ready to take on. So we landed in a house in town with a big backyard, which honestly served us pretty well for a while. We tucked our country dreams away for “someday.”
Six Years, Two Moves, and One Listing
Fast forward six years, two moves, and two kids later, when a listing for an acreage just outside of town popped up. We’d seen others come and go, but never seriously considered making an offer. I assumed this would be no different.
We called the realtor, set up a showing… and the rest is history.
The house definitely needed work, but the real selling point for me was the two acres that came with it. Not huge, but just enough for our more grown-up, practical version of the dream. I also realized around this time that I’m not actually much of a chicken person, despite the previous owners having had them.
What I really wanted were goats. And a pig. (Still working on the pig.)
Enter the Fainting Goats
While we were busy making the house livable, my husband connected with someone through his job who bred fainting goats. She invited us out to see her newest litter, and we were immediately smitten.
A few months later, we loaded three tiny bucklings into the back of our minivan and drove them home like this was a totally normal, everyday activity.
Without further ado, meet Buzz, Woody, and Bullseye.
(Yes, our kids were deep into a Toy Story phase at the time.)
Making a Home in the Old Barn
We set them up in the old barn at the bottom of the hill on our property and fenced off some pasture so they could come and go as they pleased. The barn needed work, but it was warm and dry — the two most important things.
Conveniently, the goats became excellent motivation to finally fix it up like we’d been saying we would.
Life With Goats
Since bringing them home, they’ve provided endless entertainment. The kids love helping feed them and handing out treats. Picking up hay is a big deal around here, especially when it means riding in the truck down the hill to stack it in the barn.
Sometimes we just wander around the pasture with them and take a breath in the middle of a busy week.
They are fainting goats, which means they freeze and occasionally tip over when startled — always funny and just a little bit pitiful.
One More Goat (Because Why Not)
About a year later, the breeder reached out and said she had a doeling who needed a home. That’s how Miss Jessie joined the crew.
They’re no longer cute little babies and have grown into pushy, noisy, bearded adults, but they’re still incredibly endearing. We’ve added a few “toys” to their pasture — mostly logs and a teeter-totter — which they love to climb on, though I have completely failed at convincing them to actually cross the teeter-totter. We even upgraded their living space so they have a nicer, more wind and waterproof home. (more on that later)
The Dream, Realized (Mostly)
They give us a reason to go outside when it’s 20 below and an excuse to lay in the grass on a warm spring day. I still remember bringing them home that day in May, glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing our four-year-old with a goat on her lap, and realizing we were one step closer to a dream that started with a rickety bridge and a pony-goat friendship.
I’m still working on the pig.
But the goats will do for now. 🙂
