This is what they told us…

1) When did you take up farming and what was your vision?

Todd grew up in a rural town on the North Shore of MA.  As a young child, he spent countless days at his neighbor’s farm sometimes helping with harvests and planting, and getting to interact with the goats, pigs, and geese.  These were fond memories for Todd, so when he was contemplating a career change, he began volunteering on a farm while taking a culinary program in Austin, TX.  He continued to work on farms after he moved back to New England.  He attended the University of Vermont Farmer Training Program for a summer, apprenticed at a large farm in Hamilton, MA, and managed an urban farm in Lowell for a season, before he and Suzy decided to purchase their own farm.

Suzy grew up in the suburbs of NYC, but always dreamed of living on a farm.  She spent her childhood days in New York riding and caring for her horse.  While attending university, Suzy studied animal science but changed paths, after college, and took a job at the zoo in Boston caring for exotic animals.  After working at the zoo, she became an agriculture volunteer in the Peace Corps where she taught the women in her village how to grow a small vegetable garden.  During her experience in the Peace Corps her daily meals included eating fresh cheese, homegrown beans, farm fresh eggs and other local foods.

We were both excited about the idea of having our own farm, growing our own food, and raising our children to appreciate where their food comes from.  We were also excited about the idea of sharing this experience with people who may be curious about life on a farm, but unable to spend more than a couple of days on a farm.

2) How did you come up with the name Fat Sheep Farm?

I wish I had a really good story as to how we came up with the name, but it’s really not that exciting. We wanted something fun and easy to remember. We also knew that we were not going to be a “traditional” farm (which you can easily determine that we are not at all traditional, when you arrive on the farm), so we did not want a “traditional” farm name.

One day my best friend and Todd were brainstorming names and one of them…we still don’t know the truth as to who said it first, but one of them threw out the name Fat Sheep Farm. We did some searching to see if there were any other Fat Sheep Farms in the world, and to our surprise, there was only one very small family farm out in Washington state that has the name (and unfortunately owns the domain name, as well). It didn’t take long before we committed to the name “Fat Sheep Farm”.

3) What are guests allowed to do on your farm?

While staying at Fat Sheep Farm, guests are invited to participate in morning animal chores all year round.  During the summer months, this includes feeding the goats and bringing them to pasture, milking the sheep and bringing them out to pasture, feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs.  During morning chores, guests can have all of their burning questions about farming answered.

All summer long, the sheep are often grazing right in front of the guest cabins.  You can sit in the Adirondack chair on your porch and watch the sheep graze.  Guests are also welcome to walk around the vegetable fields.  The animals return to the barn around 4pm each evening.  Guests enjoy walking through the barn and visiting with the animals in the evenings, as well.

In the spring when the lambs are born, guests can enjoy the opportunity to help socialize the lambs (aka lots of lamb hugs).  We also have a one mile trail through our woods and a half mile walk through our fields.  At night, guests are welcome to come sit around our fire pit and enjoy the sunset and s’mores.

4) I hear you offer workshops?

Once there is a Covid vaccine and travel becomes more normalized, the farm will once again offer cheese making and bread making workshops.

In the Basic Sourdough Bread Making workshop, guests learn the basics of how to work with sourdough and make, shape and bake their own dough for the perfect loaf.  Guests are even given dough to take back to their cabin to bake the following morning and starter to take home.

The Cheese Making workshop focuses on making cheese at home.  Guests are guided through the process of making fresh cheeses, such as Halloumi, Feta and Ricotta, or learn to make an aged cheese, such as Gouda. They are also instructed on how to create their own space for aging cheese at home.

5) With multiple guests on the farm at one time, since you have five cabins, what is that experience like for them?

All of our guests, big or small, are able to enjoy the farm experience at Fat Sheep Farm in their own time and their own way.  Guests usually have different motivations for staying with us. Some guests want to participate in chores once, while some want to join for chores everyday during their stay.  Other guests want to relax on their porch, take in the views, and take day trips to the surrounding area attractions.

We are always happy to help our guests plan their trips before their arrival and make further suggestions of things to do and places to eat while they are at the farm.  We encourage guests to contact us way ahead of time if they are interested in attending a workshop on the farm, so that we can plan accordingly.

6) Why do you offer farm stays?

Why do we offer farm stays…there are so many reasons! Many people have become so disconnected from the land and where the food comes from.  Our farm gives people the opportunity, whether it’s for one night, or annual week long visits, to disconnect from their screens, ask farming questions, snuggle a sheep, taste their first farm fresh egg, prepare a meal using produce from our farm, or learn a new skill like bread making or cheese making.

Whether guests are interested in the farm experience or just want a quiet place to rest their heads, everyone can appreciate the serenity of our farm and the magical views of the Vermont hills that everyone can enjoy from their cabin porch.

Find out more about Fat Sheep Farm at Farm Stay USA. We are happy to know them and to know their story. We hope you are too!

* * *

COVID-19 INFORMATION

• Please be aware of Vermont cross state travel information. Contact Fat Sheep Farm for more information or if you have questions.

• Demand Is High For Independent Units Now — Cancellations Are Posted to Facebook and Instagram — Check our Availability

• Fat Sheep Farm maintains our high standard for cleanliness, including sanitizing and disinfecting surfaces with EPA certified cleaners

• Fat Sheep Farm has Blueair Blue Pure 121 Air Purifiers in every cabin

• We offer a remote check-in and check-out process in order to limit person to person contact

• Enjoy the beauty of Vermont and our farm while easily following all social distancing guidelines

The post Fat Sheep Farm in Hartland, VT Offers Farm Life Up Close and Personal appeared first on Farmstay.

Guests and visitors to the farm can also opt to sign up for a cheese making class, where they learn to make chèvre, mozzarella, or cheddar cheese. They also give the option of milking the cows and goats in the morning before class!

Overnight guests have the option to be “farmer for a day”, which includes hands-on egg-collecting, feed and water the ponies and horses, feed and milk the goats, and observe cow milking. Draft horses help with much of the everyday farm work during certain seasons.

The farm itself dates back to about 1850 and run by two families until Kathleen Fields purchased it in 1997. Vacationers can choose to stay in the farm house, where there are two rooms with queen beds, plus a room with twin beds, or stay in a mobile home/RV that is situated in the six acres of woods on the property.

Camps are offered during the summer, including Farm Camp, Horse Lovers Camp, and Kindercamp. More information can be found on the farm’s website.

Start planning your trip to Flint Hill Farm today!

Enjoy a closer peek at Flint Hill Farm through this video:

The post Draft Horses and Cheese Making at Flint Hill Farm in Pennsylvania appeared first on Farmstay.

But kids aren’t the only ones who can get something great out of a stay on a working farm. Whether single, part of a couple, or with a group of friends, there are plenty of farm vacation ideas for grown ups:

1) Wine Tasting & Tours

From well-appointed tasting rooms, to farms situated near world-class wine regions, wine and farm stays often go hand-in-hand. Rustridge Ranch and Winery is a rustic Napa Valley vineyard, winery, and thoroughbred racehorse ranch. Gather in the B&B kitchen in the evenings for hors d’ouevres and sampling Rustridge wines. During the day, learn about wine making and growing grapes, or about breeding and training racehorses.

Sakura Ridge Farm and Lodge in Hood River, Oregon, is located in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. Cherry, pear, and apple orchards bloom and beckon, and you’ll be in great proximity to wineries and tour opportunities in the Mt. Hood region.

Find more farm stays with wine tasting/touring activities.

2) Cheese Making or Tasting

Cheese goes with wine, after all! Whether you want to learn how to make cheese at home, or just sample some farm fresh goodness, farm stays can hook you up. At Flint Hill Farm in Pennsylvania, the “Cheese Artist Package” will give guests a 2-night stay in their 1850s farmhouse, and hands-on immersion in the process of making cheese, from milking to packaging of the final product for sale.

Mountain Farm is the smallest certified dairy in North Carolina, and a member of the Western North Carolina Cheese Trail. They make unique aged goat cheeses, soft flavored cheeses and marinated Feta, and as they are only occasionally open to the public for special events, your stay will be peaceful and private. (Update: Mountain Farm has closed.)

Find more farm stays offering cheese making or tasting.

3) Cattle Drives or Cattle Sorting

Whether you’re a bonafide “city slicker”, or you’ve spent some time on horseback, authentic cattle drives or cattle sorting activities are experiences you won’t soon forget. At Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in Idaho, put on your game face and participate in competitive team cattle sorting. They even offer five-night adult only getaways during select weeks in the summer.

At Horses N Courage Camp in Montana, you’ll ride alongside the Hereim family while you herd and move cattle. Their cabin, tent, or teepee accommodations, along with camp cooked meals and songs around the campfire will give you a taste of Montana’s backcountry.

Find farm or ranch stays offering cattle drives or cattle sorting.

4. Cooking School

Watching a chef (or even just a talented cook) prepare a meal is a delight. Taking it to the next level and actually learning from such a person is something really special. Hosts Don and Kitty Speranza at The Inn at Crippen Creek Farm in Washington owned and operated a successful catering company in Portland before turning to the farm life. These days, they will teach farm guests how to make artisan bread, pasta, and comforting country Italian meals. And then you get to feast on your hard work!

For something really different – and really interesting – check out Bean Tree Farm in Arizona and learn to identify, harvest, process, and pepare seasonal Sonoran Desert foods.  You might harvest and process barrel cactus fruit, saguaro fruit, dragonfruit, paloverde seeds, and much more. They even make a desert kimchi!

Find more farm stays offering cooking classes.

These are just a few getaway ideas that adults can enjoy, but almost any farm, ranch, or vineyard stay will fit the bill. From relaxing in a quiet farm cottage with a good book, to throwing yourself into farm chores, taking in the night sky, or learning some new skills – alone, or with a friend or partner – these vacations aren’t just for kids!

The post Farm Stays: Not Just For Kids appeared first on Farmstay.

There’s a self-sufficiency that comes from trying things on your own, trial and error, and necessity. However, if we have the foresight to seek help and knowledge from our community, we can accomplish even more.

In Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture, author Shannon Hayes interviewed Los Angeles homesteader Kelly Coyne who says, “you need community. The best way to do any of this is to have someone show you how to do it. I think a lot of these skills are not easily taught by books, and when you’re a person who’s not been raised doing any of these things, whether it’s preserving or growing or dealing with small stock, it’s all very mysterious. You spend a lot of your time going, “Well, what is this?” Like, “What’s this spot on the plant, why is my chicken doing that?”

Our farm, ranch, and vineyard members know about community, and the importance of sharing knowledge. Guests can get started learning a variety of skills straight from the farmers and ranchers who practice them every day.

Check out these results from some Activity searches on our site:

• apple cider pressing
• butter making
• cheese making
• honey spinning
• jam making or canning
• soap making
• workshops (ask the farms what they offer!)
• u-pick
• teaching ranch
• teaching farm
• riding lessons

Along these same lines, this September, Mother Earth News and Grit magazines are hosting International Homesteading Education Month.

On their website, you can find workshops, open houses, and other events, all centered around neighbors teaching neighbors and building more self-reliant communities. Find events about food gardening, renewable energy systems, raising livestock (including backyard chickens), real food preparation and preservation, fiber arts, and more.

The post The Power of Community – Neighbors Teaching Neighbors appeared first on Farmstay.