Who We Are
We moved to our farm in September of 2001. We were wanting to spread out and expand our horizons, but also really wanting to get back to our roots. Mark grew up on a dairy farm in rural Minnesota, and Jamie has fond memories of visiting cousins who lived on farms, and always dreamed of being able to do so herself someday - although, growing up on a lake has its definite advantages! Mark missed that sense of "home" that an agricultural based community provides. Jamie said he had to quit trying to farm in town - almost half of the area under her clothesline was now in a garden.
Once we moved to the farm we realized we had felt like we were visitors while living the last 7 years in town. At the farm those feelings quickly disappeared as we dove into making this place our own. It was hard to contain our enthusiasm and only work on a few projects at a time. There was so much we wanted to do.
We have worked our way into raising a variety of fruits and vegetables, rabbits, Scottish Highland cattle, laying hens and horses. We also have a wood shop meant to eventually allow Mark to create furniture, but it has been used mainly to build a variety of items for the livestock. Some day he will be able to get back to the original purpose of that building!
We raise our crops without chemicals, our rabbits are fed quality feed and hay, the chickens are free range (assisting with insect control), and our Highland cattle are entirely grass fed. Please check out the tabs at the top to see more information on these endeavors. We enjoy sharing our farm with others and would love to have you come for a visit.
MARK works in Research and Development for a large food company and has a B.S. degree in Food Science from North Dakota State University. Mark grew up on a small family dairy farm in south-central Minnesota. Weekends and summers were spent at the farm, where the cows were milked, working along side his immediate family, his uncle and cousins, and grandparents. Mark loves to grow about anything Jamie will let him, including plants and animals. Seeing the growth of plants that eventually bear a beautiful flower or harvestable fruit, or seeing the growth of young bunnies or calves that grow into the next generation of breeding stock is almost an addiction for Mark. Just as important to growing, is finding ways to preserve the harvest and share it with family, friends, and the local community. When there is time, Mark also enjoys spending time in his woodworking shop, creating a piece of furniture that he hopes will have a special meaning for those who use it. Using conservation harvested or recycled wood are favorite resources for Mark. Very similar to watching plants or animals grow, is that anticipation when he planes off that dusty, dirty, weathered surface of wood, only to find a beautiful grained and figured board. New life for an old board. Technology continues to move our world forward, but there is nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty or creating something new out of something old!
JAMIE is a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) coordinator and loves the world perspective that allows - it is so easy to see how things are connected from up above! She strives to bring back the small pieces of remnant prairie that she has found in the driveway ditch, and is very conscience about what is put onto the land, which has proved to be a challenge for Mark! Being able to sustain the animals that we have on the land that we have is a priority. Her insistence on rotational grazing has made a believer out of Mark, even though she had to really put her foot down about how the paddocks are managed. She loves her horses and is constantly trying to improve her horsemanship skills. Even though she grew up fishing and swimming, and still loves to do both when time allows, life on the farm has made her very happy.