Welcome to Healthy Homestead in Kokomo, Indiana
A multi-generational, intentional, holistic, family-run Direct-Market organic homestead farm raising grass-fed beef and lamb and soy-free pastured hens that lay tasty eggs, hosting intimate outdoor concerts, and doing just about anything else that tickles our fancy and feeds our bodies and souls.
I was driving down the road the other day and looking at the hybrid corn fields whizzing past. They were all in nice neat rows, with plants all the same height, with ears of corn all growing out of the stalk at exactly the same internode, with one stalk per seed planted, with one ear of corn per plant. Practically perfect uniformity! I paused to reflect on what my open-pollinated corn field looks like: nice, neat rows but vastly varying heights, ears of corn coming out at all different points on the stalk, some stalks with two to three ears of corn, some with up to five stalks coming from a single seed. A veritable mish-mash of diversity!
God is all about marriage. Carl Jung defined god as "the coincidence of opposites". Now, while God (as my father pointed out to me) is much more than that, being the all-at-once (or all-in-all) is very true of Him. I see this at the farm all the time. In creation, land and plants and animals are wed.
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We dedicate most of our farming resources to raising cattle, sheep, and chickens in Howard County, Indiana. We have a small vegetable garden for personal consumption although we do sell the surplus, and we also farm minimal acres in wheat and corn for our chickens and hay for feeding our cattle and sheep when it’s too cold to graze. For our families we have apple and cherry trees, red and black raspberry bushes, a grape arbor, herb garden, and a flower garden for fresh bouquets.
We raise our own breed of certified organic cattle—a blend of Devon and Holstein—and rotationally graze them across 35 acres April-November. Babies stay with their mamas for the first nine to twelve months of their lives. Females are raised to add to the cow-share raw milk herd and males are groomed for our dinner. A limited amount of beef cuts—soup bones to filet mignon—are available year-round in the farm store.
Our sheep flock, a cross between Cheviot and Katahdin breeds, is fairly self-maintaining. The sheep are 100% grass-fed and aren’t given any hormones or antibiotics just like the cattle. They roam pastures year-round with winter access to bedded stalls, especially for winter lambing. Lamb meat prices start at $6.00/lb, available by the piece. Meat is generally available year round in the farm store.
Many farm guests are greeted by our heritage breed chickens—both Delaware and Patridge Chantecler—as they scratch through our pastures (and flower beds and lawns and gardens) munching a savory diet of yogurt, corn & wheat (no soy!), grubs, and wild mice (chickens are omnivores!), making the egg yolks a vibrant orange due to all the Vitamin A! Eggs are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and sell out quickly.
Together we are called to a life of learning - learning how to care for our bodies, minds, and souls, and how to cultivate greater appreciation and care for the earth and her inhabitants, for the Glory of God. As we keep learning, let us share the knowledge with you.
Additionally, schedule a consultation with Neal, a Certified Natural Health Practitioner (CNHP); his goal is to journey with you as you discern where you need to shore up the foundations of your health and work with your body’s natural healing process and achieve optimal wellness.
Join us on the lawn for nights of family fun! Summer Silo Series is an intimate outdoor series featuring national and local musicians of varied genres playing music from an old silo base. BYO lawn chair, enjoy eats and drinks from local vendors, and frolic with your friends to a live soundtrack.
While each of us in our family can get oddly excited to learn about new old wheat varieties (Einkorn anyone?) or watching a new sheep bah its way into the world, we also have individual passions driving our side hustles to support our farming gig. Zack, age 22, manages Reishus Farm and Feed Supply. Maggie dabbles part-time in professional photography and is in training for Spiritual Direction. Jeff works full-time remotely for a technologies business developing and selling grow lights. Click the images below to learn about their off-farm work and support their efforts!
Real health is about giving our bodies the nutrients (air, sunlight, water, and food) and environmental conditions (sleep, movement, energy, emotional balance, and spirituality) we need in order to grow and thrive and heal; while, at the same time, doing our best to avoid toxins that damage our cells, tissues and organs.