👋 Hi Everyone! Welcome to Wild Country Acres!

Thanks for stopping by! Janine here, and I'm so glad I get to share our story—a story that started far from the farm gate.

It wasn't always this way. We didn't come from an entrepreneurial background... and certainly not a farming one! I grew up in the suburbs, part of an average, low-to-middle-class family. Our journey started not even as a wish, but with a distant whisper: "Maybe that could be us."

🏡 From Townhouse to "The Sticks"

We started our family young, living in a small two-bedroom townhouse "in town." It was there we were blessed to welcome our two beautiful children. We were cramped, but we made it work through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Then, one day, it happened. In April of 2018, our dreams became a reality. We purchased our new home in the "Sticks"—an 11-acre property with incredible potential. Wild Country Acres was officially founded later that year!

🐔 The Farm Life: Learning by Doing

We dove in headfirst and started a farm on our little homestead—our own unique, simple, and beautifully imperfect home. Ya'll... (yes, I'm Minnesotan, but this "ya'll" is warranted), to preface: chickens are the gateway drug to farm animals, and chicken math is REAL!

The farm grew in wonderfully chaotic fashion and has changed a LOT over the years:

• It began with a single goat that needed a home... then he needed a buddy.

• Next came some free chickens.

• Then a few majestic Scottish Highland Cattle.

• Then a Shorthorn Cattle.

• More chickens (see: chicken math!).

• Then some Dwarf Nigerian Goats (maybe goat math is a thing, too!).

• Turkeys and guineas arrived, followed by some heritage Mangalista Hogs. (We even had ducks for one summer!)

• Then we sold our Cattle…and our Pigs…

• Raising Meat Pasture Chickens and Turkeys seasonally.

• Added some Havana and Lion Rabbits for 4-H and more Hogs!

• Soon…adding meat rabbits!

Over the course of the years, we are learning by doing:

• Fencing, digging, cleaning, and fixing.

• Building, growing, weeding, and chopping.

• Celebrating successes and making mistakes along the way.

Our house isn't trendy or updated—but it is functional (most of the time, ha!). The "pretty" updates will come... eventually!

🥛 The Magic of Farm-to-Table

Through all this growth, we learned so much more than just how to grow a "pretty okay" garden. We learned how to raise our own meat with our cows, chickens, and hogs. We started collecting "farm fresh butt nuggets"... EGGS!

And, yes, oh yes, we learned how to... MILK A GOAT! (Try telling that to my 13-year-old self back in the suburbs!)

🍎 Introducing: Wild Country Acres Educational Farm

This hands-on journey, and all the hilarious, messy, and hard-earned lessons along the way, is exactly what led to the founding of Wild Country Acres: An Educational Farm!

We are committed to sharing this real, simple, and imperfect life with you. We're developing our farm into a space where others can learn the same skills we had to pick up from scratch. (We're also starting a consulting/advising business to help others with their next steps!)

🙏 Thank You for Being Here

If you are STILL reading this rather long introduction... thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Words cannot explain the support and love so many have shown us.

Now it's our turn. Let's build something exquisite and beautiful—and find a truly simple life along the way.

~ Blessings, Janine & the Wild Country Acres Family