North Star Homestead Farms- Hayward, WI

On July 17, we biked up to this lovely scene after some nagging thoughts that maybe we'd made the wrong turn. No, it's just that this haven of gelato, brick oven pizza, delicious dairy, fresh produce, and weekly live music seems like it must have been transplanted down those gravel roads, surrounded by the Chequamegon National Forest. North Star Homestead Farms is a gem, and this bicycle tour is the only reason I'm not still there, learning from the amazing farmers, Ann and daughters Laura and Kara, who run this stunning sustainable farm.

Well, it turns out we ate the gelato too fast to get a photo, but rest assured it was delicious, along with the other creative and superb flavors we sampled. The gelato is hand-made on-site by Kara, who is also the twice-a-day milker of her flock of sheep. These pasture-raised dairy sheep provide the milk used in the gelato. What a nice treat to end a long day of biking!

After the gelato, we joined the 3pm farm tour led by Laura. It was a joy to hear her explain the inner workings of the farm, and visit many of the animals and plants that make this farm truly amazing. Where to begin... 

Chickens- Laura takes primary responsibility for the chickens, with a flock of layers (for eggs) and broilers (for eating). We saw only the little chicks up close because the older chickens were on pasture. Their mobile chicken-trailers are moved twice daily to allow them access to fresh pasture for scratching and searching for insects. Chickens follow the sheep in this rotational grazing program, based on the programs championed by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm. By scratching through the sheep droppings, the chicken not only remove pests but also work the natural fertilizer into the ground.

Ducks- The ducks are on constant slug patrol, digging holes in the ground and letting them fill with water to form slug traps. As the check the traps and have a snack, they unwittingly help the farm keep slugs under control. Plus, they're a jovial bunch that you can't help but love!

Turkeys- This heritage breed of turkey, Jersey Buff, apparently has more rich tasting meat than the standard variety you'd see in the store. They're on pasture as well, and enjoying every minute of it.

You can pre-order chickens, turkeys, and ducks, or stop by the Farmstead Creamery and check out their current selection. As stated on their order form which can be found on their website, "All birds are raised on pasture and fed a custom local grain mix that is free from antibiotics, growth hormones, and animal waste."

The chicks, already used to having a fresh patch of ground to scour.

As the hard-working farm volunteer said, "If you ever have a grumpy morning, just go watch the ducks. You'll feel much better."

Turkeys loving the fresh eats

In addition to Laura's poultry brigade, Kara cares for the flock of dairy sheep (evening milking pictures are further down). Other animals on the farm include Kunekune pigs, a breed of pigs know for being friendly and well-suited to being on pasture as they require a very low amount of protein and don't root as intensively, leaving the pasture alive and well. The farmers also have bees, the happy pollinators.

And in addition to all of the animals, they also run a vegetable CSA! Around every corner, these farmers have a dozen more projects going on. Their fenced in veggies provide shares for around 40 families and allow them to stock their on-farm Market (in the Creamery building) as well as a local farmers' market on Saturdays. Not to mention the aquaponics production system they have that produces Tilapia and fresh greens year-round!

But for as busy as they must be to get all of the animals cared for and veggies weeded and harvested, all three women were remarkably friendly and willing to answer any questions about the rationale behind the practices they use on their farm. Kara said people sometimes ask why they have so many things going on- wouldn't they rather simplify? She responds by saying that there's nothing she would want to remove. The way they have their farm, everything has a purpose, and the animals and plants depend on each other. They obviously love what they do.

Laura, a musician herself, sets up a beautiful stage for their Saturday live music. In the picture above, Kara makes delicious brick oven pizzas to-order next to the stage. It was a wonderful place for Paul to play, and I enjoyed sitting back and watching the sun dip behind the trees as the evening wore on.

When I expressed interest in tagging along after the concert for evening chores and milking, Kara was happy to take me along and explain everything as she went. Of course, I loved Kara's mode of transportation for herding the sheep in for their evening milking! She is supremely knowledgeable about and attentive to all of the animals she cares for, and I tried to grasp onto as many new concepts as I could while we spent the evening hours together.

Kara making sure I'm doing okay as I help milk the "girls". After washing the udders and a quick "strip" to make sure everything looks okay and to clean things out, we used a machine to milk.

The evening's bounty! We milked around 30 sheep that evening.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to North Star Homestead Farms, and hope you check it out when you're next in the area. Ann, Laura, and Kara have an incredible operation, and I hope to go back and stay longer some time. There's so much I want to learn from them!

- Jen Tillman