July Newsletter - Homestead Herald

Ronald Kern
Aug 4
3 min read

Like a summer storm on the farm, July swept in with wild moments and golden rays of goodness. July was full of twists, turns, worries, and wins - which kept us on our toes!

We kicked off the month with a new addition to our horse herd — meet Willard. Now, we don’t change an animal’s name if they come with one, and yes, “Willard” might be a funny name for a horse… but it stuck, and it suits him in its own quirky way.

Willard also happens to be our biggest horse — and we mean huge. We haven’t officially measured him yet, but our beloved late horse, Oliver, stood at 17.5 hands. Judging by comparison, Willard is easily 18 hands or more. After a couple of weeks of the usual herd shuffling and pecking order, he’s now bonded nicely with Ginger and Daisy, and the whole crew has welcomed him in.

Willard and Tony. Not sure why Tony wasn't "smiling." :-)

The celebration on the 4th of July wasn't kind to our animals. Typically they aren't, but this year we went out the next morning to feed and found Adonis, our Kangaroo, outside of his enclosure in the walkway between the goats and his. He was laying down chillin', but he could have easily escaped and that would not have been good. Close call, but all was, and is good.

On the 7th of July, we moved all of our hens to the main coop, and replaced them with our baby turkeys. The hens are acclimated and should start laying eggs anytime. The baby turkeys are growing like crazy. If you are local and haven't secured your holiday turkey, you can do so before they are all gone by clicking here.

July 9th was Lisa’s birthday — sort of. That same day, our daughter Heather was admitted to the hospital at just 34 weeks pregnant, which meant birthday plans quickly shifted to prayers and worry. The following day, July 10th, doctors performed an urgent C-section, and that’s when our journey into the world of the NICU began.

We had sent out a previous update asking for prayers — and from that moment to now, we can truly say those prayers have been answered. It wasn’t the birth Heather and Skyler had envisioned, but looking back from then to now, the transformation is incredible.

After 21 days in NICU he went home, and he and Mom (and Dad) are doing well. Kennedy was so excited to finally see her brother in person, it was the cutest to watch her. We had the blessing of helping out which allowed us to spend a lot of time with Kennedy. She's sort of wrapped around Grandpa's finger.

As of this writing, baby Dakota Allen is eating well, growing strong, sleeping peacefully, and bringing so much joy to our hearts — just a tiny little guy for now. (And yes, Ron is honored they chose Allen as his middle name, as it's Ron's middle name too.)

We recently hosted another Farmer’s Table event—this time, a cozy brunch on the farm—and it was a huge success! We're excited to offer more in the future. The only catch? It’s exclusive to our local members (unless you're up for a road trip!).

With over 90% of the ingredients grown right here on our land, guests enjoy a thoughtfully prepared meal, a guided farm tour, a bit of our history, and a truly unforgettable experience.

To learn more, click here.

The usual weeding, harvesting (zucchini, squash, tomatoes, berries, fruits from our orchard and SO much more), along with taking care of animals have kept us busy as usual.

Below are some pictures taken in July, and we think you'll especially enjoy the sunset picture with the horses in the foreground.