“I was a California girl and I can remember that I always wanted to live like the Walton’s,” recalled Stormy Woods. Stormy and her husband Ed, own a farm just north of Hagarville and have been married for about 4 years. “Ed knew that I loved animals,” said Stormy. “So, he took me to a livestock sale, and that’s where I bought a red goat and it’s just grown from there.”
The couple begun traveling to auctions and purchasing more and more animals to build their small hobby farm. “Next thing you know we were adopting more animals, I fall in love with each of them,” she said.
The farm is home to twelve goats of all types, six cows, a flock of turkeys and two very opinionated geese. “We also have a pig that is going to have babies any time now,” said Stormy. “We got a call from a man in Little Rock that told us about our horse Zorro, he is a 2-year-old black. I also have chickens and have learned how to hatch the eggs out,” said Stormy.
The couple has worked towards achieving their piece of the farm life slowly and has enjoyed the learning process. “I feed our animals twice a day and will admit they are all a little spoiled,” Stormy said. “I even bake them some goodies.”
Because Stormy adopts some animals that are sick, the vet bills can add up. “I get on the internet and look for their symptoms, and then I treat them accordingly,” she said. She also has a good relationship with her vet, for times when she just doesn’t know what to do for them.
Stormy, suggests that if young people want to get started in hobby farming they should make sure they have the facilities first. Then talk to other farmers and build good relationships with area vets. “Also I would try to adopt healthy animals to begin with, it saves on your heart and the pocketbook,” she said grinning. Ed said that they have medicine and mineral put in the grain pre-mixed, so the animals get what they need year around.
Stormy has considered writing a book of the trials they have experienced putting together their hobby farm and said, “I would call it the things that the Walton’s never told you. I would tell the people that wanted to try hobby farming, to go for it – you won’t regret it.”
For resources on starting a hobby farm visit www.ozarksfn.com.
