We recently registered as WWOOFER hosts. That stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Members can check out our profile at https://wwoofusa.org/our-farms/?search=misty+moraine+farmstead
Here’s a copy of the profile:
We have operated a 40-acre non-certified organic farm in the Kettle Moraine region of east central Wisconsin since 1995. The property has 28 tillable acres, with the rest in woods and wetlands, including a small creek and an artesian spring. We have a herd of about 30 dairy goats. The farm is also home to American Guinea Hogs and heritage breed chickens. We have two beehives of our own, and host several others.
Housing for WWOOFers is a small structure with a skylight. The structure has electricity, but no bathroom. The main house has a full bathroom available for WWOOFers, as well as laundry facilities and a cooking area separate from the main kitchen. Camping on the property is also a possibility for those interested.
We eat organic, local food and try to produce as much of our own as possible. We prefer a Weston A. Price diet, with no commercially processed food and an emphasis on nutrient-dense, traditional food. Our cuisine is diverse enough to accommodate most dietary preferences, though vegetarians and vegans should have the ability and desire to work on the garden! We are not gluten-free and are definitely not dairy-free, but we can work with those preferences too.
Our farm is low-tech. We would rather make it work using animals and hand tools if we can. Goat kids will start arriving in mid-February. We will need help bottle-feeding goat kids, milking goats (seasonally, as we only milk when the grass is green), caring for baby chicks, running fences and rotating goats and pigs in the pastures. Later in the season we will need help with haying–cutting raking, baling and stacking. We’d like to try doing a couple of acres by hand, the old-world way. We have a large garden, and will need help with planting, weeding, harvesting and preserving. We’d like to build a greenhouse out of reclaimed materials; an outdoor oven using native field stone; a winterized chicken coop; and a horse and cattle barn constructed of logs using historical techniques.
We are launching a goat cheese making business in our new creamery. The business is called Misty Moraine Creamery. Interested WWOOFers may assist with cheesemaking (which entails more cleaning and sanitation than actual making of cheese). We have also trademarked the Misty Moraine brand for goat milk soap, and will show you how to make soap if you are interested.
Workload for WWOOFers will generally be 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, sometimes more if an urgent need arises. We don’t watch TV as a rule, but we do have one (no cable), and enjoy watching Netflix movies once in awhile. We have WiFi available for those with their own laptops.
Because of the livestock and our dairy operation, we have a no pet policy. Use of drugs, alcohol and/or tobacco products on the farm is prohibited. Focus on the farm is important for both work quality and safety. For that reason, we do not allow use of headphones, cell phones, or any electronics (including iPods or other music players) during working hours.
English is our primary language. We speak and understand a little French, Spanish and Greek.
We’ve already heard from people all over the world, and are looking forward to hosting our first wwoofers in a few weeks. It’s a cool way for young people to travel and learn about farming, and it’s fun and energizing for us to have visitors who are so enthusiastic about what we’re doing (not to mention willing to lend a hand).
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Misty Moraine Creamery 