Willow-Witt Farms
This summer we took about a month to explore northern California, Oregon and Washington. I knew there would be plenty of museums along the way to stop and see, but I also wanted to make sure that we got plenty of outside time too. After a little research, I found a great farm stay along our route and booked us for a few nights at Willow-Witt in Ashland, OR.
Not knowing much about farming, and goat farms in particular, I had no idea what to expect. After we arrived, the owners Suzanne and Lanita greeted us and Lanita gave us a tour of the farm. We were introduced to the animals; milking goats, packing goats, many baby goats, and also chickens, pigs, a horse and several dogs. The tour also included a run-down of the vegetables growing in their garden which we were invited to pick.
Frozen foods and milk (yes, goat milk) were available in their single-room store. Having arrived right around dinner time, we went ahead and picked out a package of home-made sausages and a half dozen fresh eggs. The kids helped me pick some fresh veggies. Thus we began our first farm stay with a fabulous dinner.
Willow-Witt offers several lodging options to the overnight guest. There is a small apartment built directly next to the farm owners’ house. It has two queen beds in an upstairs loft (the stairs are quite steep!) and a pull-out couch downstairs. This guest house has a full kitchen and everything you need to cook with. Also on the property is a canvas tent with a queen bed, and other campsites where you can pitch your own tent. This tent area has a communal kitchen nearby. It is a bit of a trek to and from the main farm, probably about a ten minute walk.
What I most looked forward to was being able to participate in some of the farm chores. Directly after dinner we were able to catch up with Jake, one of the employees, milking some of the goats. Chores are done once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. They include feeding the animals, moving pens (which allows the animals to feed on fresh grass), gathering eggs (and chicks who have managed to get out of their enclosure), and goat milking.
Though I had in mind to come out for chores each day, the kids were not quite as enthusiastic. I tried to engage them even in watching others doing chores, but aside from the first night, they preferred playing together with some of the sticks they found on the ground. During part of our stay I watched other families who included older kids participate in the chores. They helped scoop food into buckets, gathered eggs, and one boy got very good at catching stray chickens. Though I had hoped my kids would jump at the chance at new responsibilities, I don’t mind at all that at this age they simply enjoyed the open space to play.
As guests we were given access to roam the farm whenever we wanted. One of my favorite parts was visiting the goats. The uncovered part of their living area was a large field. If you wandered through the field, a majority of the herd would follow you around the field. Again, this was far more fun for me than it was for my three-year old, who was about the same height as most of the goats. For the most part the goats were friendly, but some didn’t think much of what we consider “personal space”. Their tendency to crowd and natural inclination to taste your clothing was a bit much for Josh’s comfort level. In a few years he may fall in love with those big eyes as much as I did.
I couldn’t have asked for more from our stay at Willow-Witt. Lanita and Suzanne are obviously passionate about what they have built at Willow-Witt, and immediately I felt welcomed to enjoy and partake in it. I have since learned that the owners also bring local school groups and church groups onto their farm and teach them not only about how to care for the animals, but also how to care for the land. Part of the 40 acres is being restored as a wetlands and they have discontinued the practice of allowing cattle to graze on their land, in order to allow the native plants to thrive. This was a great experience for our family, one I hope to repeat in the next few years.
Our stay was partially compensated in exchange for an article on our experience at the farm. This article is an accurate reflection of our stay.
Sounds wonderful. Bravo to the owners–a real family farm.
Thank you for sharing this! I would LOVE to take my kids to this farm! They would love it! I am bookmarking the place so we can try for next summer
[...] fantastic, but not something I would dream of taking young kids to. I had already planned to stay at a farm near Ashland for several days. Not knowing if we could fill the entire day gazing at goats, I hoped that we [...]