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Host is looking for help immediately
Host rating
85 %
Last replied
3 Feb 2025
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Description
Join us in rural Wisconsin to take part in a careful and intentional expansion of our ancestral family farm with organic vegetable/herb gardens, small orchard, animal husbandry & cultural exchange.
Our home and homestead have been part of our family for four generations, going back to the 1930’s. Located near Elroy, Wisconsin, in the heart of the beautiful Driftless Region, our property sits among rolling hills, streams, forests, and unique rock formations that predate the last Ice Age. The area is known for its small family farms and rich agricultural traditions, with local families raising dairy cattle, horses, sheep, goats, poultry, and other livestock.
Our homestead is a private family home and is not a commercial farm or business. Over the past fifteen years however, we have been carefully restoring and maintaining our farmhouse, barn, stables, garage, woodshed, library, and art and performance space. We also have been expanding our organic kitchen garden, small fruit orchard, greenhouse, pastures and forest.
The 600-acre property surrounding our home has been farmed by an Amish family since 1998, without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. The result is a clean, natural landscape of fields, forests, wildlife, and walking trails. Guests often enjoy hiking, swimming, fishing, wildlife watching, horseback riding, andsimply experiencing the peaceful rhythm of rural life.
We share our home with two horses, a friendly golden retriever, three cats, three rabbits, chickens, ducks and guinea fowl. We are a family of five with diverse interests and international experiences.
Tamur (64) is an emergency room physician who has spent his career serving rural communities throughout the world.
Lauren specializes in maternal and child health and has worked with the United Nations and international organizations in Asia and Africa.
Kailen (28) studied South Asian Studies, Art, and Philosophy, and is currently pursuing fine arts in New York.
Liam (24) has studied environmental science in Canada and Wisconsin and has a strong interest in ecology and sustainability.
Nyal (31) is a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on human resilience and climate change.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Elderly Companionship
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House & pet sitting
Interests
Culture
LGBTQ
Politics / Social justice
Vegetarian or vegan
Charity work
Sustainability
Pets
Farming
Plant care
Music
History
DIY & crafts
Books
Art & design
Photography
Languages
Gardening
Cooking & food
Architecture
Performing arts
Carpentry
Astronomy
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Fitness
Dancing
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Cycling
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We have close connections with many Amish neighbors, who are engaged in farming, gardening, baking, cabinet-making, carpentry, and the raising and training of horses. We spend a lot of time learning from our Amish neighbors and friends. Workawayers will have the unique experience of interacting with this interesting and usually hard-to-access community.
Cultural Opportunities in our Area:
Madison, Wisconsin, the capital of the state, is a 90-minute drive from the farm. Madison is a small, pretty, college town, home to the University of Wisconsin, located between Lake Monona and Lake Mendota.
Madison has many interesting restaurants and bars, a lively year-round sports scene (cross-country skiing, biking, sailing, rock climbing), and good local music. There are several very nice farmers’ markets. The Overture Center and the Chazen Museum in downtown Madison have many interesting musical, theatrical, and art events throughout the year. Madison is known for its vibrant "foodie" culture featuring many diverse restaurants and a farm to table restaurant scene, small local breweries and local cheese making traditions.
There is a world-class experimental theatre - the American Players Theatre - about 1 hour away in the town of Spring Green, near the hometown of the renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
The city of Chicago is a three-hour drive from our farm which is home to the Art Institute of Chicago, many blues and jazz venues, and a rich architectural heritage.
Occasional outings for guests could also include canoeing on the Wisconsin, Baraboo and Kickapoo Rivers, biking on the 400 mile Elroy-Sparta bike trail through Amish country, visit to the Mississippi River, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.
In winter months one can go cross-country skiing, ice skating, tobogganing, and driving sleighs with horses.
Help
Assistance in maintenance of organic kitchen garden/herb and flower garden; planting and reseeding pasture and forest with native grasses and flowers; tending of household chickens and ducks; caring for, riding and assistance in training of our new horse Gypsy for saddle and for pulling wagon and buggy; tree planting and expansion of the small fruit orchard; care and expansion of greenhouse; expansion of the composting system.
We have an extensive set of tools and shops for wood-working, painting, gardening, and farming
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Urdu: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
We are a multi-lingual family and would love to help anyone who comes to improve their English, French, or Hindi/Urdu 🤗
Accommodation
We have a fully functioning guest space next to the main house for WorkAway guests - with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, wood stove, and central heating. The property has a stable/barn/greenhouse/3000-book library. We have bikes for riding in the area.
The property has fast internet access, a stable, and access to our 3000-book library.
The home is situated on our ancestral farm of 600 acres of pastures, ponds, and forests. The farm uses no fertilizer or pesticides.
What else ...
Occasional outings for guests could also include canoeing on the Wisconsin, Baraboo and Kickapoo Rivers, biking on the 400 mile Elroy-Sparta bike trail through Amish country, visit to the Mississippi River, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. The American Players Theatre is about 1 hour away in the town of Spring Green, near the home town of the renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
In winter months one can go cross-country skiing, ice skating, tobogganing, etc.
We often have bonfires in the field.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
The internet is fast, between 20 and 100 kbps.
Can possibly accept pets
A dog or cat would be welcome. If you have another animal, contact us and we can see if we can make it work.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Neptune
Gypsy
