About Us
Sometimes, the grass IS greener on the other side.
We grew up in Southern California and met as high school freshmen in 1976, and married in 1982. Jennifer is the daughter of an Idaho wheat farmer and spent her summers working on her dad's farm, so owning her own farm has always been a dream for her. After we were married, she surreptitiously kept chickens in the backyard of our suburban tract home, all the while dreaming of the day when she could have a farm of her own. In 1994, an opportunity arose for us to move to the Midwest, where we purchased an 1877 brick farmhouse on 5 acres in Southern Illinois. Jennifer immediately began to raise poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys) and rabbits.
In 2007, we started building a goat herd with 6 Alpine crosses; 1 wether and 5 does. We bartered for a Nubian cross buckling for our herd sire. We got goats for two main reasons. First, there was about 2 acres on the farm that we couldn't do anything with, since it was entirely overgrown with brush and vines. Second, our daughter had developed an allergy to a protein in cows milk and she couldn't have any dairy products made from cows. Fortunately, she is able to tolerate goat milk so she is once again able to enjoy milk, cheese, ice cream, and butter.
We didn't have a name for our farm at the time. The way it came about started as a joke while Dan was building the fence for the goats. Digging the holes and running the fence was causing a backache, so we started calling the farm our "backache-er". This grew into "back acre" and a name was born. In 2012, we incorporated as Bearden's Back Acre Farms LLC to make it official.
As the goat herd expanded, Jennifer needed an outlet for all of the milk she was getting, so she started to sell the excess milk to friend and neighbors. She then started to experiment with making goat milk soap, just to see if she could. She discovered that she had a knack for it and, as demand for her product grew, we started to sell it at craft fairs and farmers markets.
After kids were born in the spring of 2010, we realized that we had reached the limit of what 5 acres could support (plus the city had continued to move closer and closer to us), and thus began a search for a farm to which we could expand. In January of 2011 we found a beautiful 20 acre farm near Tamaroa, IL, that had once been a cow dairy that was perfect for our needs. We gutted the cow dairy and transformed it into a goat dairy, where Jennifer can milk the goats and make her soap in peace. Our son Matthew and his wife Madelyn will take over the 5 acre farm (Madelyn grew up on a farm as well), where they will continue the farming tradition we started, and raise the next generation of Bearden's Back Acre.
Sometimes, the grass IS greener on the other side.
We grew up in Southern California and met as high school freshmen in 1976, and married in 1982. Jennifer is the daughter of an Idaho wheat farmer and spent her summers working on her dad's farm, so owning her own farm has always been a dream for her. After we were married, she surreptitiously kept chickens in the backyard of our suburban tract home, all the while dreaming of the day when she could have a farm of her own. In 1994, an opportunity arose for us to move to the Midwest, where we purchased an 1877 brick farmhouse on 5 acres in Southern Illinois. Jennifer immediately began to raise poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys) and rabbits.
In 2007, we started building a goat herd with 6 Alpine crosses; 1 wether and 5 does. We bartered for a Nubian cross buckling for our herd sire. We got goats for two main reasons. First, there was about 2 acres on the farm that we couldn't do anything with, since it was entirely overgrown with brush and vines. Second, our daughter had developed an allergy to a protein in cows milk and she couldn't have any dairy products made from cows. Fortunately, she is able to tolerate goat milk so she is once again able to enjoy milk, cheese, ice cream, and butter.
We didn't have a name for our farm at the time. The way it came about started as a joke while Dan was building the fence for the goats. Digging the holes and running the fence was causing a backache, so we started calling the farm our "backache-er". This grew into "back acre" and a name was born. In 2012, we incorporated as Bearden's Back Acre Farms LLC to make it official.
As the goat herd expanded, Jennifer needed an outlet for all of the milk she was getting, so she started to sell the excess milk to friend and neighbors. She then started to experiment with making goat milk soap, just to see if she could. She discovered that she had a knack for it and, as demand for her product grew, we started to sell it at craft fairs and farmers markets.
After kids were born in the spring of 2010, we realized that we had reached the limit of what 5 acres could support (plus the city had continued to move closer and closer to us), and thus began a search for a farm to which we could expand. In January of 2011 we found a beautiful 20 acre farm near Tamaroa, IL, that had once been a cow dairy that was perfect for our needs. We gutted the cow dairy and transformed it into a goat dairy, where Jennifer can milk the goats and make her soap in peace. Our son Matthew and his wife Madelyn will take over the 5 acre farm (Madelyn grew up on a farm as well), where they will continue the farming tradition we started, and raise the next generation of Bearden's Back Acre.
Our Goats
Our goat herd consists of Nubian and Alpine crosses, which we refer to as Nu-pines. Nubians and Alpines produce the sweetest milk. (Saanen goats are what people typically think of when they hear "goat milk." Saanen goats have a "sharper" flavor to their milk that some people find too strong for their tastes, although the milk is valued for many cheeses.) Alpine ears stick straight up, while Nubian ears are long and hang low. The ears of our Nu-pines don't know what to do with themselves and they mainly stick straight out like airplane wings.
When we got our first baby goats in 2007, we named the does Faline, Flower, Smore, Mrs. White, and Casper. These names, picked almost at random, set the tone for how we named the rest of the goats as the herd grew. Faline became the start of the Disney line, so all of the kids born to that line are picked from Disney characters (Belle, Tinkerbell, etc.). Flower's line are all named after various flowers (Edelweiss, Daffodil, etc.) Smore's descendants are named after snack foods (Snickerdoodle, Dorito, etc.) Mrs. White started the game name line (Princess Peach, Zelda, Link, etc.) Casper died in an accident before she could have any kids. Dorito, Smore's granddaughter, is pictured.
At the moment, our herd consists of 22 kids born this year, plus 15 older goats. Out of these, we milk the best 8 producers which provides for the needs of our family, plus enough to provide for our business. We continue to barter, sell, and trade our goats to introduce new bloodlines and improve the herd. We recently added a new line to our herd with Onyx, a Nu-pine doe, and Galileo, a full Nubian buck.
Our goat herd consists of Nubian and Alpine crosses, which we refer to as Nu-pines. Nubians and Alpines produce the sweetest milk. (Saanen goats are what people typically think of when they hear "goat milk." Saanen goats have a "sharper" flavor to their milk that some people find too strong for their tastes, although the milk is valued for many cheeses.) Alpine ears stick straight up, while Nubian ears are long and hang low. The ears of our Nu-pines don't know what to do with themselves and they mainly stick straight out like airplane wings.
When we got our first baby goats in 2007, we named the does Faline, Flower, Smore, Mrs. White, and Casper. These names, picked almost at random, set the tone for how we named the rest of the goats as the herd grew. Faline became the start of the Disney line, so all of the kids born to that line are picked from Disney characters (Belle, Tinkerbell, etc.). Flower's line are all named after various flowers (Edelweiss, Daffodil, etc.) Smore's descendants are named after snack foods (Snickerdoodle, Dorito, etc.) Mrs. White started the game name line (Princess Peach, Zelda, Link, etc.) Casper died in an accident before she could have any kids. Dorito, Smore's granddaughter, is pictured.
At the moment, our herd consists of 22 kids born this year, plus 15 older goats. Out of these, we milk the best 8 producers which provides for the needs of our family, plus enough to provide for our business. We continue to barter, sell, and trade our goats to introduce new bloodlines and improve the herd. We recently added a new line to our herd with Onyx, a Nu-pine doe, and Galileo, a full Nubian buck.
Our Poultry
We raise a variety of chickens for eggs and meat. Jennifer's favorite chickens are Araucana chickens, also called Easter Egg Chickens because they lay colored eggs. We also raise pastured cornish cross meat chickens.
As for turkeys, we are raising the heritage breed Narragansett. We tried to raise the commercial Broad Breasted White, but found them too stupid to survive our farm (plus the ability to reproduce naturally has been bred out of them.) The picture on the right are the first of the Narragansett turkey chicks that hatched this year. We hope to build up a market for our heritage turkeys over the next few years. Although they are smaller than the commercial birds, without the huge breasts that we typically associate with turkeys, the flavor of these heritage breeds cannot be beat.
We also raise ducks and geese for our own use.
We raise a variety of chickens for eggs and meat. Jennifer's favorite chickens are Araucana chickens, also called Easter Egg Chickens because they lay colored eggs. We also raise pastured cornish cross meat chickens.
As for turkeys, we are raising the heritage breed Narragansett. We tried to raise the commercial Broad Breasted White, but found them too stupid to survive our farm (plus the ability to reproduce naturally has been bred out of them.) The picture on the right are the first of the Narragansett turkey chicks that hatched this year. We hope to build up a market for our heritage turkeys over the next few years. Although they are smaller than the commercial birds, without the huge breasts that we typically associate with turkeys, the flavor of these heritage breeds cannot be beat.
We also raise ducks and geese for our own use.
Our Rabbits
Our rabbits are mainly California and New Zealand meat rabbits. We have 4 breeding does at the moment and raise them primarily for our own use, although we do sell live rabbits if requested. Pound for pound, there is not a more efficient meat producer than a rabbit.
Our rabbits are mainly California and New Zealand meat rabbits. We have 4 breeding does at the moment and raise them primarily for our own use, although we do sell live rabbits if requested. Pound for pound, there is not a more efficient meat producer than a rabbit.
Other Animals
At Bearden's Back Acre, everyone works. We have several dogs on the farm that serve as work dogs and guard dogs. Pictured at right is Artemis, our Great Pyrenees. Great Pyrenees make wonderful guard dogs for goats, since if they are introduced young enough, they will adopt the herd as their own and will protect the goats with their lives. We hope to eventually breed Artemis and sell purebred Great Pyrenees puppies. Dixie is an English Shepherd mutt who feels it is her solemn duty to make sure everyone is going where they need to go (or, at least, to where she THINKS they should be going.) Chopin and Ari, a Yellow Lab and a German Shepherd, keep the property free from predators (and squirrels.)
At Bearden's Back Acre, everyone works. We have several dogs on the farm that serve as work dogs and guard dogs. Pictured at right is Artemis, our Great Pyrenees. Great Pyrenees make wonderful guard dogs for goats, since if they are introduced young enough, they will adopt the herd as their own and will protect the goats with their lives. We hope to eventually breed Artemis and sell purebred Great Pyrenees puppies. Dixie is an English Shepherd mutt who feels it is her solemn duty to make sure everyone is going where they need to go (or, at least, to where she THINKS they should be going.) Chopin and Ari, a Yellow Lab and a German Shepherd, keep the property free from predators (and squirrels.)
Barn cats abound to keep the barns free from pests and vermin, and all they ask in return is a squirt of goat milk now and again. That's not too much to ask for, is it?
Want to know more about us? Read about life on the farm at our Blog or visit our Photo Gallery, or you can contact us with any questions.
