Our Story
The Story of Sweet Medicine Farm Begins with Susan
We are a family of five living in the rural Midwest - Helvetia, Wisconsin to be exact. Our life today is built on pasture, projects, animals, and daily lessons. But the deeper story behind Sweet Medicine Farm does not begin with us.
It begins with Susan.
Years ago, before this business existed, before we owned land, before our children were born, we were boarding our horses 20–30 miles from home. We dreamed of something different, land of our own, a place where our horses could be part of daily life instead of a weekend drive.
Eventually, we found it: an old 10-acre farm in Helvetia. The house was built in 1875. The original hand-hewn logs still form the core of our home. It had sat vacant for some time before we purchased it; broken windows, weathered boards, critters that had claimed it as their own. But it was ours.
We moved just months before our first child was born. It was not glamorous. There were plywood windows for a while. There were repairs everywhere. But not long after settling in, we brought our horses home for the first time. Even if we couldn’t see them clearly from behind the plywood windows, we knew they were out there grazing, and that was enough.
Fast forward: three kids, horses, cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, cats, dogs and a long list of projects and lessons. Farm life has a way of teaching humility.
One of those lessons changed everything.
At one point, we began noticing something strange: the horse’s tails were getting shorter, not frayed, shorter. Six to eight inches gone over a matter of days. We inspected fencing, searched for snags, and questioned everything. Nothing made sense.
Until we discovered the culprit: a goat.
Yes, a goat was eating the horses’ tails.
We didn’t understand why. That’s when we spoke to our wise friend at Sweet Medicine Farm - Susan.
She calmly suggested, “Your goats need minerals.”
It sounded almost too simple. But Susan was not someone whose words you dismissed.
Susan owned the local pharmacy called Sweet Medicine. She was deeply rooted in the land. Practical, intelligent, and observant. She once carefully dismantled an old carriage house piece by piece and rebuilt it on her property, so it would be preserved instead of destroyed. She was a respected breeder of Andalusian horses. She lived with intention.
She carried decades of experience, awards, learning, and hard-earned wisdom - but wore it lightly. She was kind without effort. Sharp without arrogance. Grounded in a way that only comes from paying attention.
Her advice led us on a research journey, which led us to free-choice mineral systems.
We researched. We implemented. We observed.
The results were not theoretical. We saw them: fuller coats, stronger hooves, calmer animals, better energy, and yes, no more tail-eating goats. The system made sense because it respected the animal’s ability to self-regulate.
There was no going back.
We felt compelled to share what we had learned and make it accessible to others managing pasture-based, multi-species herds. So, we began the long road of starting a business; licensing, zoning, paperwork, and financing. The practical hurdles were manageable.
The name was not.
Nothing felt right.
During that same season, Susan was entering a new chapter of her life. She was closing Sweet Medicine Farm and slowing down her homestead. Watching that transition was difficult. We had immense respect for her and what she had built.
The name “Sweet Medicine Farm” carries weight. It carried integrity. It carried memory.
Every time we said it, it made us smile. It reminded us of Susan, of her kindness, her intelligence, her example. We didn’t want that legacy to disappear quietly.
So, we asked her if we could carry the name forward.
She said yes.
That is how our journey began again, not just as a family building a business, but as stewards of a name that means something. We live with the responsibility of honoring what Susan built: thoughtful land stewardship, careful animal observation, humility in learning, and respect for nature’s design.
Sweet Medicine Farm is our business.
But its foundation is Susan.
Thank you, Susan, for your wisdom, your example, and your generosity in allowing us to carry this name forward. If someone is fortunate enough to meet a person like her in their lifetime, they understand what true mentorship looks like.
We hope to live up to the legacy.
“Susan was not simply respected; she was regarded so highly within her community that a song was written about her and her beloved Sweet Medicine Farm. That says something.
It says that her life left an imprint. That the way she lived, stewarding the land, raising animals with intention, preserving history, sharing knowledge generously, moved people deeply enough that words alone were not enough. Music was.
We have included that song here in her honor.
It is a small tribute to a woman who quietly shaped more lives than she likely ever realized.”
