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September 16, 2024
RIVER FALLS – When Eagle Eye Farm first materialized, Kerri Harting said it was the realization of a lifelong dream for her late partner Dawn Stewart.
But after Stewart passed away, Harting said she discovered ways to sustain it and make it her own – to the delight of the farm’s furry friends’ fans.
Harting said it’s been quite a journey, and though Eagle Eye Farm in River Falls is not the first iteration of the farm (formerly a horse farm) – what it is today, fits the property and her the best.
Eagle Eye Farm is primarily an alpaca farm, home to about 65 alpacas.
Harting said she also raises high-quality llamas, mini highland cattle, Valais Blacknose sheep, Kune Kune pigs, English angora bunnies, chickens and the latest additions, goats and porcupines.
The 100-some animals, she said, are the stars of the farm, and unlike other farms, guests can go right into the animals’ pens or areas, which are cleaned multiple times a day.
“It’s a whole experience,” she said. “Our animals are very interactive – with lots of personality – probably because they’re so used to people. Guests really love that.”
Smile, you’re on camera
Harting said there’s never a dull moment at Eagle Eye Farm – many of which she documents for her online followers with videos.
Whether it’s showcasing animals’ births, an escaped chicken, general animal antics in their respective areas or even Oliver the alpaca’s latest outing – be it pup cups at a coffee shop or a visit to Tractor Supply – Harting said there is always something happening on the farm.
“My social media strategy has changed as I’m doing more videos with me talking to people and sharing stories,” she said. “People come to the farm knowing the stories and wanting to see certain animals, which I find very rewarding.”
The 11-acre farm, she said, has had a few iterations along the way.
In 2016, Harting and Stewart lived in St. Louis where the couple worked as a practicing physician and a radiology department administrator, respectively.
Harting said life was “Groundhog Day-mundane” and yet extremely demanding – which eventually prompted a move to the Duluth, Minnesota, area and a property that was 27 miles outside of town and about two-and-a-half miles down a gravel road.
“We were about to find out if the grass really was greener on the other side,” she said.
Harting said Stewart was passionate about dog sledding, which led them to obtain five sled dogs for the farm.
However, the dogs, she said, were not good runners and had other issues because of inbreeding, so the duo found forever pet homes for them and hung up the sled.
Not long thereafter, Harting said they acquired some chickens – Wilbur and Penelope, Kune Kune pigs and visited an alpaca farm and fell in love with four-day-old Matteo.
She said they knew they had to have him, so they began preparing to bring him home once he was bigger and more mature – which Harting said was no small task.
“We had a barn that could serve as an alpaca barn, but we didn’t have a pasture,” she said. “So Dawn and a neighbor cleared an acre of pasture – removing woods, rocks and debris – planted grass and enclosed it with fencing.”
Matteo and 19 of his friends
The hard work, Harting said, was not for naught.
Shortly after, Matteo joined the farm along with two other males, as she said it’s best to have at least three alpacas.
Within six months, Harting said she and Stewart had 19 alpacas.
She said it also became very clear that they couldn’t stay where they were.
Though they had 20 acres of land, Harting said they couldn’t easily expand the pastures.
And the idea of welcoming people to the farm and participating in agritourism, Harting said, was definitely on Stewart’s mind as well.
“Dawn knew she wanted to pursue that, but who was going to drive 27 miles out of town and two-and-a-half miles down a gravel road to come and see us?” Harting said. “Her vision was for kids to know where their food came from and to show them farming is real, and it’s hard work.”
That prompted the move to Wisconsin – after finding the N7802 County Road F property (with a paved road) in River Falls.
Harting said they viewed the former horse farm on Memorial Day 2019 and made the move just a bit more than a month later on July 3.
She said they began inviting guests to the new farm in October 2020 in response to demand.
“It was COVID, but rules were relaxing a bit, and we had people asking if we would open the farm, so we did on Oct. 27,” she said. “That was the first time we had people at the doors and hosted many family reunions here because it’s primarily an outside setting and people could be safe. Grandparents got to see their grandkids for the first time in months and months, and things just continued to progress.”
That, Harting said, is an understatement.
By 2021, Eagle Eye Farm not only offered guided tours but a variety of farm camps, alpaca yoga and other animal offerings.
First, they added bunnies, then cows, then more pigs, chickens, alpacas and llamas.
Eagle Eye Farm, Harting said, attracted a regular visitor base, primarily from a 50-mile radius but also beyond.
Difficult path
Sadly, Harting said in 2023, tragedy struck when Stewart went to an alpaca show in Michigan – where she mentioned she wasn’t feeling well.
Upon her return to Wisconsin – which was delayed due to getting stuck in a snowstorm – Harting said Stewert met her at the doctor’s office.
The prognosis, she said, wasn’t good.
Harting said Stewart had basically been experiencing a heart attack since Saturday, and it was now a Monday.
Surgery didn’t go well, and she ended up on life support before passing away.
Harting said the harsh reality was that Eagle Eye Farm was a fundamental part of the family’s income.
“We rely on the people who come to the farm to help support the farm,” she said. “When we announced Dawn had passed, people started canceling visits.”
Harting said she responded on social media and wherever else she could, encouraging people to keep coming and emphasizing that nothing was going to change.
“But in the back of my mind, I didn’t know what I was going to do with the farm,” she said. “Dawn was the one who primarily managed it. It was her mission, and I helped to support her and her dreams. But now, it was all mine.”
A new chapter
Harting said she considered selling the farm and giving up farm life to move back to St. Louis to be closer to family.
She said she also looked at moving somewhere else for a fresh start.
But Harting said she eventually realized running Eagle Eye Farm was exactly what she was meant to do.
“Dawn had set the farm up exactly how it’s supposed to be set up for agritourism, and it runs like a well-oiled machine,” she said. “There was no way I could set that up someplace else. I decided to stay, taking one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received to ‘make the farm mine.’ I thought about that, and have thought about that since, and have done some things to make the farm mine.”
Harting said that has included adding goats – “Dawn was adamant about no goats” – porcupines and offering self-guided tours of the property.
“People don’t know their schedule 20 minutes from now let alone two to three days, so that flexibility matters,” she said.
As such, Harting said the farm is open for visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week and does not require reservations.
A smaller team of six people keeps the farm running, with Harting herself changing as well.
“It’s an all-inclusive place to experience what the animals are all about, and I love having summer camps and activities here as the animals should be shared,” she said. “That’s what I really want to continue.”
Sustainability in action
Harting said owning and operating Eagle Eye Farm remains a balancing act as she continues to work four days a week as a radiologist and juggle the needs of the farm.
Her farm duties, she said, now include a storefront, called All Things Sheared.
Harting said it features a juice bar that her daughter, Berkli, started in March 2024 in Stillwater, Minnesota – which offers juices called Freshness in a Bottle.
“That’s breakfast in a bottle,” Harting said.
In addition to the juice bar, Harting said the store features alpaca goods, her all-natural skincare, Fab Girl Skincare; infused honey through Soaring Bee Apiary and more.
Harting said the alpacas are sheared once a year with the fleece being sent to a mill that makes yarn for knitters and crocheters to create products to sell in the store.
Alpaca fleece socks, she said, typically start arriving in October.
Dryer balls and insoles are also popular, Harting said.
“We try to sell as much as we can from the product itself,” she said.
Harting said Berkli isn’t the only family member who has an impact on the farm.
She said her son, Tucker, is deeply involved with the 1,500 lavender plants on the property – which he suggested planting.
Harting said he performs the harvest every year – doing both the physical work with harvesting and cutting, as well as the finance side of the equation.
Berkli, she said, is often out with the animals, even spending the night when one is ill or needs extra cuddles.
Harting said collectively, the animals and these complementary offerings draw guests in, with summer definitely the busy season.
However, she said fall is also fun because the animals’ fleece grows and Christmas time is “magical with the alpacas,” especially when there’s snow on the ground.
“I will say, people absolutely love to come when it’s really cold,” she said. “I think it’s a northern thing.”
Springtime, Harting said, brings with it the beginning of a birth season – babies are born in spring and summer on the farm.
There are many visitors, however, she said, who come no matter the season.
“We have many visitors who come year-round and love it year-round,” she said.
Harting said Eagle Eye Farm has welcomed visitors from Chicago and even Italy.
Delivering an experience to visitors is part of what she said propels her forward – the other is the animals.
“When Dawn was here, I hated the cold and there were days I wouldn’t go out into the barn,” she said. “Now, I’m in the barn multiple times of the day and night, and the weather makes no difference. The animals’ love and appreciation and getting to know them is truly satisfying.”
The new goats – which were added in May – Harting said are a cross between pygmy and Nigerian Dwarf goats and are great visitors to the farm’s yoga classes.
The farm’s three porcupines, each of whom has its own personality, have been a big hit as well.
A year after Stewart’s passing, Harting said she feels like the farm is hers, and she’s happy with its evolution, maturation and growth.
She said she is attending fewer alpaca shows this year so they can focus on agritourism and, as always, “be on the farm, nurturing and loving our animals.”
“What started as Dawn’s vision is now truly my life’s passion,” she said.
For more on Eagle Eye Farm, visit eagleeyefarm.net.
