Lance and Chrissy Klessig weaved their passions for soil health and hospitality together to create Heart and Soil Ridge.
On the farm they operate and live on with their five children, they currently specialize in agritourism , grass-fed meats and other products.
"Allowing people to essentially connect with the land and connect with our farm by staying here," Klessig said describing the business.
They purchased the farm in the first week of the COVID-19 pandemic after living in the area for 15 years previously. Klessig said at first, he was concerned about the maintenance that would come with all the existing structures on the property.
"I like working with my hands and helping educate and encourage people on the land, how to direct market and take care of their soil," Klessig said. "But we also saw it as a huge opportunity because all these buildings were existing and there was some rental history, although the previous owners weren't really pushing it."
They immediately got to work remodeling and giving a facelift to each building, and opened the first guest home in August of 2020 and the next one that fall. The largest guest home opened in January of 2021.
Chrissy Klessig said that first year was a "whirlwind of change" for the family.
"It's been a huge learning curve, but I've enjoyed it," she said of the farm. "The first year we were here, we learned how to just manage all the animals and get water to them, and we figured out how to plumb new water systems and all that kind of stuff because there was no infrastructure here."
Luckily for them, the bones were there for them to work with.
"I learned how to run saws and learned how to do some simple drywall, and how to replumb things and did a lot of the remodeling and redecorating," Chrissy Klessig said. "I was not a decorator before that, really, but kind of found I really enjoyed that."
She's since got into flower farming and has begun training to conduct equine-assisted therapy on the farm.
"I feel like it's an area of calling for me," she said of working with horses. "I'm excited to to bring that to the farm."
They offer a lodge made from a machine shed that sleeps up to 10 with a full kitchen and an indoor pool , a two-story cottage made from an old granary, and an Amish-built bungalow with a workspace and pavilion access.
"We have a heart to share our farm with people and share essentially what country living can look like," Klessig said while drinking a cup of coffee on his front porch.
The soil part of the of the business comes from Klessig's passion for soil health. Guests can enjoy the passing of the family's farm life through windows of their guest home or get a deep tour with Klessig, whose passion and knowledge for soil health is known across the Midwest.
He credits his love for conservation to his late father, Lowell Klessig — honored for many things including his ground-breaking work on lake management and continuing advocacy for the environment. The name Lance was chosen for a reason, said Klessig.
"Lance means of the land," he said.
As for the ridge, the farm is located in the Driftless area. On the entirely grass farm you'll find pastured pork and beef being raised, 25 beehives, goats and lambs near a pen of British Fox Red Labrador pups, seven horses and 4 acres of pollinator and cover crop trial areas. There's also aspects geared especially towards their clientele.
"We're majoring in agritourism, and so having 2 acres of sunflowers where people can come take pictures, and be out here and do like a harvest fest is a really good way for us to generate income for acres that aren't in perennial pasture," Klessig said.
The check-in process for guests to Heart and Soil Ridge is seamless and doesn't require the family to be there when they arrive. Visitors will find a manual in the guest home that shares the Klessig's story and how to book a tour if they're interested.
"If they're interested in buying some of our meats or honey or tea, they can even buy that before they get here," he said.
Now through August is the busy season for Heart and Soil Ridge, said Klessig.
"The lodge for example, in those three months only has like two or three nights per month that it's open," he said. "Because it is kind of its own signature thing, and there is nothing in Minnesota quite like it. That you can come onto a farm, whether you want to be on a farm or not, but then also have an indoor pool all to yourself."
The other two guest homes are down 30%-40% compared to the first years of business, estimated Klessig. He attributes that to a couple things.
Source: inforum.com
Photo Credit: GettyImages-SimplyCreativePhotography
Categories: Minnesota, Business, Crops, Harvesting