Susie lives very close to the Headwaters of the Missouri River, hence the name “Headwaters Garden”.   She and her husband rent 250 acres from his parents and on it they raise wheat, alfalfa, sweet corn, pumpkins and numerous varieties of winter squash.  They sell at 4 different Farmer’s Markets, to local grocery stores and have people stop by to make purchases.  Susie raises other vegetables and herbs for their own use as well as a few customers.  In addition to that, they lease just over 200 acres for hay crops and pasture. 

Their calving operation is currently in full swing, with about 50 Angus cows now giving birth.  They have their own bulls (2) and a small flock of Suffolk sheep that are now lambing as well as some chickens and 3 registered dairy goat does who will kids next month.  Susie shows these goats and they are very much pets.  She openly admits they have all been in her house at one time or another.  She uses their milk to make cheese as well as her homemade soaps.  She sells the soap at the various Farmer’s Markets as well.  Her soap business is called “Stage Stop Soaps” because their home was once a stage stop.  She's happy to ship her soap and can be reached at stagestopsoap@earthlink.net.

Along with that menagerie come 7 horses, a miniature mule (actually a hinny) and a very talkative parrot.  Of all of the animals, Susie’s Morgan horses are her favorite, especially her stallion, Isaiah.  She’s had him for 15 years, since he was a foal.  He is the love of her life.

Susie loves this lifestyle and is grateful for the sacrifices her parents made to give their own children a rural existence with livestock, hunting, gardening and horses.  “I want that for my own children and it is a way of life I have always loved.  Raising livestock, growing and canning my own food and hunting for big game has been a fulfilling and rewarding lifestyle for me”, she says. 

Susie’s present focus on the farm is working on improving inputs to yield higher nutritional values in the end products.  She states, “To me, one of the fabulous benefits of growing your own livestock is the ability to create strategies to enhance the nutritional quality of feedstuffs to generate meat, milk, and eggs that are healthier and higher in protein and in the beneficial fats such as OMEGA-3 fatty acids.  (To That end, I am currently attempting to convince my husband to take a leap of faith in planting camelina).

My other passion is to enjoy each day that God gives me the privilege to spend on this beautiful piece of ground, watching the osprey bringing fish back to their nest each summer, the Sandhill cranes heralding spring in our pasture with their unique mating dances, photographing the antelope and bald eagles that live out my back door and hunting our Mulies and Whitetails.  Unfortunately, my husband and his parents do not share my connection to the land.  They see big dollar signs by chopping this ranch up into a riverfront subdivision.   They had a few developers look at the property this past year.  To me it would be a permanent tragedy to carve up this beautiful little wildlife haven with fertile ground and ancient water rights to generate more houses and cul-de-sacs.  I have watched so many beautiful parcels in this valley go that way over the past 27 years and I dread the thought of it happening to my own home.”

Since Susie is a self-confessed bookaholic, it’s difficult for her to narrow it down, but her most indispensable volumes are The Holy Bible and The Merck Veterinary Manual.

Susie’s advice for anyone pursuing a homesteading lifestyle is to always research the answers to your questions.  Don’t rely on one book, one philosophy, one person’s answer, or one Internet source.  There’s so much anecdotal misinformation out there.  She considers it vitally important to do your homework!

In closing, Susie has this to say about WOTD.  “I love the Women of the Dirt!  I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity to network with bright and capable women who have interests common to mine. I realized years ago that it was invaluable to listen to people who had pursued endeavors that interested me, and learn from them rather than re-inventing the wheel on my own. Conversely, it taught me to investigate the facts before accepting all advice at face value.  I know that my politics and beliefs do not necessarily square with many of the women in our group, but fortunately they have not been about everyone being “politically correct”. This is an admirable group of women who support each other’s aspirations, offer their expertise and skills, advise each other, share each others burdens, encourage each other and enjoy intelligent debate on topics relevant to the objectives of the group.  I consider myself so lucky to be a part of it!”

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