Willow Meadows Farm

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Dell Rapids, SD
Willow Meadows Farm

Agritourism Farm

12/27/2024

Some days are for adventures and making memories

And stopping along the way to support my barn envy! 🤣

12/26/2024

Though this is literally the same face all the contractors make when they come into the building I’m working on 🤣 and they sigh a lot, and think I’m crazy, I could not be more excited!!

I see things for what they can be not for what they are and I LOVE demo, remodeling and the whole process of bringing something discarded and overlooked or neglected into something beautiful!

So, the update is;

HVAC bid is in and being approved.

The plumbers came today and will come next week to snake drains and then get my bid done once they see the condition and direction of drains and the water main.

Lighting plan is being figured out and worked on in the background too.

Foundation expert is in contact and coming as soon as he can fit the trip here into his schedule.

And my builder, he doesn’t know it yet, but he will be getting a call once I know all the things he will need to do for the other trades.

Flooring and insulation are the other two but they have plenty of time for the big stuff to get done before I move to phase two and start putting things back together.

I can see it you guys!

I can see it in my head and it’s going to be so worth the wait and work!

12/11/2024

There are so many things that happen behind the scenes to build and grow a business that nobody really gets to see.

I thought I’d give you a little insight into what’s happening on the farm and at the rec center this week.

Today I’m making all of my phone calls for my contractors to get my Family Rec Center building up and running. There is a LOT to be done.

Basically I am starting with floors, walls and a roof. But, the floors need major work. The walls need extensive work. And there’s one room that’s missing a ceiling currently. 🤣

Electrical is sketchy at best but with lights on stands and extension cords, I’ve been able to make a few outlets I have work.

There’s absolutely no plumbing it needs all new drains. Insulation will need to be put in the attic space. And there’s a little foundation issue that needs to be addressed.

So today - phone calls
Then, tours and wait for bids
Then, schedule the work in the order that makes the most sense and when the contractors can come
Then, once infrastructre and utilities are good, the fine details come into play

It’s a long and daunting process but also fun - this means things are moving and going to move quick!

On the farm this last weekend, more fencing went up. Connections got made to the water service that just got installed by Minnehaha Commhnity Water Corp. and this week the automatic waterers need to go in.

We took the 1955 Chevy to town for Christmas in the Dells pictures.

Ducks and the little emu got moved to a new pen so we could relocate their shed/home down to the pasture/farm this past weekend where the outside animals will all eventually go.

All of these things take a lot of time but it’s things no one would know are being done.

From the outside looking in it would look like nothing’s happening. But there is work being done every day in the background.

Oh, AND I wasn’t sure I was going to do it again this year because it’s hard and heartbreaking and a lot of work but, I am also currently incubating six emu eggs!

A farmer and an entrepreneur never rest - and for some reason I chose both! 🤣

12/08/2024

Got up early and got the stage set for your beautiful Winter photos today!

9am-12pm by the river/baseball park!

And don’t worry, Frances Larson Photography will do a much more amazing job with your photos than I did this morning with the sun, barely up!🤣

There is also some pretty cool and some funny signs brought by the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce so feel free to come down and take some hilarious photos too!

Have fun! 🎉

12/07/2024

Christmas in the Dells is fully underway.

Tomorrow/Sunday from 9am-noon our truck with be back down by the river/Rickman Field for some fun family holiday photos!

Come on down!!

12/05/2024

I know I already posted but I am just so excited about this!🎉

You don’t realize and appreciate how much work it takes for just basic things like water and power.

Look at all these people and all this equipment!!

I am just SO absolutely grateful and excited because I have wanted this for so long and being able to make it happen when it moved from “want” to “necessary” with such a short timeline before “not possible until Spring” is such a blessing!

I will never stop having gratitude for every single person that helps with my dream even if it’s their job or they are paid, they are part of my dreams happening.

Thank you Minnehaha Community Water Corp!!

12/05/2024

The Farm is getting water today!!!🎉

You all have NO idea how scared I was the house would sell and the water and power would not happen until spring leaving the animals without water and power which would obviously have had serious effects.

Power should be getting bored under the Hiway in a week or two too!

We are leaving the current water and power and shelters at the house for the new owners so this was critical for our farm/business.

God bless you amazing souls working in the freezing weather boring under the hiway, digging a 7’ meter pit and hooking up our water for our animals!

The people doing these jobs do not get the credit they deserve! I am so thankful for you all!!

11/27/2024

Put a couple signs up in the windows today!

Holiday week so there is not much that will happen until next week.

Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving ~ from my family to yours! ❤️

11/26/2024

So, what is the new “off site” project for Willow Meadows Farm?

I have a building!! 🎉

I am going to open my indoor playground/rec center!!

303 LaDelle Ave. Dell Rapids - just on the south side of Main Street right behind the Quilt Shop!

This is not a new building. I was in it 6 years ago but the timing was off.

I am in it again and the timing is perfect!

I just had a wonderful meeting this morning and I am so proud to be able to rent from the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe.

To say I have been working with the kindest humans is an understatement.

I am so excited to tackle this project and this old, vacant building is about to be absolutely beautiful!

There will be something for everyone and I am so excited to keep sharing updates with all of you!

Here are a couple sneak peeks of my “blank canvas” after the trash out crew came to help me clean it out. Yes, the work has already begun and I am loving every piece of it!

It’s going to be amazing!

11/26/2024

Updates!

Lots of (big, expensive and necessary) things happening on the farm!

We just finished trenching in a water line. Waiting for MCWC to come to do the meter pit so we will have water! This is a HUGE upgrade!

We are SO lucky they got us fit in before it was too late in the winter!

This gives us easier hand washing which is a super important thing and water accessibility for so many other fun things besides no more hauling water down!!

We also have XCEL Energy slated to come bring power to the farm in December.

Again, super lucky to be able to get fit in before winter gets too bad, but this one still scheduled a ways out so fingers are remaining crossed.

Best means we’ll be able to have more and better options on the farm this coming season.

We will be able to bring heating and cooling to our little building and offer more options for additional attractions!

I cannot begin to put my heartbreak into words that we couldn’t do a farm season this year, but by the time things were done that I relied on other people for, it was too late for us to pivot and do a farm party season.

I am so unbelievably sad and sorry. Please know if I could have done anything, I would have.

That is income that we rely on to care for the animals and feed them and also to continue to grow our farm so it was a pretty big hit not only emotionally but financially.

In the true spirit that I am stuck with, I’m never going to give up. And we’re just going to keep moving forward and continue making the farm better!

Stay tuned to find out what next season is going to look like!

And, to learn more about the new offsite project that we’re working on….

11/01/2024

*Update:the little dog has a good potential home but the sweet husky mix girl still needs a good place to go.

This is not part of my business but I know animal lovers are part of my page so maybe you guys can help me out?

I have two doggos that need GOOD homes and would prefer they go to Veterans if possible.

The good girl in the left is 8 year old lab/husky mix, really sweet and just wants to be by somebody’s side all day. She’s great in a leash and loves belly rubs and cuddles. She sleeps well by herself or where ever you want her.

The good boy on the right is a Maltese-Pomeranian mix that loves attention and to be cuddled but will play too, he is about 3 years old. He will bark at you or give you kisses to go outside. He does great with other dogs but is little so he needs to be with kind/sweet or smaller dogs if there are other dogs.

Both great family dogs.

I will ask for references and I will make sure they go to a good home with someone who can take good care of them. I do not want them to go to a shelter as it’s hard enough for the families to let them go.

10/20/2024

What a GREAT event!! We are so blessed to be a part of this great day!

Downtown Dell Rapids today until 4pm!!

Come have some fun!!

10/17/2024

Something so small can mean so much and carry so much hope!

10/17/2024

I have a building again!!! 🎉It’s time to get this rec center rocking and rolling! Phase 2 of Willow Meadows Farm is about to start happening!! Where am I? Where I was six years ago, back in the old Smith publishing building 303 LaDelle Ave. in Dell Rapids South Dakota. There is an amazing amount of work to be done, but I am so ready!

10/11/2024

This year has been a lot.

To say that I have been shattered to my absolute core by this dream again would be a gross understatement.

I did everything. I own the land. I have run a business for three years so I have three years worth of tax returns and receipts and a past business history long enough to justify adding on to my business with the bank. I have 2 investors. I have a down payment. I’ve been in Sioux, Falls Woman Magazine and multiple media articles. I have a shop full of equipment I already purchased. I did everything and spent tens of thousands of dollars already for my building, permits, architectural designs, re-plating land, lawyers, accountants and not to mention thousands of hours of my time at this point.

I thought right now, I would have a building up and a year-round playground on our farm to offer everybody open and welcoming you all to our farm.

I was asked to do things and take risks that were scary but I did them with confidence in the people I was working with.

But, again due to NO fault of my own, I was let down I was dropped, and the proper steps were not made by other people which has resulted in me not having a bank to do loan for the building right now.

It’s too late to build this fall.

But that also means that in that we sacrificed doing farm parties this summer, and that broke my heart.

They way that will and has hurt my farm, family, customers I love and my business is unacceptable.

To everyone who thinks you know and understand what a small business owner goes through and what it takes to open a business, you have no clue. Unless you’ve actually done it, it is probably the worst and most heartbreaking experience I have gone through over and over again in my life for this dream.

Entrepreneurs are a special breed of people and maybe just a touch of insane to take the abuse and hardships we do.

People ask so many things in sheer kindness and are like:

Aren’t there grants? No. That’s not a thing.

(Unless you’re a nonprofit and you have a specific niche and in that you won’t own anything in your business and you could be voted off as a Director and immediately have zero ownership which I would never do with my farm and my animals)

Aren’t there people who help women business owners? No.

I even tried another bank who immediately told me no without even allowing the opportunity for me to talk to me because “this type of project doesn’t make sense and isn’t conventional.”

There are indoor playgrounds throughout the entire US. Literally thousands of them. I know because about 12 years ago, I printed off 22 pages worth of them to prove to a banker this was not a wild and foreign concept.

And there are agritourism farms, and pumpkin patches everywhere.

But to get someone to listen and understand is unbelievably difficult.

Up until this point every single thing that has been done for our farm has been out of our personal finances and money that belongs to my family and my four kids. Every. Single. Thing.

If I was opening a restaurant, I would have no problem getting funding, even though a massive majority of them fail, and I’ve already proven I have customers and a location, and I have already been successful with next to nothing compared to what I want to offer.

In the spirit of me never giving up, I took lemons, and I turned them into lemonade…. AFTER I screamed and said some bad words to myself in my own room and ugly, cried for a few days, and to be honest, I can’t even think about the details of it all because it makes me so angry, I can’t handle it.

Yet, I responded to the responsible party with kindness and grace even though I felt the extreme opposite emotions.

We won’t have a building on our land this year and maybe not next year either but will keep working on the land bit by bit.

I never give up.

I have stepped out of the box to find a way to keep going and growing and hopefully soon I can add another update.

Don’t ever stop.

I won’t.

I will. Watch me.

08/19/2024

Today’s farm update: planting trees!!

And no worries! Chloe and Mia donkeys and Cupcake the cow were happy to supervise and make sure we did a good job!🤣

08/15/2024

Tomorrow is a big day.

Bids are in.

Tonight I finish putting all the numbers together and get bank documents ready.

Tomorrow morning I meet with my SCORE/SBA advisor to get financial projections, break even points and total costs established.

It is time!

Time for 18 years of literal blood, sweat and tears to come together and my dream for my community to come true!

I could not be more excited or equally terrified that something will crush my dreams again but, I never stopped.

I will never stop.

I know this is what I am meant to do and….

I will.
Watch me.🎉

Address

24769 475th Avenue
Dell Rapids, SD
57022

Telephone

+16052152049

Website

http://www.willowmeadowsfarm.com/

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