Near the beautiful 1000 Lakes, Stan and Sharon Horning are first-generation dairy farmers though they’ve been at it now for more than a quarter century. They moved from Pennsylvania where Stan grew up in a strong farming community. As a kid, he loved visiting and helping out on his grandfather’s farm in Lancaster, PA. Then, as a young man, he started working on his uncle’s farm after working for a few years in construction.
Stan and Sharon co-own the farm with their son Derek and his wife Beth. Stan and Derek handle the majority of the field work on the farm’s 200 tillable acres in addition to the morning milking. “We love the farm life,” says Stan. “There isn’t much I find more rewarding than seeing our animals and crops grow, responding to the care we give them. While there’s a lot of hard work and stress that come with the job, seeing what comes from your labor makes it all worthwhile.”
The Hornings also host guests with the warmth and generosity—as their farm name promises—of your country cousins. Children and adults alike love the peace and nature of the farm. They can feed a newborn calf, cuddle with kittens, play with the farm dog, take a hayride, milk a cow, throw hay bales, or help garden. There will also be time to sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee, walk on one of many trails, or play old-fashioned board games. Wrap up your days with delicious, filling, homecooked meals made by Sharon. Nothing’s sweeter than a slice of homemade cake or pie on the porch watching fireflies dance over the fields to a symphony of cows mooing contentedly in the barn.
Pull up a chair and stay a while at Country Cousins Farm bed and breakfast!