Butternut Ridge Farm, located among the hills of God’s Country.

About Butternut Ridge Farm

Butternut Ridge Farm is a 280 acre farm located in Iowa. Half of the farm is forest and the other half is pasture and crop land. Along the farm’s western edge is a small, spring-fed creek that runs the length of the farm. Over the years, the farm has been home to many different types of livestock, such as 95 black-faced sheep that were sold off in 1970; 40 brown Swiss dairy cows that were sold off in 1989; chickens; ducks; geese; horses; Black Angus cattle; Hampshire, Yorkshire, and Chester White hogs; and Nubian and LaMancha dairy goats. Many different crops have been sown, such as corn, oats, barley, soybeans, alfalfa, and grass hay.

My farm is also home to a diverse population of wildlife such as bats, coyotes, raccoons, possum, deer, red wing black birds, barn swallows, downey woodpeckers, and red tailed hawks, just to name a few. In addition, there are many fruit producing trees and edible plants such as walnut trees, butternut trees, raspberries, morel mushrooms, and wild asparagus.

Although many of the original buildings still remain on the farm, others have been lost due to the ravages of time and neglect. These all-but-forgotten buildings survive now only in photographs.

The old farm buildings in 1938

The corn crib, pump house, sheep barn, and old barn in a 1938 photo. Except for the corn crib, none of these buildings survive today.

The old barn in 1938

The old barn as it existed in 1938. The farrowing house occupies the place where this barn once stood.

The old separator house

The old pump house in 2003. Sadly this building, roughly 8’ x 10’, was too badly deteriorated to salvage and was demolished in 2004.

The old outhouse

The old two-holer outhouse in 2003. The outhouse was originally North of the farmhouse at the end of a little sidewalk. The outhouse was demolished in 2004.