On that farm, Carl, a 1-year-old Highland steer, lives with various other animals, including Bacon and Sizzle, 6-month-old Kunekune pigs; roosters Frank, Fred and Fernando; other Highland cattle — Rosie, Lily and Poppy; and the sheep — Velvet, Bully and Charlie. There also are a multitude of chickens and ducks. All of the animals are pets.

The Brooks offer those who visit their farm the opportunity to interact with the animals, both directly by being in the pen with them for a cuddle-not so much for the chickens and ducks- and also by watching them as they live out their lives in this peaceful, pastoral setting.

Matt is proud of the fact that his family has lived on the land where their farm is located since the 1930’s and that he gets to carry on that tradition with his wife and their children.

Although a hobby farm is not classified as a working farm, which would be the owner’s sole source of income, there is still a lot of work involved in the operation, which the Brooks have approached creatively together.

“When we do our hobby farm experience, we usually let people pick where they want to begin,” said Carolyn.

“This corral is set up here,” she said, pointing to a nearby enclosure. “The sheep will come in if people are comfortable with that and they get to be hands-on and brush them and snuggle them, and then the Highlands surround the corral for treats, scratches and brushing.”

For an added fee, Carl, the youngest Highland, will be taken outside the pasture, haltered and tied to a wagon or a trailer for photo opportunities. There is also a cow therapy pen where people can choose to cuddle Carl.

The idea to turn their homestead into a hobby farm came to the Brooks about a year after they had moved into their home.

“I think it was just that our friends had enjoyed coming up,” Matt said, so they thought maybe other people would like to do that too.

The Brooks also operate an Airbnb nearby and they would invite the guests staying there to visit the animals.

“Most come from the city, so just all of it is super exciting for them. Even getting veggies and things from our garden that we share with them is super exciting,” Carolyn said.

“So that’s kind of where it started — seeing how excited they were. Like he (Matt) said, even our friends or neighbors would ask to come give treats or brush, because we post pictures. That’s when we were like we should maybe make some money — do something with it,” she said.

Offering the animals as therapy, either in a hands-on setting or just watching them in the pasture, came from Carolyn’s own experiences with the animals.

“It’s so therapeutic for me. There’s a spot halfway up the hill there that I can walk the sheep and cows up. They’ll follow me and they just kind of all drop one at a time and start chewing their cud when they’re in like a comfy cozy place. They feel content. That’s when they chew their cud and then I get to take turns snuggling them,” she said.

Sometimes she and Matt have what they call a “pasture date.”

“We come out, especially in the summer, and we’ll sit at the very top of the hill and just watch them graze and even if you’re not with them but you’re watching, it’s therapeutic,” Carolyn said.

With six children, five still at home, Matt said things can get stressful.

“This has just been great for her,” he said, “especially being able to just come out to de-stress.”

And the people who visit the homestead also love it, according to the feedback the couple is getting.

“I’m coming back. We hear that just so often. Even with our hobby farm experience, like, ‘oh, we’ll be back,” or they tell their friends — that happens a lot — and then we’ll get another booking,” Carolyn said.

Carl can also be booked for events such as weddings since he is halter-trained. The other Highlands are not. And of course, all the animals are available for photo opportunities

The couple are also looking to the future with plans to expand the hobby farm experience for visitors.

Pointing to a row of trees along the upper field, Carolyn said, “that’s also coming down. We bought an old red truck and the back of the truck will be similar to this wagon with a wood platform. That will also double as a picnic area as in blanket style and our date night area.”

“So they get to enjoy the hobby farm and then have the space to kind of go off and have some privacy and not have us lurking because typically if you’re with our animals, we’re going to be right there,” she said.

There is also a she-shed on the property that is available for date nights and an old school bus that they want to remodel to display some of the merchandise that they have and to also offer craft sessions.

The trees that Carolyn said would be cut will not go to waste, though. The one enclosure for the animals has fencing that Matt made with lumber that he had milled from trees on the property.

Family is very important to the couple and their children also help with the animals, which the couple feels teaches them responsibility. Their 16-year-old son Dominic is in charge of the chickens and gathers the eggs for sale.

For his wife, though, meeting people is probably one of the greatest perks of their enterprise, Matt said.

“Carolyn very much loves to host. Loves to serve people and so this has really been enjoyable,” he said.

“We had a young couple who stayed at our Airbnb from Brooklyn or Manhattan and had never been around a farm animal. They came up and they just fell in love with it,” Matt said.

“We had one couple last summer and she was just loving our fresh produce from the garden but they came up and she kept talking about it and I said go pick some. For her to pick out of a garden, she had never even done that and she was just ‘this has been my childhood dream,” Carolyn shared.

“It’s funny the things that we take for granted. I feel like we don’t even know. We’re pretty grateful and I think we just appreciate what we have. But it’s just amazing what some people get excited over because they’ve never experienced it,” she said.

To share the experience at the Brooks Homestead, contact them online at brookshomesteadllc.com or telephone: 570-447-4902.