Episode 7 of season two launched with our first guest, Leigh Spencer. She is the Director of Education for the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  Leigh shares some hilarious stories with us (did you know that baby alligators cry for mom just like a human baby?) and how the skills zookeepers use every day to keep their animals happy and healthy might have more human"animal" implications than we ever realized.

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

Eliza and Heather explore the topic of friends...for sheep, for cows and for humans and what it really means to "make the best life possible" for any species.

Oh, and the fog calendar. ;)

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

It's midwinter on the prairie and that can only mean one thing: Lambnesia is back.  No matter how weary, how stressed, how "done" they feel after a lambing season, it's only a matter of time before Heather and Eliza are struck by its force again...and all the illogic that goes with it.  Couple that with perusing garden seed catalogs and thinking about baby chicks and farm people everywhere are busy prescribing themselves a busy summer of work.

Why do we do that?

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

Eliza and Heather discuss Temple Grandin's concept of "seeking behavior" in animals and humans and how that applies to both their horses and their cell phone use.  They also give their "luke warm take" on how doing farm and ranch chores every day may not be fun, but does bring a deeper satisfaction that maybe many are looking for in their lives.

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

Whether is applies to horse training, child-rearing or self-care, embracing our uniqueness smooths the path for all.  Eliza and Heather dive into how an individual approach has the potential to help both broken horses and broken people.

We also somehow get sidetracked talking about cow rumens and the similarities to 5th graders when presented with processed, sugary snacks (mmmm....grain!).

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

"Mastering Your Fears" takes on a slightly different connotation when you live with livestock and their sidekicks, the farm dogs.  Eliza and Heather swap stories of how working with animals might create that monthly/daily/weekly adrenaline rush we never knew we really needed.

Also in this episode "Showdown at the Laughlin Corral" and the fun farm game "Whose Leg is This?" which is a companion farm to "Dead or Napping?"

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

Eliza Blue and Heather Benson are back for season 2 of their podcast.  This time with a new name and a small twist...join them as they connect the vagaries of farm life with their stories of personal growth.  

Episode one of the first season includes the convoluted pathway we connect manure to mindfulness (it makes sense, really!) and why neither of us intend to raise meat chickens again.

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

It's March and in the Dakotas, that means you think spring should be just around the corner but the cold, snow and wind make that patently untrue and oh so disheartening.  Eliza and Heather dissect the cause of their March malaise, newly termed "Stacking Bales Syndrome".

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

The therapy that is podcasting bring about some deep questions about which parts of farm life "spark joy" for Eliza and Heather.  Which sheep will make the cut?  This and more in the 6th episode of the Home Farm Journal podcast!

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!

Heather reveals who on her farm is internationally famous and both Eliza and Heather lament the fact their lack of cheese wizardry.

Follow Heather Benson on her farm page on Facebook and Instagram at Dalarna Farm.

Follow Eliza Blue at Eliza Blue on Facebook and Instagram and buy her first book, Accidental Rancher, on Amazon!