FAST FIVE Stephenie Kimener: Life is better in the country
Meet Stephenie Kimener of Long Mountain Meadows.
She is a doting wife to Brian and mother to five wonderful children: Christopher, Timothy, Josephine, Benjamin and Gabriel. She is a self-proclaimed mediocre housewife who runs two businesses and homeschools her children. She prefers to be outside with her family and animals while neglecting her household duties, which she admits her husband is way better at doing anyway. She and her husband feel as though they have found their own little slice of Heaven at the base of Long Mountain where the valley opens up to several waterways and meadows. She loves her highland cows, horses, dogs and various other farm animals. She gives God all the glory for the many blessings in her life.
1) What is Long Mountain Meadows all about?
Long Mountain Meadows is our small working family farm and homestead. Most people would be surprised to learn that we are pretty private and reserved. But, our love for Highland cows and their increasing popularity lead us to open our gates and share our cows with others. We love to give folks an unforgettable experience with our fluffy cows and other adorable animals since we share the same enthusiasm people have for these impressive creatures.
You can find us every Friday, May through September, at the Athol Farmers Market from 2:30-6:30 p.m. with our petting zoo, popsicles and photo ops. We also book events, birthdays and petting zoos on or off our farm as well as photo shoots with many amazing photographers. We do a fun cow kissing booth event in February and a harvest event in the fall. Give us a follow on Facebook and Instagram. In order to maintain our private lifestyle, we are open by appointment or booking only. Visit longmountainmeadows.com for details.
2) What are Scottish Highland cattle and what are their personalities like?
Scottish Highland cows are an ancient breed of cattle that have adapted to the harsh climate and terrain of the Scottish Highlands. They are well adapted to the cold climate here in North Idaho and are a hardy and healthy breed with fantastic maternal instincts. They are also known for their docile temperaments and their iconic fluffy coats and long horns, which is why we love working with them as young calves. We also milk our cows and while they aren’t considered a milk cow they give us plenty of milk to keep our family of seven in milk. I also make and sell a delicious “Strawberries n’ Highland Cream Popsicle” with some of our cows’ milk at the Athol Farmers Market.
3) What do you enjoy most about living the agricultural lifestyle?
There is nothing better than seeing a new baby born on our farm. I delight in seeing my children bond with and run and play with our animals while simultaneously learning responsibility and care for them. I also love learning and working with the land side by side with my husband. When we first moved to our property it was overgrown with knapweed. Instead of buying a tractor and tiller like any logical person might do, I found four beautiful Highland heifers and brought them home. They got out the first day and we didn’t see them for a week! I guess we needed them to let us know that our fencing was less than adequate. After learning a lot and gleaning help and wisdom from neighbors and family, we were able to get our fencing to be more than adequate and wrangle those girls back in. Since then, we’ve been able to rotate our cows on our five different pastures. Where knapweed once grew, we are now seeing beautiful grass on our pastures without sowing a single seed. We’ve seen a massive transformation just by our cows and horses grazing, trampling and fertilizing our fields.
4) What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I’m an introvert who has purposely chosen to put myself “out there.” So, if we have an awkward conversation and a chuckle then we’d totally get along. I also love my Labs! I have been breeding Labrador retrievers for 14 years and have nine dogs!
5) What tips do you have for city slickers who want to become farmers or ranchers?
Don’t hesitate for one second. If this is a dream of yours, like it is ours, do it! Make it happen at all costs. Be ready for the hardest and most rewarding work. The animals will get out and the weeds will grow. That’ll teach you more than you could ever know from a book. Farmers and ranchers are a dying breed and more people need to find the same grit and gumption deep within that our ancestors had. Buckle that belt and get ‘er done!
