Organic farm that doubles as animal haven now an actual sanctuary

When people feel connected to people or places, they want to help.

Add in a few random animals with more personality than most of us can muster, and that desire to give back gets even stronger.

That’s what Jeff and Nancy Kirstein have found at the small organic farm outside of Lennox. The Good Earth Farm has long been known for providing community-supported agriculture shares, pizza nights in the renovated barn and, most recently, rental space for weddings and parties.

In the background has been the menagerie the Kirsteins have collected – first with T-Bone, a steer, and then slowly adding everything from two donkeys – Maria and Rita – to pigs, ducks, a miniature horse named Rex and a now adult doe named Pearl and her shy fawn.

“We’ve been doing all of these things, but putting a name to them has helped me focus the energies and gives people a clearer understanding of what we do here,” Nancy Kirstein said.

She’s talking about the Good Earth Farm Animal Sanctuary, the 501(c)3 nonprofit they recently formed to help guide not only the work they do but also provide structure and purpose for those who want to help.

The sanctuary and its six-member board began in earnest in January.

“It’s just something we’ve been doing, but we get asked all the time. If somebody calls and wants us to take their ducks, we’ve always taken them, but we do get requests for larger animals, and we just haven’t had the infrastructure and ability to take them in,” Kirstein said. “That’s where I started thinking about the nonprofit status. People were asking, how can I help or donate or contribute to these animals?”

The nonprofit allows them to collect and solicit donations and volunteers and have a clear purpose and structure in place.

She estimates it costs about $1,500 per year to care for a healthy animal. “They can graze most of the year, and we can hay and so some of their food is taken care of, but there are farrier bills and vet bills,” Kirstein said, noting that costs skyrocket for a sick animal. “These are things we need to consider. Do we have the ability to care for the animals? The infrastructure? What does that care look like? They are going to live here until they die.”

A miniature donkey, for example, can live for 25 years. T-bone the steer is 12, and the pigs are 7 and 8.

“When you start thinking about that, it becomes a big commitment,” Kirstein said. Right now, they have seven large animals, nine cats, five ducks, three geese and 15 chickens.

“Our current animals are the foundation of our sanctuary,” she said.

The most recent addition is Princess Buttercup, a piglet that was part of a litter from an FFA project. Buttercup was the runt and has a little growth on her belly, so she isn’t a great show pig, Kirstein said.

“The forming of the nonprofit helps me feel better about asking for help,” she said. “People want to help, and we want to help these animals live their best lives.”

They anticipate some changes, including converting their old garage into a chicken coop to make room for more animals. The overall sanctuary capacity depends on space, finances and balancing the types of animals already there.

They already know they have two more pigs coming and a few more goats.

The board consists of Jeff Kirstein, Natalie Kaufman Stamp, Beth Meyer, Tim Losch, Lisa Richards and Tom Parker. Kirstein said the board is comprised of the people who know them the best, and whom they trust the most to help guide them.

Stamp met the Kirsteins when they were neighbors in northeast Sioux Falls in 2006.

“They treat animals as if they were their children, that same nurturing and attention,” Stamp said. “They have a pig in their living room right now. I’ve walked into that living room and there have been boxes of baby chicks, a baby deer, a piglet. They’re treated like an extension of their family.”

Stamp sees the nonprofit as a positive step.

“I feel honored that she asked and that she trusts me in this capacity,” Stamp said. “I think they know I have their back, and I want what’s best for the farm, what’s best for Jeff and Nancy, their business and the animals.”

The nonprofit provides a means for them to continue to care for animals, and Stamp sees her role as helping ask the right questions.

“I think we have a great board,” Stamp said, noting the passion the Kirsteins bring to the sanctuary is catchy. “There’s not much of anything we wouldn’t do for Jeff and Nancy.”

She notes that it’s more than cost – it’s a huge time commitment, too, to dedicate your life to caring for these animals. One of the first steps for the board is to determine guidelines around accepting animals for the sanctuary.

“We want to take care of the animals we have in a way that’s responsible,” Kirstein said.

There will be opportunities for others to get involved too.

“If you have it in your heart to volunteer out there, I’m sure that will be a thing as they grow,” Stamp said. “When you see the way their animals are treated, you know you need to be part of this.”