If you’d told Sandy Ross and Martin Caruana 10 years ago that they’d be raising pigs, hosting agate-hunting tours, and debating the finer points of chicken feed, they probably would have laughed and gone back to the bustle of suburban Detroit traffic. But, as for most of us, the pandemic really shook things up. Fast forward to today, they’re truly living their best life on their 540-acre farm in Estill County, Kentucky.
Living most of their lives in Michigan, their lives had nothing to do with farming. Shortly after getting married in 2015, Sandy shared her lifelong dream to have horses— a complete surprise to Martin. Along came Splash and Millie in 2018. This led to teaching Martin how to ride and lots of camping adventures with the horses, which provided a great escape early in the pandemic. In early 2021, on a total whim, Sandy mentioned looking at property further south — another complete surprise to Martin! The acreage in Estill County came up and they were almost immediately sold.
For anyone who hasn’t been to Estill County before, its scenes are perfectly captured by the county tourism motto: ‘Where the Bluegrass Kisses the Mountains.’ It’s hard not to fall in love with its idyllic mix of hills and valleys. By June, they were on the farm and there was no looking back.
When I asked Sandy and Martin if they’d done any research on Kentucky, they laughed and said: “None.” When I asked if they had any farming experience, they again laughed and said: “None.” However, it’s easy to see when you talk with them that they are the ‘figure it out’ type. Martin, who described Sandy as ‘fearless,’ loves animals and tinkering with machines. This combination makes them a good pair to take a piece of land and a farmhouse that had been sitting empty for five years and completely transform it.
Almost immediately after their move, animals also started to move in.
Because they are both true animal lovers and they wanted to raise livestock primarily on pasture, they researched each breed carefully, choosing the ones with the gentlest dispositions, smaller size and delicious meat — and, of course, the cuteness factor! They choose Idaho Pasture Pigs, Scottish Highland cattle, Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy goats, and a variety of chickens for meat and eggs. They also added their beloved Great Pyrenees and miniature donkeys to guard the farm. There has been a lot of work to reclaim the land and bring it up to date to handle the animals. They have replaced all the fencing and added new pastures, built shelters and installed automatic waterers.
One of their goals for their property was to share the beauty of the land and the farming experience. The farm came with a beautiful old farmhouse and a quaint, rustic cabin. They also constructed a new cabin. All of which are available for short-term rentals. Sandy and Martin now live in another house on the property that they were able to acquire and renovate.
Guests are able to explore the farm, creeks and miles of hiking trails. For a more hands-on experience, they also offer farm tours and guided geode and agate tours to uncover hidden treasures along the creek banks (Estill County is one of just six counties in Kentucky where you can find agate with dark red and black bands). Not to mention, guests can enjoy delicious eggs and sausage for breakfast or some of Red Haven Farm’s brats on the grill.
They sell their pasture and humanely raised meat locally at the Berea Farmer’s Market and off the farm, as well as offering delivery and subscription boxes. They also recently began working with other local artisans to include sourdough bread, cheese, kombucha, and jellies as delicious add-ons with more surprises to come.
The Mountain Association is proud to have worked with Sandy and Martin to support some of these projects with affordable financing. We also supported them with consulting from Jessica Holly Creative who helped polish up their branding and further develop their marketing strategy.
So, whether you’re looking for a peaceful getaway, a deep dive into farm life, or just really cool rocks and really good bacon— Red Haven Farm has you covered.
We hope you’ll check them out here: https://www.redhavenky.com/
