Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurel Fetz. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Dancing Moose Farm is the brainchild of Dan Dailey, who dreamed of creating a more sustainable lifestyle for future generations. Dan and his wife, Suzy, purchased the 17.5 acre piece of property in Huntsville, UT in 1993. The farm is home to a small herd of cattle, chickens, and pigs. Dan and his son, Addison, constructed a high tunnel for year-round gardening. In 2019, they worked together to build an off-the-grid house powered by solar at the back of the property. Recently, Dan was able to put three yurts plus a hospitality yurt on the farm for agritourism. Yurts can be rented out from April- November; with every stay comes a tour of the farm. The farm hosts classes, food trucks, and retreats. The farm is conveniently located near Causey Reservoir, Pineview Reservoir, and Snow Basin Ski Resort.
In addition to yurt rentals and classes about sustainable living, Dancing Moose Farm has launched a line of soap and body care products. These soaps and body products are handmade by Dan’s daughter-in-law, Laurel. Originally a simple hobby, these soaps have taken off in Ogden and Salt Lake City for their affordable quality with no fillers or additives. Check out our selection online at www.dancingmoosefarmut.com or visit Grounds for Coffee on Harrison Blvd for purchasing!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a ride! From building to raising chicks, it’s been a definite learning curve! Owning a farm isn’t easy, and it’s a lot of work. Our first challenge was building the high tunnel for year-round gardening. Then Addison (Dan’s son) and Dan built the off-the-grid house on the back of the property. Anyone who has built a house can tell you how much work and gray hairs it causes. On the plus side, Addison can repair anything in the house because he built it- the plumbing, electrical, the radiant floor heating- he can do it all. After building the house, Dan and Addison worked on the yurts on the front of the property- this meant obtaining permits, pouring concrete, and putting the yurts together.
Now that we have a lot of that done, most of our challenges lie in yearly repairs and on going projects on the farm. We had a well, but didn’t have water lines out to where we needed them to water the animals. Digging water lines was our big project this year. Addison enclosed and finished the high tunnel completely this spring and we were able to have our first garden in it. This is a big deal because our growing season here is short, and the deer are rampant. Having an enclosed space to grow is huge! Laurel incubates and raises chicks from our eggs here on the farm, so we have a sustainable source of eggs and free range chickens. We built a chicken tractor this spring (a mobile pen that can move through the fields) so that the chickens can eat safely off the land. Other ongoing projects include paddle board purchases and maintenance for rentals, fencing repairs, and, hopefully next year, rotational grazing for our cattle.
The hard thing about farming is that it’s fragile, meaning that sometimes, you can lose an entire crop or flock if something goes wrong. For instance, we had hawks that went after our pullets, and we had a raccoon wipe out our ducks one year. If one raccoon gets into the chicken coop, there goes our entire egg production and we would have to start over. Farming is incredibly rewarding but it’s not without a lot of risks. Attention to detail is key, as well as planning, and anticipating the needs of the farm and animals.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Dancing Moose Farm?
Dancing Moose Farm is known for its beautiful location, yurt rentals, farm education, and body care products. We are a small, local farm that is focusing on sustainable living and education. Our goal is to help others learn about how to care for themselves and their community with environmentally friendly options. The house on the farm is a wonderful representation of that goal- an off-the-grid, straw-bale house built by Dan and Addison.
What sets us apart from others is the feeling of community here- you can always find Dan here, willing to show off his dream and teach about what he’s learned. From the high tunnel to the earth ship chicken coop (a chicken coop made with recycled materials), there’s to learn about how to create a sustainable lifestyle.
Another thing that sets us apart is the yurts- a wonderful opportunity to take a step back from life and just be present in nature. You can see all the stars on a clear night. There’s no excess noise or light. It’s the perfect retreat into nature in a prime location for hiking, paddle boarding, skiing, biking, and boating. Yurt rentals come with a farm tour so people can learn about the farm and what we’ve learned. We’re proud to also offer classes, such as yoga retreats and farm to table dinners, to showcase local talent.
Our yurts are reasonably priced and we have bathrooms available (no pit toilets here!). Bookings are available online from April- November. You can book single yurts which sleep up to 6 adults, or book the entire facility- we hosted our first wedding this summer and it was absolutely gorgeous! For those interested in hosting a class here, you can contact us on our website to discuss options and accommodations. We would be more than happy to help!
Our soaps and body care products are also a source of pride for us as they are environmentally friendly and affordable. Our goal was to make products that were high quality, but not high price. In addition, we wanted to ensure that our products weren’t made with unnecessary fillers or preservatives. We carry soaps, body scrubs, body butters, and candles. We also recently got our first CBD products approved by the Utah Department of Agriculture, which is very exciting! For purchasing, visit us on dancingmoosefarmut.com or visit Grounds for Coffee on Harrison Blvd in Ogden.
What matters most to you? Why?
For the farm, what matters most to us is time. Both Addison and Laurel work in healthcare, and that has given a lot of perspective on what really matters in life. We use the time that we have to create the lifestyle that we want- a sustainable, challenging, and rewarding endeavor. We hope to share what we have learned with others so that they can create the life that they find joy in.
Pricing:
- Weekday yurt rental: $100/Weekend: $130
- Soap: $6
- Body Butters: $17
- Hand poured candles: $18
- 200mg Broad Spectrum Lavender CBD Salve Sticks: $30
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dancingmoosefarmut.com
- Instagram: @dancingmoosefarm
- Facebook: Dancing Moose Farm
Image Credits
Lou Samantha (@samanthalovelouise)
