ļ»æEpisode 53 - Lil' Bit of Life
ā[00:00:00]
Christa Hein: Hey there, welcome to the Farm Educatorās Roadmap. I'm Christa Hein, former nonprofit girl turned farm education entrepreneur. I've spent the last 30 years creating hands-on programs that connect people to the land animals, and the traditions that nourish our daily lives.
If you're listening, you probably believe what I do, that farm education is needed now more than ever. Not just on rural farms, but in suburbs, cities, and everywhere in between. In this podcast, you'll hear real stories and practical advice from farm educators all across the country. People who are creating change through their programs in creative and inspiring ways.
Whether you're dreaming about starting your first program, are already knee deep in your own farm education work or are just curious about how others are impacting their communities through farm education, you're in the right place. [00:01:00] Let's dig in.
Christa Hein: Welcome back to another episode of The Farm Educator's Roadmap. One of my favorite things about hosting this show is discovering just how many different paths people take into farm education. Some guests knew from the time they were kids that they wanted to teach on a farm. Others found their way to farm education one opportunity at a time.
Today's guest definitely falls into that second category. For more than 30 years, Tracey Rinehart worked in the insurance industry before eventually making the transition into farm education full time. And what's interesting is that none of it started with a business plan. It started with an eight-year-old daughter and one horse.
Today, Tracey is the founder of Lil' Bit of Life, a five-acre educational farm in Mount Dora, Florida, where families can experience everything from farm school and field trips to 4H pony programs, camps, and traveling farm [00:02:00] visits that bring animals out into the community. Tracey, welcome to the show.
Tracey Rinehart: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Christa Hein: Absolutely. So, before we talk about the farm itself, I'd love to start with you. What did life look like for your family before Lilā Bit of Life?
Tracey Rinehart: We lived in a subdivision, a small subdivision in Apopka, Bear Crossings. And each week, it's the same routine. You drive your children to school, you come home, you get yourself ready, you go to work, you come home, make dinner, do chores, do yard work. You have the perfect little home. You have the perfect little yard. You have the perfect little setup. Your house has to be dust-free, hair-free, it just doesn't look lived in because you want everyone to see the perfect vision of what a family should look like in that type of element.
I didn't grow up that way. I grew up in a very rural area in Martinsville, Indiana. [00:03:00] And our home, although it was very well kept by my mom, my enjoyment was being outside, being with my animals.
Then our youngest daughter decided that subdivision life wasn't for her. I would sit and watch her struggle with her friendships and being in a subdivision. She didn't want to ride her bike, didn't want to rollerblade like other kids did. So, one thing led to another, her and her dad, without me knowing, were actually searching for a horse.
So, I grew up with horses, and it's a lot of work. It's a lot of maintenance and a lot of time that with two people working and a young lady that is in school, we didn't have a place to keep the horse, so we had to board her.
Christa Hein: So, every farm has an origin story, and I heard yours begins with your daughter, who was eight at the time, who apparently knew how to negotiate better than most adults. Can you tell us that story of buying that very first horse and how that [00:04:00] eventually led to you buying five acres?
Tracey Rinehart: So, after I came home from work, I go to my computer and there is an email from a lady that says yes, she will accept our offer. And I asked my husband, and he said, "I didn't do that." I said, āWe now have a horse for $2,400." And he laughed and went to her, and sure enough, she was negotiating back and forth with the lady in an email from a $4,500 horse down to $2,400, because our budget was less than 2,500 for that animal, which, again, was something I wasn't aware of.
So, we ended up boarding this sweet big girl. And in the meantime, both of us getting tired of our late night trips to the boarding facility and taking care of her, Rod and I both started looking for property. And how in the world he found this place we still don't [00:05:00] know.
So that's how we got Godiva. And she's still here, and she is now 28 years old.
Christa Hein: Wow. And what that shows for your daughter, like, "No, I'm ready for this responsibility. I'm even going to negotiate this sale all by myself."
Tracey Rinehart: Yes. Very much she is a child who definitely knows what she wants and goes for it.
Christa Hein: So, I think an interesting part is that you bought the farm, but you hadn't still planned to become a farm educator. So how did farm education first find its way into your life?
Tracey Rinehart: Sitting at a desk with four monitors in the insurance world, I would just sit and just research different ways that I could make the property something that Rod and I would have when we retired later. It took me a while. Probably a good 10 years of daydreaming. And I started just putting down on paperā¦ birthday parties are kind of how I went. I [00:06:00] wanted to share the farm with kids and have birthday parties.
And the economy started to go down, and then by 2009 I ended up with five little miniature horses that people just needed to find a new home for because they didn't have the means to care for them. And my husband asked me, "What are you going to do with these little horses?" And I said, āIām going to be a 4H leader. I want to use the horses and I want to learn more about them as well, and I want to be more involved."
So that's how it started, and I became a 4H leader at that point, and still continued to work. I did little miniature camps for these 4H kids. On my holidays or days off that I had, I used them to host camp. And it just became more and more.
And one day, a lady stopped me and asked me if I could sit down and have a meeting with her. And we did. And she said, "I want you to teach my [00:07:00] children. I want you to teach them farm." And I said, "Farm?" "I want you to teach them how to be a farmer." I said, " How do I do that?" And she said, "Just by what you do right now." And that's been nine years ago.
So, I went to work, and of course my current job decided that wasn't something that I could do, so they didn't give me any days off to do it. So, I chose another position, and this insurance agency was more than willing to give me this opportunity because they saw the vision. And I took a Tuesday, and I filled it. And then that Tuesday became a Friday, and then that's how it all started.
So, then COVID hit, and I just couldn't keep up. We had so much going on with horse camp, and I was very determined. Again, I think that's where our daughter gets it from. I was very determined that this was what I wanted to do. I didn't want to go back to a desk situation [00:08:00] again and just sit. I sat for eight to 10 hours a day, and that was my world. So, I took the big leap!
The day gets long, but is it worth it? Oh, heaven, yes. I wouldn't trade one ounce of what I do.
Christa Hein: So, for someone who's never visited, can you paint us a picture of what the farm looks like, and what kind of experiences are happening there throughout the week?
Tracey Rinehart: It's literally my paradise. We often get told by numerous people that it reminds them of when they drive to the country because of the hills and the slope. It's a lot of luscious trees. We are truly blessed with a lot of shade. The parking area is very luscious and very shaded back there as well. And then you just meander your way up through the goats area, and you get to see the goats and our donkey.
And I've done my best. I want it to look like a garden oasis. To me, between the animals and a beautiful garden with luscious [00:09:00] green and lots of flowers, it just takes away a bad day.
But as for the programs we offer, we have our farm school days from 10:00 to 3:00. Those children come, and they are the little farmers. It's actually a lot of fun for me to see them come on up. And they're so excited to get to visit their animal that they haven't seen all week, or animals, they have so many.
We set a list on a chalkboard that gives them their daily chores, or if there's something that they noticed on their walk up. Which is really nice. That shows me a lot that they're watching and they're learning animal behavior. If someone's bucket is relatively low or they see something that's out of the norm.
Then, the afternoon we spend a little game playing, or they'll go out and they help me paint something, or they want to do a craft. I kind of let them set the pace in the afternoon. It's not all about coming here and working. It's about enjoying the animals. Sometimes they just want to give a horse a [00:10:00] bath. Sometimes they want to brush and groom.
Popsicle time is our favorite right now with the heat, so 2:30 to 3:00, they would grab a popsicle and go hang out with their favorite animal. That's what farm school is all about. Yes, they want to learn, but also in the same sense, it's about building those relationships.
Christa Hein: And so, are those mostly homeschoolers?
Tracey Rinehart: Those are all homeschoolers. I haven't done one after school, because there's so many kids that are in school that have extracurricular activities. It can be hit or miss whether it is a good night or just a really slow night. So, I kind of just did away with that because we do have so many other programs, especially the Pony Pal program, that coincides with that.
So as soon as farm school's over, we have individual private lessons for beginners. And then Pony Pal starts, which is a group riding lesson, and the kids come and we teach them all the basics [00:11:00] that comes with horse care, too. You're going to go get your horse. You're going to groom your horse. You're going to tack their horse up from the ground up.
We've seen so many children that come here from other riding facilities that have no idea how to lead a horse, put a halter on. They don't know how to tack up; it's already done for them for the most part. That's super important to me. I don't feel a child should be on a horse's back unless they learn from the ground up. If they don't feel confident walking them, I don't feel they should be confident on their back.
And then birthday parties. Birthday parties we shut down in the summer. There's a good reason for that. It's hard with the heat, the bugs, the rain. This year we didn't have much rain, so that wouldn't have been a problem, but the heat is. It's brutal. And to me, their experience is important and watching everyone sweat and be miserable is definitely not a good experience for me.
So, we've done a couple, and they've been good sports in August. [00:12:00] So they should start picking up here soon. We tailor the birthday parties to them. They pick what they want. I kind of go with their flow, and they pretty much rent the farm for two hours, and it's a private party.
Christa Hein: I want to remind listeners that Tracey's based in Florida, so the heat is a real issue because she's in one of the hottest places here in the country.
Tracey Rinehart: It is. It's brutal. That is the element. The elements can really be bad, especially if it's hurricane season. The one year we had the hurricanes come through, we didnāt have farm school, so we suffer for that.
Christa Hein: I want to ask you about your field trips. So, who usually comes to those? Are those geared towards school groups or the general public? And then, how are those different?
Tracey Rinehart: Yes, they are geared towards schools and preschools, daycares. Those are usually the summer. The big schools, we get a lot of nice big schools, like, we have Lake Highland Prep coming in November. They come [00:13:00] with their families and their children. That's their big field trip.
We have paint-a-pumpkin for them. They do pony rides. They do a craft. We do snow cones, cotton candy. They purchase pumpkins from us. We have a big event with Socktober and canned goods. So, when they come, they are well aware of whatever our event is that we are fundraising for, and they bring so much. It's quite an experience for everyone, including ourselves, and again, that is their private field trip. We don't have other guests here during that time, and I want to keep it that way.
Christa Hein: Yeah. So, I noticed that your website mentioned you've become an approved provider for Step Up For Students. For listeners outside of Florida who may not be familiar with that program, what does that make possible for families?
Tracey Rinehart: It provides them where they do not have to come out of pocket. So, it's like a big [00:14:00] scholarship that they offer to homeschool families. And each child is given a certain amount of money, and that money is distributed into their funds to use as they are schooled throughout the year.
We have always been a vendor for Step Up since the day we started which has been amazing. And the parents pay us, and then they turn in their registration and their invoice, and then they are reimbursed.
However, the Step Up program, with all the fees and everything in the world that has gone outrageously expensive, it's a lot harder for parents to be able to afford out of pocket and wait for reimbursement. So, for families to be able to log into their child's account and be able to pay for their schooling and their trips to the farm, which pays for their pony pals, their farm school, and their private lessons, because it's all considered [00:15:00] educational.
It just a lot of relief for those parents. And I'm happy to be able to offer that, even though it adds a little more work on my side, that's okay.
Christa Hein: So not every family that experiences the farm comes to your farm. You also go to them. So, I'd love to hear about your traveling farm. How did that idea get started, and what kind of places are inviting you to bring the animals to them?
Tracey Rinehart: We started as a 4H group. We were at Tractor Supply, and a lady just happened to be racing into the store and came out and she said, "Oh my gosh, the people that were supposed to come to the assisted living facility backed out. I know you've been here all day, but would you guys be able to stop by and be our petting farm?" And of course, the kids are all like, āyes!" So that's how it started.
So, we went and we were their petting farm. And that was one of our fun visits. [00:16:00] Another one that absolutely melted my heart was we visited a facility, this lady has long since passed. At the time, she was in her 90s and we took our little horse there, and she just started to cry when we tried to pull the horse away. And as we all left, I just kept all this in my head and I'm like, "This is just the way it needs to be."
So, we did it for a while with us taking the 4H kids. And then it became Rod and I taking days off of work and doing it because not all of them want them on the weekends, which is the only time my 4H kids at that time could actually do it. Since then, we frequent schools. We love the educational opportunity behind it. I'm not one that I allow the kids to just sit and feed them. I want to teach them something.
Hand feeding is not my favorite thing, as anyone that comes to the farm knows. It's not healthy for the animals to be [00:17:00] hand fed by other people. They get a basic diet and that's sufficient. And you're also teaching your animals to be aggressive, and we don't want to be that farm. We want to be that farm that actually lets you interact with the animals in a healthy manner where the animals are respecting you and you're respecting them.
Christa Hein: Can you walk us behind the scenes a little for that program? Which animals travel with you, and what does that day look like from loading up, how do you transport them, and how do you keep them when you're there?
Tracey Rinehart: It's a long day, especially in the heat with the summer field trips. We usually take our llama if it's not too hot for him. I want them happy and healthy.
Most of our animals that travel are always Cole, our donkey. He's our mini donkey. He goes everywhere with us, and a mini horse, sometimes two mini horses, depending on the size. I bring a dress-up trunk, and I let the kids brush, groom, and [00:18:00] dress up the animals. The animals that I bring are the ones that absolutely love the attention and don't mind all the noise and the chaos.
We also bring little animals that we have. So, if we have silky chickens, we'll bring them. I don't let the kids in with them. I want to hold them myself, and I want to tell the kids about them. I don't want to get their feces on them, because they're going back into their homes or their schools and things like that. So, it's important to me that they stay as safe as I can keep them.
And we'll bring a guinea pig. We'll bring the mini pigs. We bring baby cows if we have them. We do get a couple of bottle babies in spring and fall that Mr. Vogel will loan me. So I get to use them for educational purposes, and the kids get to experience the bottle feeding. It's a huge hit around here. And any animal that can fit in the trailer, basically, will come with us for the most part.
And as [00:19:00] we corral them in little pens, they're very accustomed to them, and they don't mind. I like to keep the kids from being able to be stepped on. It keeps the animal safe, and it makes the animal feel like it's secure. So, the children kind of go around the pen, and they can brush and groom. And again, we stand on the inside of the pen if we're holding a rabbit for them to pet or a guinea pig or a chicken so that the animal feels safe, but yet the kid is getting to interact with that animal.
And the llama, we just hold llama. Zeus is probably the best thing that we ever added. He is such a people animal. He has been with us since he was four months old, so now he's two, and he's the greatest.
Christa Hein: Nice. So, you have mentioned that things really started with 4-H. So, you've led the GRITS 4-H Club since 2009. How has 4-H become part of the overall mission of Lilā Bit of Life?
Tracey Rinehart: It's super [00:20:00] important to me. I was a kid that was terrified of public speaking or getting up in class, and I have seen firsthand numerous times the difference that 4-H makes, the farm makes. They all coincide. I never got to see a mini horse when I was a kid until I was an adult. I didn't even know mini horses existed. I can't even imagine what today's future is going to hold for children with cows or horses or pigs. The ag aspect behind it is very important that it continues, and as much as it exhausts me, 4-H and the fair are probably two of the most important things that kids get to experience.
And public speaking is super hard, and if you have that outgoing child, kudos to you. But the children who are soft-spoken and hard to get to be able to feel confident enough to stand up in public, [00:21:00] and do public speaking, grab an animal to the quietest child here. And I can guarantee you, if you ask them about that animal, they won't stop talking. It does something to you.
Christa Hein: I've noticed that with our college interns as well. For those that maybe aren't as comfortable talking to the public, if you put an animal in their arm, so much changes in their comfort level.
Tracey Rinehart: It does. Mm-hmm. And I want to be able to do that as long as we are able. So hopefully, all remains good and we can continue this little trek and be able to let as many kids and adults touch, and feel, and be part of these animals' lives as long as we can.
Christa Hein: So, I want to get into just the nitty-gritty a little bit with your business, because I realize that Lilā Bit of Life isn't just a family business, but you also made it a nonprofit. So, I'm curious how that decision came about and what made that nonprofit structure the right fit for your farm?
Tracey Rinehart: Because so [00:22:00] many people need it for being able to donate. They wanted that as being able to give back. It's kind of hard for me because I'm not a grant writer. It's very difficult for me to ask for funds. And I'm finding that Lilā Bit of Life, people can still use that as their write-off for the most part.
However, it just can't support itself at this point. I would love to be able to have someone come in and be able to do the fundraising for that grant and be able to apply more money to that side to take care of all the animals and such.
But ultimately, even though Lilā Bit of Life is not a 501[c][3], every single penny that comes into this farm goes into that. It goes into our animals. It goes back into our farm. We do not write ourselves paychecks. Rod works outside of the farm, I work within the farm, but I don't earn a [00:23:00] paycheck. I do help the kids. I do gift certificates for my helpers that help me clean and take care of the farm.
But the farm can't support itself with employees and staff, if that makes sense. So, at this time, I would love to have that for the 501[c][3], where it's able to help support, but it just can't. I don't have the extra time.
Christa Hein: So, it sounds like maybe you'reā¦ Am I understanding this right? The property is owned by your family and the educational programs are the nonprofit?
Tracey Rinehart: The educational portion is a Lilā Bit of Life. The Little Bit of Farm Life, which is the 501[c][3], it does earn a little money. But all the money that is coming in is going right to Lilā Bit of Life, which pays for all the farm animals. It sustains their buildings, it sustains their feed, their vet care, the dentist. Anything that has to do with the animals and the farm side, it takes care of.
Christa Hein: Got it. [00:24:00] Okay. And so, then I'm also fascinated to ask, you're doing all of this on just five acres. So how have you learned to make that space work for so many different programs?
Tracey Rinehart: It wasn't easy. It started with literally a horse stall, and then another horse stall, and then of course a row of little mini stalls, and that's how it all started. And then we've built on it. And as I've watched the kids help me care for the animals, we have adjusted and moved things because it makes it more difficult when things are scattered all over the place.
And we try to keep the horses with the horses so that they're all taken care of at the same time. We try to make it where the other animals, like the goats, they have their own humongous area, and we even moved their gate recently so that when the kids go to feed, they're not stepping outside. It's kind of a circle. And they just touch on each thing. Then [00:25:00] things aren't forgotten.
Especially water. Water is huge. You want to make sure everything has access to a hose or a type of watering system that you're using. I'm not a fan of watering systems because of bacteria and algae in this state. It's just a couple of days in a water bucket and you are full of parasites.
So, the kids have learned what to look for, and they dump their buckets or their troughs regularly, and we know how to clean them out with baking soda and a little Dawn dish soap. It's nice. It's nice that they really want to care for the animals the way I do. And so that's why we have it in that space.
I have to have the home separate from everything because of our insurance. The business insurance is one section, and the home is another section. I know a lot of people are doing open farms today without insurance. That is another huge risk [00:26:00] to me that people don't think about, especially me being in the insurance world for 30 years.
Everyone thinks the ag signs are going to take care of them, and a waiver. I can almost guarantee you that is not going to save you. I have had insurance from day one on my business side, and then our home is not a personal home policy. It actually is a business policy as well because it's on the same property.
Those are probably two of the most important things for Rod and I, is just making sure that everything is protected. And I can tell you that is one of the most expensive portions of what we do, probably more so than the animals' care. And it's slowly tapering off and coming down a little bit, but there was a time that the insurance for the business side alone, and the home, was $20,000 a year.
So that was pretty scary for both of us. I thought we were going to have [00:27:00] to just do away with it and let it go. But in the past few years, it is mellowing out a little bit, so that does save you. I feel like we've gotten a huge break there. So yes, they just want us to keep our home fenced off, so to speak, so that the public doesn't have access to it.
We've made more of an entrance to the back area where the goats are at, where they can just come up a path. So, they park in our back area, they walk up through the path, and then come up to the main gate, and then we talk to them and give them a map and things like that.
Christa Hein: So, as we wrap up, I want to zoom out just a little bit. As you look at where Lilā Bit of Life is today, what part of the business are you most excited to continue growing?
Tracey Rinehart: I love the farm school aspect. That's probably the most important part of the farm. I don't know. There's so many areas. The traveling I love, except for the traveling part. Itās getting the animals put in a horse trailer and [00:28:00] driving distances.
I've really cut back on that. It's just the traffic is awful. It's not safe. It's not safe for someone in a car, let alone having your precious cargo in the back of a horse trailer. And people always cutting you off that's a huge risk for me. So, I'm going to say that's an area Iām just getting more accustomed to keeping them home and not exploring that as much.
As for assisted livings, yes, I want to continue that. I love the elderly. I love being able to give them what they used to have. So many remind us of what they had, and a lot of them had farms, a lot of them had animals, even if it were cats and dogs. They absolutely cherish the kids, the moments that we come and we visit. That's super important. We see tears, we hear their joy. That will continue as long as it's local.
I'll probably continue my farm school for sure. I love the birthday parties. I love my groups. [00:29:00] And I just want to be home, and I want to be with the animals, and I want to be where my animals are most comfortable. So, anything that has to do with here, is going to stay.
Christa Hein: So, one thing I really appreciate about your story is that it grew gradually over time. So, looking back over the last 20 years, is there anything you wish you'd known when you were just getting started that might help someone with their first steps?
Tracey Rinehart: The financial aspect of it is big. It doesn't sound like it. And probably the hardest part for me, is you want to get the knowledge about the animals and the care that goes into it. We see so many people grabbing animals right now, goats especially, because they think they're easy.
Caring for them, everything, the more knowledge you have before you take on that responsibility, the better you're going to be in the long run. You want to be a good caregiver, and in order to do that, you have to understand the animal. [00:30:00] We have so many that their diets are cookies when they come here. That's not being a good caregiver.
Farm animals are just that. They're not domesticated pets. You want to keep them in their environment that they're accustomed to. And the same thing with pigs. People want the pigs in their homes. Pigs are not happy in your homes. They get destructive. I get many calls for people, "Can you take my pig? It's tearing up the house." Or the rabbit that chews up all the wires. If you want to be that person, do your homework before you acquire your animals. It takes a lot.
And you're always learning, even once you think you know it all, you don't. There's always going to be a situation or a circumstance that comes up that you aren't aware of, including myself. Just keep that in mind. It's just like buying a puppy. Know the breed, know what your home can handle. You don't want to buy a Great Pyrenees and keep it in an apartment, or an Australian Shepherd and [00:31:00] keep it in an apartment. Our dogs have the most amazing Aussie life that you're going to find because they are free-range, and they are happiest when they're dirty.
So those are things just to keep in mind. I know that's hard for people when they're wanting to do things. It's impulse, and we all have it. I've done it myself, and I've regretted it later.
But the advice I would give is think of the financial situation, look at your budgets, look at your insurance requirements firsthand, get someone that can give you the best knowledge that is out there before taking on a big risk that you don't want to jeopardize your home and your family for something that you're not ready for.
Christa Hein: All great advice. I think it can be so inspiring for listeners to hear that your business didn't just grow all at once. It grew by paying attention to the people, the animals around you, being willing to try something new, and letting one opportunity lead to the next. [00:32:00]
Tracey, thank you so much for spending time with us today and for sharing the story behind Lilā Bit of Life.
Tracey Rinehart: You're welcome. Thank you for having me.
Christa Hein: Absolutely. To our listeners, I hope today's conversation reminds you that there isn't just one path into farm education. Whether you're starting with five acres or 50, working another career while you build something on the side, or simply trying to figure out what your community needs most, sometimes the next step becomes clear by taking the one that's right in front of you.
If you're enjoying the Farm Educator's Roadmap podcast, I'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to follow the show and leave a review. It really does help more farm educators discover these conversations. And if today's episode encouraged you to think differently about what's possible, I hope you'll share this episode with someone else who's on that journey, too.
Until next time, keep creating meaningful connections between people, animals, and the land.
Christa Hein: Hey farm [00:33:00] educators, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Before you go, I have a question for you. If you could build your own version of farm education around the way that you want to teach work and live, what would that actually look like?
Because there are a whole lot of ways to do this work, and the version that sounds exciting for someone else, well, it might be completely wrong for you. Because your strengths are different, your resources are different, and the kind of life you want to create, is all yours.
That's why I created the free Discover Your Farm Education Path Quiz. In just a few minutes, you'll get a result based on your strengths, your goals, and how you want to work. It might point you in a direction you hadn't considered, or maybe it'll confirm that you're on the right path.
So, before you move on to the next thing, open the show notes, click the link, and take the quiz. I can't wait to see what you get.
