On the Farm

ARTICLE BY VANELIS RIVERA AND PHOTOS BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

 Though a small operation, La Bonne Vie Farm’s steady growth has allowed Heather and Robin  Richard to extend the goods of their labor to this small riverboat community in Tensas Parish, one experiencing a Renaissance, thanks to artistic and craft-based endeavors which their farm truly represents.

For Heather and Robin Richard, baby chicks were the first animal in line to what has become La Bonne Vie Farm and Homestead located on the shore of Brushy Lake in St. Joseph “St. Joe” Louisiana. The flux of the pandemic pushed them to take action on conversations they had been having for a while, ones mainly directed at improving their food sources. “We started out with six little chicks,” says Heather. Six chicks led to a couple of ducks, which opened the door to goats, which inspired the purchase of a few rabbits, “And so it just kind of snowballed,” adds Robin. Two years later, the Richard family finds themselves surrounded by a troop of adorable and very active barn animals that not only have enriched their lives but have also allowed them to satisfy their basic food production needs. Though a small operation, the farm’s steady growth has allowed Heather and Robin to extend the goods of their labor to this small riverboat community in Tensas Parish, one experiencing a Renaissance, thanks to artistic and craft-based endeavors which La Bonne Vie Farm truly represents. Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Heather was not one to have the idea of a farm and homestead in her purview. Nevertheless, documentaries like Food, Inc., and Food as Medicine jolted the couple and awakened in them a yearning to seek better food products. Heather, additionally, has always been concerned with the chemicals in food and how they could affect her health because cancer runs in her family. She started realizing that if she grew her own produce, cared for a few animals, she’d know exactly what she would be feeding her family. 

It was Robin who found the property, even before meeting Heather, with the intention of living close to his family who live in Waterproof, a mere 20 minutes from St. Joe. Even then, when they moved in during the summer of 2019, her focus was mainly assisting in the renovations of the lakeside property. The change to self-sufficiency was not immediate, but the first move was to get a garden going, though that was slow-rolling until, of course, the year of the pandemic came into play. The first item on Heather’s list was herbs. “I like learning the medicinal benefits of herbs and incorporating that too, that was important to me,” she says. Next, she chose microgreens because of their nutritional value and how easily they grow. “They’re so nutrient-dense,” enthuses Heather. “And they grow year-round,” chimes in Robin. 

“When we started out, it was strictly for ourselves,” she says, emphasizing the importance of wanting to control where her family’s food originated. Already housing a flock of chickens and ducks, alongside her fluffle of bunnies, Heather posted on her Facebook page on a whim, only with the intention of sharing with friends and family how her life under quarantine was going. The responses were encouraging, and many vehemently asked when eggs would be available for purchase. As the animals came rolling in—more chickens, Nigerian Dwarf goats, more ducks, turkeys, quail, more bunnies, guineafowl, pigs, and most recently a donkey named Newton who acts as the livestock guardian of the farm (from their youngest boy’s wishlist)—a few problematic issues arose. “I think the biggest challenge has been rotating them…finding housing for them, building housing,” informs Heather. Though Robin takes charge of building the infrastructure for the animals, his job only keeps him home for a few days or weeks at a time. Only working with approximately 1.4 acres can be a game of Tetris sometimes, but thus far the grid in place is not only spacious for their livestock but easily accessible for the hardworking team. Finding organic feed also became an unexpected obstacle. “You can’t just go run and grab organic feed right down the road,” says Robin, adding that growing their own feed is on the horizon. 

hile most farmers are up before sunrise, Heather is not the typical farm owner. “I go out by, probably, 8:30 [in the morning],” she laughs. “Sometimes before, but normally I get my son to school and then I start with the animals.” In addition to being fed once in the morning and once in the afternoon, Heather walks around the property throughout the day to make sure they have water. “We start with the pigs,” she says; they, apparently, are the first to be ready to eat. “And then the chickens and ducks are ready, and they’re, you know, fussing at you. The donkey will start braying,” she continues. “The rabbits are the quietest.” Though their loudest animal may well be the donkey, the pigs have ended up being the most demanding of the bunch, probably because they are the smartest. “They’re escape artists,” sighs Heather, who recounts that while she would love to put them on the grass, their sly nature has taken them to her neighbor’s yard, and so they are currently confined in a spacious fenced enclosure. Another problem child, for Heather at least, has been the quail. “They’re not my favorite,” she jokingly laughs, admitting she just hasn’t gotten the hang of them. Unlike chickens who torpedo toward her with longing affection when she grabs a handful of feed, the quail run the other way. “You’re gonna have to chase them down if they get out,” Robin explains. “They don’t love me as much as the others,” says Heather with a grin. 

The couple has gained a number of skills through YouTube tutorials and improved on that learning by joining organizations like Homesteaders of America where they were able to partake of an abundance of online resources on the subject of livestock. Thanks to the guidance from videos, podcasts, and blog posts, Heather and Robin began to process their birds and rabbits for consumption. Even though Robin grew up hunting and was exposed to animal processing, his aunt, who supplied part of their rabbit breeding stock, was skeptical about his proficiency. She viewed him as a city boy, as he had grown up between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. “We didn’t do a lot of rabbit hunting. I killed one rabbit, one time,” he admits. Yet, his resolve was unwavering, due mostly to his fear of the alternative protein sources lining the grocery shelves. Ultimately, living the farm-to-table life has proven delicious and nutritious. Last Thanksgiving, the family had their first fresh turkey, which was aged, brined, then, two days later, fried and served. Thus far, Robin has taken the role of the butcher, and though Heather is “not quite ready yet” to make that jump, she knows that with his work hours, she eventually will. 

So far, Heather’s arena has been with the milk goats. Her first two goats, Willow and Lulu, came to them pregnant, so once they had babies, the farm started to get goat milk, which they immediately drank. Cow milk enthusiasts need not scoff at the thought because, of the multiple dairy goat breeds, the Nigerian Dwarf’s milk is the closest tasting to its herbivore counterpart. “Honestly, we weren’t really that worried about culture shock,” says Robin, adding, “It probably gets used in coffee more than we could use anything else.” While that is true, goat milk also makes its way just as frequently into some of Heather’s small-batch La Bonne Vie products, which include soap, lotion, bath bombs, and various aromatherapy merchandise. “My daughter has allergies and eczema and goat milk is really good for that,” she affirms. Currently, her products are available at Folkway Co. Mercantile, a chic boutique located in historic downtown St. Joe offering goods from regional artisans, mom and pop brands, and local seasonal provisions. 

A few years ago, Heather laughed at the idea of buying chickens.Robin knew this of his wife, and once jokingly tried to convince her to buy a few chicks from an old-fashioned flea market when they lived in Mobile. “No way,” she said at the time, though Robin had already been considering permaculture, essentially for self-reliance. Back then, it was that “pie in the sky kind of dream,” he says. “It was a dream so big… [a] not-even-chasing-after-it type of dream, you know?” Now, they’re the kind of people that look for farmer’s markets and farm stands when they travel. They’ve discovered farm stays on Airbnb, and now try to filter their searches with the hopes of eating fresh eggs in the morning (though they tend to bring their own). 

Homesteading may not be meant for everyone, but the products coming out of these regional, small-scale operations are part of a back-to-the-land movement that makes way for conversations about helping local resources flourish, improving and supporting small businesses, and ultimately strengthening the bonds of our community. “I’ve just fallen in love with it,” beams Heather. “It’s so relaxing and it’s so rewarding to do this and to just look outside and see all my babies.” 

Follow La Bonne Vie Farm and Homestead on Facebook to learn more about their animals and products. Feel free to call them at (318) 766-0449 and ask about Heather’s soap-making workshops.