Hands Dirty and Hearts Full

Pet piglets, fetch flowers, and buy farm fresh at Gooseberry Bridge.

Jeremy and Staci Hill hadn’t always aspired to own a farm. Their journey to Gooseberry Bridge Farm began with a move from the suburbs of Springfield to the rural town of Rogersville in 2016.

Staci quickly grew to love raising animals, canning food, and growing plants and flowers on their land. “I wanted cute baby animals,” Staci says, “And if I wanted to keep them all, I thought, ‘I had better make a business plan.’ ” As a home-schooling mom with many passions, Staci sought ways to share her animals and her farm with others. Out of that desire, the you-pick flower patches, visits with the baby animals, and seasonal nurseries for practicing horticulture came to life.

This March and April, the Hills are anticipating piglets, baby goats, baby bunnies, and their first-ever calf. One of the unique experiences available in the March and April months are baby animal play dates: bookable slots where all ages of animal lovers can pet, hold, and spend time with Gooseberry Bridge Farm’s baby animals. “It’s not just looking at them through a fence,” Jeremy says. “They can touch them and hold them and interact with them in a more personal way.” In the springtime from March until May or June, the Hills require visitors to book appointment slots on their website. Once visitors arrive, they can spend as long as they would like with the animals.

Starting in June, the Hill family begins the fresh-cut flower season. “We send people out with a bulk container and a pair of scissors, and they can cut zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers—upward of 20 different varieties of flowers,” Jeremy says.

While visiting, guests can also place an order with the Farmhouse Bakery, owned and managed by Jeremy and Staci’s daughter, Mollie. Mollie bakes gluten-free baked goods. “Not only is everything gluten free, but she uses nearly all organic ingredients,” Jeremy says. “If she gets an order, she grinds the millet, the sorghum, and the rice, right before she bakes.”

Visitors can also browse the Farm Store where the family sells farm-fresh eggs and lip balm made with beeswax gathered from hives on the farm.

To Jeremy and Staci, their family farm is far more than a business venture. “Getting to be here every day, see my kids, work with them, teach them practical skills, and see them grow up like this is my favorite part about owning the farm,” Jeremy says. While running the farm has become second nature to the Hills and their six kids, they say that the work continues to be a magical experience each day. “Seeing new life is one of those things that’s cool in theory, but when you experience it, you just step back—even after all these years—and go, ‘Wow, this is cool,’ ” says Jeremy.

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For more information on farm activities, schedules, and baby animal play dates, visit GooseberryBridge.com.

All images courtesy of Gooseberry Bridge.

This article was originally published in the March/April 2025 issue of Missouri Life.