Let's Get Started

When people first visit our farm or the feed store the most often asked question they ask is “Did either of you grow up on a farm?”  The answer is no, Cindy and I are self taught when it comes to farming.   We started with a simple dream and moved from suburban life to the country and started Rivers Critters Ranch.

At the time, it seemed like a good idea.  Buy a piece of property, get some animals, plant a garden, buy a pickup, make hay and live a quiet life.   The reality is that we jumped in with both feet and probably took on more than we should have.  Along the way we’ve made mistakes, suffered some loses however, we’ve had our share of good times and many successes.

Over the last twenty plus years we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to run an organic farm and feed store in Minnesota.   Neither Cindy nor I grew up on a farm.  First tractor we drove is the one we use today, we didn’t know what it would take to care for sheep, chickens, donkeys, peacocks and a variety of other animals.  Think about it, when we first started out, the internet was in its infancy stage and therefore most of our knowledge came from a variety of books and magazines and the school of hard knocks.

The second most popular question we get is “So how do you do all this?”  This is a good question and be honest, there are times when really don’t know how we make it work.  We’ve been planning to write a book about our adventures on the farm, however, as the farm keeps us busy we thought we’d start a blog “Thoughts From The Farm” and begin Sharing What We Know and have learned over these many years.

We invite you to follow our blog and ask questions along the way.

Cindy & Tom Rivers

Owners and Operators

Rivers Critters Ranch, Hamburg MN

RCR Organic Feedstore