applehillfarm, Author at Apple Hill Farm NC

A Year on the Farm: Our 2018 Wrap Up Letter

January 11, 2022 by applehillfarm

Happy New Year, farm family!

For Apple Hill Farm, 2018 was a year full of challenges along with great success. We said tearful goodbyes to a few animals and our hearts were opened again by new ones. Mother nature kept us on our toes through major flooding to the area in May followed by Hurricane Florence in September and Hurricane Michael in October. We struggled through our Christmas Event with snow and rain, punctuated with 2 feet of snow on December 9th. Luckily, Will came home and we used snowshoes to get to the barns and all the animals patiently waited for “room service” and “housekeeping”.

In early January we took Meadow Lilly, an 18-year-old alpaca, to the University of Tennessee along with July Moon as her ‘buddy’. Meadow Lilly came to the farm in 2004 with Billy as a 4-month-old cria at her side. She is also mother to Meadow Linny and Meadow Lark. Though Meadow Lilly’s spirit wanted to survive, her body said no. With July Moon and I at her side, we said goodbye.

In November of 2017, Mr. Pickles, our famous micro Julian pig, had surgery to remove bladder stones. He was one grumpy pig before and after the surgery but recovered nicely. We heaved a big sigh of relief. Then in June of last year, Mr. Pickles took a quick turn for the worse and we headed back to the University of Tennessee. The veterinarians confirmed that once again his bladder was blocked with stones, so we made the difficult decision to say goodbye and end any suffering.

As our loudest personality at the main barn, his loss was a hard one to get over. Snickers, the cat who was his friend and roommate, took it especially hard and disappeared for most of the summer.

There was much good mixed in with the sad. In the spring Gretel, Sylvie, Lucy, Wendy, and Sugie, our Angora goats, gave birth and we welcomed 7 adorable new goat kids to the farm family. Shortly after that, we also added our newest Guardian Angel, Theo, and helped find homes for two of his littermates.

Mid-May marked the true beginning of our summer busy season and we were open and leading tours 7 days a week. Though the weather continued to be wet, people came with raincoats and umbrellas for their tours!

In, August we received a call about a litter of six two-month-old pigs needing rehoming. There were two girls and four boys. We jumped in as the home for the two girls and took on finding homes for the boys (and we were successful!). We named the two girls Laverne and Shirley.

They hadn’t been handled much, so the first night here at the farm, I sat on the stall floor and read to them. Just as I was about to finish reading, I heard a soft meow from the top of the stall wall. It was Snickers! She had come back to be their roommate.

Right before Thanksgiving we had an ice storm and received another call from a friend who raises Zebus. Zebus are miniature cows out of the Brahmin line of cows and are known for their shoulder hump and skin that hangs down under the neck. He had saved a frozen five-week-old calf and wondered if we could help. Within days we were tending to a 4-year-old Zebu we named Zara and her 25-pound calf we named Zeke. We set up a stall in the barn with a source of heat to keep Zeke warm.

Out of concern that Zara didn’t have enough milk, we started bottle feeding with supplemental milk. What started as an aerobic exercise trying to catch him and get him to eat, is now only aerobic on the catch and then a long hamstring stretch as we bend over Zeke holding a bottle.

Zara comes and helps with long licks of her sandpaper tongue…licks for both Zeke and our hands, face, and hair. On warm days, they are going out into the field with the goats and Zeke now weighs almost 40 pounds. Zeke and Zara were the bezt Chriztmaz giftz thiz year!

To top everything off, we also got a lot of unexpected but wonderful press coverage this year! We landed on the pages of Our State magazine in October as part of an article about Banner Elk. This was a highlight of the year for us as it was a goal we have had for years.

In November, we got a call from ESPN before the Sunbelt Championship at Appalachian State and they aired video of the farm during a nationally televised game!! At the request of ESPN, we set up a screen with the game playing live and took a photo of the alpacas watching. It aired in the 3rd quarter of the game as the Apple Hill Farm Game Watch.

And as if that wasn’t enough, a video of our horses, Hannah and Luna, playing in The Big Snow went viral on our Facebook page. It was seen by over 186 thousand people and received 18 thousand reactions. Another exciting milestone for ‘the little farm that could’ at the top of the mountain and the end of the gravel road

We closed the year filled with love and gratitude for our sweet animals, our amazing farm team and you -our family of fans. Apple Hill Farm is the connection between the animals, the team, and you. We look forward to another year of sharing this beautiful mountaintop farm filled with captivating animals through tours and events here on the farm as well as through our pictures and videos on social media.

From our family to yours, we wish you a happy 2019.

Let’s stay in touch,
Lee Rankin
Writer, founder of Apple Hill Farm, & unapologetic entrepreneur

Apple Hill Farm Christmas Event 2018

January 11, 2022 by applehillfarm

The holiday season can be so overwhelming – family gatherings, last minute gift shopping, and hectic work schedules. It’s easy to feel disconnected from your family and friends in the midst of this season. Take a break from the Holiday Hurry and get back in touch with what’s real by taking a tour of our farm.

Join us for a tour of our working alpaca farm where you can meet our alpacas, llamas, goats, donkeys, chickens, and more! After your tour, stop by our farm store to warm up with some homemade hot chocolate while you browse our farm store. You can even pick up a hand-tied wreath or locally grown tabletop tree.

Our farm store is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm for all your gift shopping needs. The Apple Hill Farm Store has been turned into a one-of-a-kind Christmas store with a wide selection of alpaca yarn, socks, scarves, blankets, and teddy bears, as well as a unique collection of locally made gifts and Christmas items for the people on your list.

Friday, November 16 through Sunday, December 9, we will be offering tours of our farm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm. The tours leave about every half hour.

We are also offering our regular public tour at 2 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, for those of you who can’t come by on the weekend. We do not have cookies, hot chocolate, and cider available on Wednesday and Thursday. We are closed Thanksgiving day.

Tours are $12 for adults and $7 for children ages 4 – 10. Children 3 and under are free! The tour is a guided walking tour of the farm and is about 45 minutes in length.

We are also partnering with our neighbors, Spirit Ride Therapeutic Riding Center, to bring our farm friends Pony Rides on Saturday, November 24 and Saturday, December 1! These pony rides are just $10, and all the proceeds go to help Spirit Ride continue to provide children with special needs the opportunity to learn, grow and strive to become their ideal selves through equine related therapeutic and educational activities.

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A Pig with Purpose

January 11, 2022 by applehillfarm

This is part 3 in a series of posts about a rescued pig, Mr. Pickles. To go back to the beginning of the story, click here https://applehillfarmnc.com/Part 2 of the story can be found here https://applehillfarmnc.com/pig-rescue-p2/.

Finding a purpose for Mr. Pickles was not something we planned or had meetings about. We watched as it developed over time. It started with some in-stall training for pieces of treats. Quickly we were able to get him to leap up into his sandbox, stand on his back legs and bump a fist with his nose, a safe way to give pig kisses.

Location, location, location.

Mr. Pickles’ physical location, his stall in the barn, put him right in the middle of everything. He was next to the dog food closet, where we prepare meals twice a day, across from the people bathroom and the steps that lead upstairs to the store. Not only was he front and center, he made sure he was seen and heard. If he was in the outside pen and a visitor came in the big barn doors, he trotted back inside with a ‘groint, groint, groint’ and his tail wagging. And when it was feeding time he imitated the squeeky dog food closet door with a “gweek, gweek, gweek.”

How to win friends

Mr. Pickles was the first stop on the tour, even before we went to meet the alpacas. As the guide shared his rescue story, he made a variety of noises as if to punctuate the happy and sad parts. His tricks were met with cheers and claps from the whole tour. Mr Pickles took the attention he received and reeled the visitors in making himself a popular personality. He had a way of turning a foe into a fan.

Jerry, a neighbor farmer who grew up raising all his own meat, came by when he heard we had a pig. He wanted to give us some advice, about raising hogs. Mr. Pickles was inside and came running out when he heard Jerry’s voice in front of the barn.

“Weeelllll…he’s not big enough for a ham biscuit!” Jerry exclaimed before doubling over with laughter.

Mr. Pickles answered with long loud grunts as if he understood what had just been said.

“How big do you think he will get?” Jerry asked.

“It’s hard to say, but hopefully he’ll stay under 30 pounds.” I answered.

“That don’t even make sense, my dog’s bigger than that!”

Even though a pet pig was silly to Jerry, he became a fan. On his next visit, Jerry went over to Mr. Pickles’ stall to say hello before he came to find me.

Event pig

In those days, we went off the farm with alpacas to events to let people know about Apple Hill Farm. As the months warmed up and events were scheduled, Mr. Pickles became part of our plans. Pet festivals, Arts and Crafts fairs and a local herb festival. He was a hit and small crowds gathered around his pen.

When July came around, we outfitted a red flyer wagon with a crate big enough for Mr. Pickles and we pulled him in the Banner Elk parade. For years we had walked llamas in the parade and carried a banner. Mr. Pickles was a hit. ‘Look, its a pig!!” Unlike the llamas, who folks often thought were Emu’s, they knew he was a pig!

A combination of things happened one unusually warm weekend that sifted Mr. Pickles role. He and his smart nose figured out that the food people were eating as they stood beside his cage was yummy Kettle Corn. When he smelled it, he begged with a gweeking noise, until by mid morning, he was hoarse and grumpy. In order to make sure that he didn’t bite anyone, one of us stood with him in the pen. As the afternoon grew hotter, we put him in his crate with a light cover to take a nap and rest his voice. Meanwhile, as we were in town trying to keep him cool, a customer came to the farm, primarily to see Mr. Pickles. And he wasn’t there. It was the final sign we needed. From then on, Mr. Pickles stayed at the farm when we were open.

That didn’t stop him from being invited to make appearances, though. One such request was as part of a fundraiser at Will’s school. The kids donated money toward the teachers in their grade and the winning teacher had to “kiss the pig”. Dressed in a bandana in school colors, I held Mr. Pickles while teachers male and female dressed in wigs and put on lipstick before receiving a wet nose bump on the lips from Mr. Pickles. Each kiss was followed by laughter and applause. For the last teacher, who happened to be Will’s teacher, Mr. Pickles pooped during the kiss sending the school into near hysterics.

Brianne was working with Knox, one of our Great Pyrenees dogs, training him as a therapy dog and to do tricks. When she had the idea to train Knox to pull a cart, a light bulb went off. Knox could pull Mr. Pickles in a wagon. It took months of training, outfitting a radio flyer wagon with rails and a harness. By the 4th of July, Knox was ready for the Banner Elk parade. They were a huge hit and a new tradition began. Llamas, and a dog pulling a wagon with a pig.

The Odd Couple

That winter, as he outgrew yet another dog crate, we outfitted Mr. Pickles’ stall with a dog igloo, which we referred to as his Pigloo. Pig’s favorite place to go at night and in bad weather. We started noticing that Snickers, our female barn cat was in his stall occasionally. A few months later I noticed her in his stall every night when I went to the barn at tuck-in time. Eventually, Snickers just moved in with him permanently and we added a cat bed for her. They were the odd couple, best buddies from a distance and shared the sunlight that streams in through the door on a cold winter day.

Local Fame

Mr. Pickles doesn’t have just one purpose, he has many. As a favorite ambassador at the farm or delighting the crowd as a parade pig. His rescue story is memorable and touching for all ages. Mr. Pickles has even crossed the feline divide to be a companion and roommate for Snickers. And through all his many roles, he has reached local celebrity status. A fact we are reminded of every 4^th of July as we walk in ‘the best hometown parade in America’ and the crowd claps and yells his name. “Mr. Pickles!”

Mr. Pickles gets rescued

January 11, 2022 by applehillfarm

This is Part Two of three part series of stories about the pig rescue of Mr. Pickles. To read Part One go to: https://applehillfarmnc.com/pig-rescue-p1/

Mr. Pickles arrives at Apple Hill Farm.

Judy brought Mr. Pickles to the farm, with a crate, toys, blankets and a wardrobe of sweaters. She sat in a chair in the store with Mr. Pickles in her lap and a cup coffee on the desk next. We peppered her with questions to make sure we knew everything to make his transition as smooth as possible. And then there was silence between all of us as Judy worked up the nerve to say goodbye. Tears were shed and promises made to come back and visit, before she got back into her car to leave. And with zero pig experience and an hour of training, we entered the world of pig rescue.

Mr. Pickles transitioned well, accepting us quickly, a testament to all of Judy’s hard work and time. For the first few months, he went home with a team member every night both for warmth and companionship. It was the best way we knew to keep the momentum in healing his past trauma and build on his acceptance of humans. Having rescued many other animals, we were confident that for him, love was the key.

The breeding of tiny pigs is an inexact science, some pigs end up staying small but many end up 100 pounds or larger. A strict limited diet is key, to keep them from growing beyond their leg capacity, while genetics decide the ultimate outcome. Our goal was for Mr. Pickles to be a ‘pet pig’, able to live inside and walk on a leash, knowing full well that we might end up with a ‘barn pig’. However it ended up, we had the space and we knew he would be well loved.

Lessons in Halter Training a Pig.

On warm winter days, we continued to work on his halter training, closing the barn doors, and using food, the best motivator for a pig. He would go anywhere in the barn for a piece of carrot or a cheerio, his little hoofs making a clip, clip, clip noise on the concrete floor and his tail wagging. We set up an empty stall for him to explore with an old raised sand box filled with dirt for rooting around with his nose. He picked a corner for his liter box and spent long hours snuffling around for pieces of hidden food or napping. At night we brought him inside to my office to his crate and blankets.

As spring rolled around, confident in our pig training and taming abilities, we looked forward to expanding to leash walks outside the barn. Not for long though. A walk outside with Mr. Pickles was a one way street to wherever HE wanted to go, usually a place that had food — grass, the scattered grain outside the chicken coop or the weeds in the soft soil of the garden. Any attempt to change his direction was met with loud, shrieking pig noises that brought the horses charging at the fence to see what was happening. Treats that we had used in the barn were useless in this outside world. Eventually we sectioned off a part of the garden, where he could just be a pig for limited time periods as a way to successfully walk him on leash to a source of food. Then we tried every training trick to walk him back to the barn. Most walks dissolved into full blown pig tantrums and we ended up carrying him back to the barn kicking and screaming, literally.

Learning to Listen.

Finally, we surrendered our ‘pet pig’ plan and Mr Pickles became a ‘barn pig’. During the day he stayed in his stall where he was happiest. He had continued to grow in weight, size and at 20 pounds outgrew his crate or any desire to come inside at night, so we let him sleep out in the barn. He still loved attention, though. When I came out to give carrots to the horses every night, I wrapped Mr. Pickles in his blanket and picked him up. I stood in his stall, rocking back and forth while I sang lullabies. Eventually, he stopped cooing and became restless. Then I laid him down on his bed.

As fall approached, during the day he ‘talked’ excitedly to anyone who came near, loved back scratches and rolled over for a belly rub. He wagged his tail often signaling that he was one happy pig. At night though, he didn’t want to be rocked any more and he was only willing to be held for a short period of time. It was like he had a love tank and we had somehow filled it. A bittersweet moment, as we shifted our interaction to meet his need. When I came out at night, I greeted him singing “his” song, to the tune of Rubber Ducky, “Mr. Pickles you’re the one, you make tuck in lots of fun. Mr. Pickles I am awfully fond of you!” And tucked him in with a piece of carrot and a kiss, just like the horses.

It wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, but we had transitioned Mr. Pickles through a new home and out of the trauma of his first home. Animal rescue is a mixture of meeting physical needs, providing love and listening to the needs of the animal. And in that way, Mr. Pickles was a whole pig, no longer in active ‘pig rescue’ and ready to move on to finding his purpose here on Apple Hill Farm.

This is Part Two of a three part series. If you missed Part One, click here to go back and read how Mr. Pickles came to Apple Hill Farm.https://applehillfarmnc.com/pig-rescue-p1/

A Pig Rescue Story

January 11, 2022 by applehillfarm

This is Part One of Three in a series of stories about a Pig Rescue.

My cell phone rang and as I looked at the name on the screen, I braced myself. JUDY. Judy was a friend, a fellow animal lover and a rescuer. When she called me, it was usually a request for help and it generally included some element of animal rescue drama that put me outside of my comfort zone. In the years since we met, I assisted her with many horse rescues and fostered a feral dog about ready to have puppies. I was involved with a number of her risky ‘missions’ that involved animal neglect or out an out abuse. Judy rarely called unless it was a desperate plea for help on behalf of an animal. Despite my hesitations, I found it nearly impossible to say no when she asked.

I made myself wait to pick up the call until I imagined the word NO, blinking in neon somewhere behind my forehead.

This time she started the conversation with a story, not a request for help.

“You have to come see my latest rescue. It is a pig. He’s adorable. I heard about him and drove 3 hours down off the mountain to purchase him. The owner was planning to have him put down.”

Judy had talked about getting a pig for years, she was so excited that I couldn’t get a word in. I sat down with my coffee at the kitchen table and listened to her tell me about this adorable pig. The story came out like a long run on sentence.

“She was a pig breeder, breeding those little tea cup pigs and she was planning to keep him to be a “stud” pig because of his coloring. Wait till you see him, he is pink and white and black.

Anyway, the breeder took him away from mama pig and kept him separate from the others and bottle fed him in a cage. Poor thing, he was all alone with no mama and no holding. Then something happened and his back legs got all crossed. The breeder got worried that the leg issue might be hereditary, so as soon as he was able to eat, she put him in the pen with some other pigs. Big pigs. So, there he was, legs crossed, less than half the size of every other pig, fending for himself. When I got down there he was covered in bite marks, his butt backed in the corner so he could defend himself.”

“That is awful!” I managed to squeeze in while she took a breath and sip of whatever she was drinking.

“Poor thing, he was so tormented, I could barely touch him. You know those little pigs are supposed to be handled, bottle fed and treated like a baby. That is how they are turned into pets. He didn’t have any of that, so first I had to win his trust with food. And slowly, I have been getting him to the stage that he lets me hold him, and bathe him. Lee, he is just like a baby now. I took him to a chiropractor in town to see about his legs and he fixed him. No more crossed legs! All his bite marks are healed and he has hair, he didn’t have any when I first got him. And the sounds he makes, I swear he coos when you rock him. And he is already litter trained.”

I was already in love with the little guy and I realized I didn’t know his name.

“What is his name?” I asked.

“Mr. Pickles” she answered. “Everybody thinks it is Piggles … but it is Pickles like the things you eat!” she laughed.

“How big is he?” I asked trying to picture him.

“Only 10 pounds”

I tried to imagine a 10 pound pig only 2 pounds heavier than Chi Chi our chihuahua.

“I am still trying to get him trained to walk on a leash. Lee, I am spending 2 hours a day on this pig. He really needs a lot of TLC.” Pleading start to creep into her voice.

“How jealous is Jim?” I was half joking. Jim was her husband and worshiped her. He was in construction and I pictured that he was already remodeling their house to include the perfect place for Mr. Pickles.

“It is killing Jim. I have never seen a grown man so jealous in my life! We had a huge argument about it last night…” she paused. She sounded mad and a bit scared.

I didn’t know quite what to say. All I could think of was the parade of rescued dogs and cats that she had fostered in the few years since we met and how patient Al had seemed about it all.

“This morning he gave me an ultimatum, it is either him or the pig!?!” Her words were wrapped in sad desperation.

I was stunned.

“I am calling to see if you will take Mr. Pickles.” Now she was crying.

My hard and fast NO, became ‘Yes, of course.’

And that is how Apple Hill Farm, became the next home of Mr. Pickles, the pig.

This story, is Part One of Three, and will be continued in the next blog post.