Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Teila Keys, HoneyDo Farm
At a glance: When Teila Keys and her husband had the chance to buy her parents’ five acres, that became their homestead. Now known as HoneyDo Farm, the place provides a site where the Keys family can share the benefits of homesteading, including homegrown products and education on farming and cooking.
More information: Ron Wilson, rwilson@ksu.edu, 785-532-7690
Photos: Ron Wilson | Teila Keys
Website: Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
July 24, 2024
By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
How are things on the old homestead? That sounds like a friendly conversation, but in the case of one young Kansas couple, it could mean even more than that.
This Kansas family is using their small farming operation to share the practice of modern homesteading with others.
Teila Keys and her husband Matthew are the owners of HoneyDo Farm, the property near Atchison where she grew up. As a teenager, she enjoyed gardening. Teila earned a nursing degree and later got her real estate license. She met and married her husband, Matthew, who came from Doniphan County.
At right: Teila Keys | Download this photo
His family is from the rural unincorporated settlement of Sparks, which is said to have a population of nine people. Now, that’s rural.
“His family was really into homesteading, and that gave me a nudge,” Teila said. The idea of growing her own goods and living in the country really appealed to her.
In 2009, the couple bought her parents’ five acres and that became their homestead. In addition to raising their two daughters, they started growing a garden and taking spices to sell at the local farmers market. Then they decided to open their place up to others.
“This was always a place for people to gather,” Keys said. “When I was a kid we would constantly have friends and neighbors over.”
They named their homestead HoneyDo Farm, in part because there were many things for them to do. It was also the name of a melon. “For some reason this soil is perfect for raising melons, including honeydews,” Keys said.
There was a honeydew seed that happened to drop and take root next to the garage. “I couldn’t close the garage door because I didn’t want to kill that plant,” Keys said with a smile.
“Our main goal is to share the experience of being a homesteader.” This means growing and using their own products to the extent possible and sharing them with others.
Today, HoneyDo Farm offers a variety of homegrown products and experiences. They raise their own plants and have pigs, chickens, rabbits and more. They milk dairy goats eight months of the year and use the milk to make cheese, lotions and soap. The scented soaps are especially popular.
They also produce homemade jams and jellies, spices and freeze-dried candy. In addition to going to places as vendors, they also host events at the farm.
“We have events of different kinds throughout the year,” Keys said. Baby goats are born in spring and fall, and pumpkins are brought in during autumn. The farm will feature bluegrass music and games for kids. Christmas time brings gift baskets at the farm store.
To make this truly a homestead, the Keys family invites guests into their home where the farm store is located. From there, the guests can go into the barnyard to see the animals. It is even possible to book an hour of private baby goat playtime.
Another favorite animal is Sugarpig, the potbellied pig that Keys raised from a runt. Sugarpig loves treats and can do tricks.
“Education is a big deal for us,” Keys said. She will teach such things as how to grow plants, how to bake bread, and how to do cast iron skillet cooking.
The Keys seek self-sufficiency to the extent possible. “We recycle all we can,” Keys said. The manure goes into a compost pile for the plants and the eggshells are ground to use as fertilizer, for example.
“Our priorities are faith, family and farm, in that order,” Keys said. “We enjoy the natural things in life, like farming and teaching.”
“It’s very important to step back, slow down and enjoy these moments,” Keys said. She finds the farm setting can make a difference and bring out the best in people.
“It takes a setting like this to bring people together and help them enjoy their true selves.”
For more information, search for HoneyDo Farm on Facebook.
So how are things on the old homestead? For Teila and Matt Keys, those things are worth sharing with others.
Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at http://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.huckboydinstitute.org.
***
K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.