Celtic Glen Heritage Livestock

Celtic Glen Heritage Livestock Farm Restores, Explores, Teaches

An abandoned quarry on the banks of the White River might sound like an unlikely spot for a farm – yet it is perfect for the Lennon family of Celtic Glen Heritage Livestock farm. Phillip and Lessie Lennon’s story of creating Celtic Glen is one of looking forward by looking back at heritage breeds of livestock to provide high quality, gentle breeding stock and pasture-raised craft meats.

“This farm is special, and while not good for conventional farming due to rocky soil and flooding, it works well for livestock,” Lessie explains as she explains their farming journey. While both Phil and Lessie had family background with farming, their careers included jobs in technology, academia, and the military. The pandemic was a pivotal time period when the couple decided to focus on farming.

Enter the 50 acres of riverfront property. The land in Owen County had previously been a diversified farm with a variety of barns and structures. When the Lennons purchased it from the heirs of the previous owner, the buildings were in various states of disrepair and the pastures were in rough shape.

“The farm was run down, and as we thought about infrastructure, we listened to a farming mentor who recommended we think about niche production and also draw on family history,” Lessie said. They chose to focus on heritage breeds of animals for a variety of reasons. “These were the breeds used by homesteading families, and the terrain is suited to these hardy animals like those living on the rocky land of Ireland and Scotland,” she says. The former quarry came with a stone henge that also played into their decision to focus on breeds of Celtic heritage.

They began looking for heritage breeding stock for cattle and found their first cow of Dexter breed in Kentucky. “She was eight years old when we went to see her, and we instantly made a deposit, it was kind of crazy to buy an eight year old cow,” Lessie reflects, “But she is still going strong, and we already have our third calf from her, so it was a good idea!”

Along with cattle, the family also raises sheep, goats, and rabbits. “The sheep are of Scottish origin and are like those of Biblical times in that you pull the wool instead of shearing,” Lessie explains. The goats also have interesting origin stories, coming from the breeding stock of Connor Prairie, a living history park just north of Indianapolis. “Some of our goats are the Arapawa breed and are descendants of the ones Captain Cook dropped off the coast of New Zealand, and no longer exist in Europe.”

The Lennons say raising rabbits was not on their radar until they started brainstorming how to use an existing barn on the property. “There was an old farrowing barn in a flood zone on the farm. We were paying taxes and insurance on the barn and need to make it productive, then we realized we can raise rabbits in hanging cages. We picked breeds of Celtic heritage, with the Champagne d’Argent being from the Celtic region of France which are one of the oldest known breeds, dating back to the 1600s. They also have American heritage rabbit breeds: Silver Fox and American Blues.

The rabbits are now an important part of the farm due to their speed of reproduction. “Cows take a long time, yet we can have breeding stock of rabbits to sell in three months which helps with cash flow,” Lessie points out, adding that rabbits are a great entry animal for people to learn how to take care of livestock. “Rabbits can provide high quality protein even if you live in town and raise them in your garage.”

The farm goes to market in several ways, including making their high-quality protein available at the Bloomington Farm Stop. This is an ag cooperative in Bloomington that is owned by 60+ farmers and allows consumers to shop during the week instead of having to wait for weekend farmers markets. “This shop also allows us to experiment with value added products to see what is of interest to consumers.” Lessie says. “We are working to sustainably maximize productivity of all our livestock, as we experiment with different products like making wildflower seed pods using rabbit berries.” They sell direct from the farm and through retail spaces and restaurants, also leaning into agritourism with farmstays, tours, and plans for public events.

The family influences the farming community by teaching and sharing sustainable practices and ideas related to their livestock and land. The Lennons are also participants in education for organizations that help veterans get established in farming. “There are vibrant programs such as Veterans IN Farming that can help veterans transition to the next phase of life,” Lessie says.

Through their outreach, delicious products, and variety of farming efforts, the Lennon family is helping fellow Hoosiers experience the benefits of looking back while looking forward.