By Isabella Zarate
For Greta Gosnell, Mahomet is nothing like Washington D.C.
Before Gosnell could be found weaving her BMW all around the Inner Loop, now she is cleaning stalls, and loading hay.
With Gosnell in the Navy and her husband in the Marine Corps, the congested city of D.C. was all they knew for a long twelve years. In March of 2020, the couple and their children left Virginia behind as they joined some family and moved to Mahomet.
After buying land, and laying some foundations, Gosnell claimed “it didn’t take much time” to start living her dream. That dream is now drawing attention within Mahomet. Hidden Croft Farms, a 10-acre hobby farm, produces soaps, dairy, and vegetables, alongside offering a glimpse of what it means to be on a farm.
Within a few months of the move, Gosnell found herself looking at horses.
“I always knew that once we moved to an area where we could have some land, I always wanted to explore breeding and having animals,” she explained. And so her new journey began.
Today Gosnell is the proud owner of goats, chickens, and her favorite – two Clydesdale mares.
“For me personally, I’m more into the horses,” Gosnell shared.
Gosnell has recently returned from a trip to Scotland where she attended the World Clydesdale Show and Breeder Tour. There she found herself, taking notes, talking to experts, and soaking in all the knowledge she could.
With all she learned, Gosnell hopes to breed her first mare this spring.
In the meantime, what Gosnell really enjoys is sharing her passion with others.
“I really like to share the animals with the public.”
Gosnell explained various instances where she had invited groups, like the Mahomet Daycare Center, out to the farm.
“What I do a lot now is I share the animals with people who don’t have animals,” she explained.
Whether it be goats, horses, or chickens, Gosnell likes to see the joy others get out of animals.
“A lot of times you don’t really get the opportunity for example to walk up to a Clydesdale and be able to pet them or be able to hold a baby goat,” she said, recounting a time when she brought goats to the Cunningham Children’s Home in Urbana.
“It was one of the best times of my life, it was so much fun.”
To learn more about Hidden Croft Farms, follow their Facebook page or look for soaps on Etsy.
