A Day in the Life on an 80-Acre Homestead: The Romance, the Grit, and the Scent of Tallow

If you follow us on social media, you've probably seen the peaceful photos: a golden sunrise filtering through the trees, a flock of heritage poultry scratching happily in lush green grass, or a perfectly smooth, hand-poured bar of soap curing on a wooden rack.

It looks romantic, and in many ways, it is. But behind those quiet snapshots lies an incredible amount of daily grit, careful timing, and physical labour.

Running an 80-acre homestead in Barrhead County while operating a from-scratch artisan apothecary means wearing a dozen different hats before lunchtime. Out here, I am the formulator, the entrepreneur, the livestock manager, the fence-mender, the heavy-lifter, and the cook. Keeping a property of this size running smoothly day in and day out means being entirely self-reliant, staying highly organized, and keeping the whole machine well-oiled — no matter what the day throws at me.

Here is what a typical day actually looks like when it's just me, the dogs, and 80 acres of Alberta prairie.

The Daily Rhythm: From Sunrise to Sundown

7:00 AM — The Homemaker's Head Start

The day kicks off at 7:00 AM. Before the boots hit the mud, the first hour or two is all about grounding the household and setting up the day's flow. This is the quiet, invisible labour that keeps a home running — putting on a massive pot of coffee, getting a head start on healthy meal prep, organizing the house, and mapping out the day's business administration and formulation schedules.

10:00 AM — Heavy Chores & The Let-Out

By 10:00 AM, it's time to head outside. First up is greeting our Sarplaninac livestock guardian dogs, who have been awake all night keeping coyotes and foxes away from the property lines. They are my ultimate partners out here. After ensuring the perimeter is secure, I open up the coops. Our exhibition-quality poultry spill out into the pasture, and then the heavy grunt work begins: cleaning coops, checking and fixing fences, moving heavy hay bales solo, or tackling the weekly lawn mowing.

11:30 AM — Shifting to the Studio & Precision Pouring

With the outdoor chores checked off, it's a quick boots-off transformation into the apothecary studio. Today is a hot-process shaving soap day. I pull out our high-purity, locally sourced Alberta beef tallow and begin melting down the hard fats, precisely calculating the lye ratios down to the exact gram. While the shaving soap pucks cook, a batch of solid shampoo bars is formulated at a precise hair-healthy pH, and a row of wood-wick candles is hand-poured.

2:30 PM — Pots, Packing & Order Fulfillment

Soapmaking is 20% chemistry and 80% washing dishes. Heavy steel pots, lye pitchers, and oil-slicked blenders all have to be meticulously scrubbed and sanitized. Once the studio is spotless, the rest of the afternoon is spent wrapping cured bars, boxing up online retail orders, and packing inventory crates destined for our retail shelves at Markets locations across Edmonton, Calgary, and Red Deer.

5:30 PM — Dinner & Kitchen Management

Stepping away from the business labels to step back into the kitchen. This block is dedicated to coming inside, winding down from the studio work, and making a real, hearty dinner from scratch. It's a vital pocket of time to disconnect from the laptop, rest my feet, and enjoy a quiet, home-cooked meal.

9:00 PM — The Evening Lockdown

As the long prairie twilight finally begins to fade, it's time for the final round of chores. I head back out to the pastures under the dusk sky to trail the poultry back into their secure, predator-proof pens for the night. I double-check latches, fill water troughs, and spend some quiet time with my guardian dogs, ensuring they are set up and secure for their night watch. By 10:00 PM, the farm is locked down, safe, and quiet.

Why We Choose the Hard Way

It would be infinitely easier to run a business using synthetic fragrance oils and pre-made soap bases dropped off by a delivery truck. It would save hours of physical labour, eliminate the stress of single-handedly maintaining fences, and give me back my afternoons and evenings.

But taking shortcuts isn't who we are.

I choose the grit because it's the only way to guarantee the absolute integrity of what goes onto your skin. The health of our soil, the happiness of our heritage birds, the vigilance of our guardian dogs, and the precise chemistry of our apothecary studio are all inextricably linked to the dedication poured into this land every single day.

When you use a piece of Straight Arrow Farms, you aren't just getting a clean product — you're getting a tangible piece of this daily dedication, crafted entirely from scratch right here on the Alberta prairies.

Want to bring a piece of the farm home? Browse our handcrafted soap collection and tallow skincare — made with the same grit and care that goes into every single day on this land.