Our Story
Nettle Felt Better
In 1994, with a vision of creating a place of physical and spiritual healing, the Harvey family purchased a 32 acre farm in Milan, MI and Peaceful Pastures was born. The farm was devoted to providing a place of rest and rehabilitation for off-track horses. However nine years after opening its pastures, Mike Harvey, the patriarch of the family, developed a heart condition known as Prinzmetal’s Angina that left him unable to continue with his dream. As the farm began to fall into decline, barely making ends meet, son Joe Harvey moved back to Milan and took over the running of the farm. Renaming the property “FarmYard”, Joe began focusing on the rescue and rehabilitation of all types of animals, including goats, pigs and alpaca, along with their beloved horses. Spending a lot of time in the surrounding woods, Joe noticed the property had an abundance of Stinging Nettle growing practically everywhere. Curious about the plant, research began, and that is when Joe was introduced to the multitude of healing properties that naturally occur in Nettle. After nearly two years of studying this remarkable plant and its history in Native American healing, the family began consuming the plant daily to test its effects. Much to everyone’s delight, Mike began seeing a near miraculous improvement with his heart and the pain associated with his condition to the point that he no longer suffers from the disease at all. Sue, the matriarch of the family, also began using the plants topically to treat joint pain with great success. Even the animals were seeing faster improvements in their rehabilitation, as Nettle tea as added to their water daily. Witnessing the improved health and well-being in himself and everyone around him has lead Joe to his passion and desire of sharing Nettle with the world.
5 Year Vision: To implement the traditional Native American methods of purposely growing and cultivating Nettle, in such a way as to increase the supply while still allowing the plant to thrive in the wild and to be certified organic. To continue and increase exposure of the “Nettle Felt Better” brand through online marketing and sales, with an expansion into physical store sales as well. In order to increase awareness of nettle’s many beneficial properties and its use in traditional healing, FarmYard aims to provide educational materials including medical research, traditional history, and testimonials via various social media outlets. FarmYard will expand its brand through the eventual cultivation of other natural herbs that are complimentary to FarmYard’s goal of spreading health and wellness through nutritional healing. In five years the brand will be regionally known and respected for its commitment to quality, tradition, and responsible education in the use of natural remedies.
