RANCH HOURS JULY 4TH 2PM-6PM OPEN TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY!!! RAFFLE IS CLOSED. GOOD LUCK AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO BOUGHT TICKETS!

October Newsletter 2025

posted on

December 23, 2025

Hello October!

1 John 3: 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

👀 Quick Happenings:

(Scroll down for the full scoop — this is for the quick-scanners!)

  • 🎃 HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS! Haunted trails + snacks = fun for all ages!
  • 🐂 Gilbert is off visiting friends at another farm. Living his best life.
  • 🛠️ Barn Update: Getting a little glow-up inside.
  • 👩‍🌾 New Ranch Hand: Meet Breck — she's amazing!
  • 🥛 Salted Caramel Milk: While supplies last — through mid-October.
  • 🥚 Eggnog!!! Coming October 20th!
  • 📦 Shipping is LIVE! If Southwest Airlines flies there, we can ship there.
  • 🔗 LINKS! Anything underlined is clickable.
  • 🦃 Thanksgiving Turkeys: SOLD OUT!
  • ✈️ Travel & Family Time: Nothing crazy — just fun!
  • 🌾 Texas Edition: New babies, chickens, eggs & homeschool adventures

    🎃 Halloween Happenings

    The spooky fun kicks off October 26th and runs through October 31st. Planning is already underway and this year is going to be epic — with new features and creepy creatures!

    🎟️ Tickets are available now on our EVENTS PAGE.
    Pre-purchase isn’t required, but it helps us plan for food and drinks. We love leftovers, but… not that much. 😅

    🐂 Gilbert's Adventure

    Our favorite fuzzy buddy Gilbert is visiting our friends at Windmill Acres Pumpkin Patch. He’s getting spoiled with treats, pets, and even has a new Highland friend to hang with. He’ll be back before Thanksgiving and we’ll be thrilled to welcome him home.

    🛠️ Barn Makeover

    We’re tidying up and making everything more user-friendly inside the barn. Products are being reorganized, and the milk fridge will now be next to the freezer trailer for easier access.

    🛠️ Gus is maybe turning the little loft into a man cave (finally). If it stops him from buying duplicate tools... that’s a win.

    👩‍🌾 Meet Breck — Our New Ranch Hand!

    As Stanley heads off to new adventures with the U.S. Army (we’ll miss him so much 💛), we welcome Breck to the team!

    She’s taken on daily chores, packing orders, and runs the show during open hours:
    🕙 TUES & THURS: 10am–6pm | SAT: 10am–5pm

    She’s passionate about farming and dreams of running her own farm one day. We’re lucky to have her!

    🥛 Seasonal Milk Flavors

  • Salted Caramel Milk: Only available through mid-October — get it while you can!
  • Eggnog: It’s baaack! 🎉
    ⏰ Available starting October 20th — now open for PRE-ORDER for Thanksgiving in pint or 1.75L sizes.
  • 📦 Nationwide Shipping is HERE!

    Yes, we did it — and it’s awesome.

    We’ve partnered with Southwest Airlines Cargo to ship to most major U.S. cities. Here’s how it works:

  • Enter your ZIP code at checkout.
  • We’ll show nearby airport pickup options. Within 200 miles of your zip code.
  • Your order ships frozen to that airport’s cargo building with refrigeration.
  • You pick it up. Easy!
  • 💸 Only $5 shipping — no crazy fees.
     

    🔗 Clickable Links

    Anywhere you see underlined text, it’s clickable and takes you straight to the details on our website. Gotta love good tech. 😉

    🦃 Thanksgiving Turkeys: SOLD OUT

    Thank you for trusting our small, family ranch with your holiday meals!

    🗓️ Pick-up dates: Nov 26–27
    We’re officially sold out for 2025, but pre-orders for 2026 open in January 2026.

    🔔 Heads up: We won’t be offering smoked turkeys next year so we can travel and spend more holidays with family.

    ✈️ Travel & Family Time

  • Missouri: We’re heading there post-Thanksgiving to chill with the fam.
  • Texas: In November, we're off to celebrate our grandson’s 2nd birthday!
  • HLR TX Visit: Spending time with our southern crew.
  • While we're on the road, Breck will hold down the fort — no closures expected.

    Other fam updates:

  • 🌍 Nina is traveling, presenting her geology work in San Antonio and New Orleans. France might be next!
  • 🛠️ Niko is staying local and continuing his amazing journey in carpentry.
  • 🌾 Texas Edition

    🐷 Tammabelle Had Her Babies!

    Tammy (Tammabelle) had her babies last month and they are absolutely thriving! They were housed in the backyard where there was existing shelter from the elements since we weren't quite expecting them so soon, as is always the case. They have since moved back out to pasture with their own sweet little set up. Momma and babies will stay separated from the others just a little longer but they have plenty of room to roam and root.

    🥚 New Egg Layers

    Our new hens are settling in beautifully — learning the lay of the land (get it? 😄). We’ll be rolling out fresh eggs soon, and pullet eggs are in season now — small but mighty!

    🎓 Homeschool Adventures

    HLR-TX is a homeschooling household, and this month we’re hosting the Henderson County homeschool group.

    🗺️ Ranch tour + pulled pork sandwiches (because ranch walking = hungry).
    🎨 Free HLRTX coloring sheets for kids.

    Need info? Call us at 📞 903-336-2522
    🚚 Delivery & Pickup Options in Texas are up and running! And we mean running! Orders are coming from Houston on up to Dallas! Monthly home delivery (check your zip code on our website) and two pickup locations are currently available. HLR - Texas Edition page

    🌱 Our Promise

    Real food.
    ❌ No pesticides
    ❌ No toxins
    ❌ No antibiotics
    ❌ No GMOs
    ❌ No corn or soy

    Just the way God intended. 💚

    🛒 Visit the Website

    Check out all the goodies we have in-store for you!

💌 Share the Love. Get the Bonus.

Referrals literally pay off!
✅ Your friend gets $10 off
✅ You get $10 credit
Everyone wins (especially your freezer).

Just log into your Happy Life Ranch and click Referral in the top right. Don't have an account? Go create one and get an instant $10 credit use anytime, no expiration. Thanks for helping more families discover clean, local, ranch-raised food! PLEASE NOTE: This Also applies to Happy Life Ranch Texas Edition!

🎁 Bundle Boxes = Best Gift Ever

Our Rancher’s Choice Bundle Boxes make the perfect gift. Who doesn’t love giving (and getting) the gift of health? We list what’s inside on the site, and if something’s out of stock, we’ll sub it with something just as good.

Honestly, these should be as normal as giving a spa day.

🥩 Catering? Yep, We Do That.

Proteins and sides for your next shindig. Give us a call.

🕒 Hours of Operation

Pickups, visits & high-fives:
Tues & Thurs | 10 AM – 6 PM
Saturdays | 10 AM – 5 PM
Need another time? Call or text — we’ll make it work.

🙏 Thank You!

Thanks for letting us into your inbox — and for trusting us with your family’s food. That’s a big deal to us.

Got feedback? Shoot us a note at info@happyliferanch.com
Love what we do? Share us with a friend: Happy Life Ranch Website

From our barn to your table,
The Happy Life Ranch Crew

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Realize the interconnectedness of everything ~ author unknown
Click here to see our recipes. We will add to it regularly.
Happy Life Ranch Illinois team
Happy Life Ranch Texas Edition Team

Ordered and picked up delicious food , eggs, milk and meats and was able to see the ranch and how they treat the animals ethically and with compassion ~ Google review from Tom



This was my first experience buying fresh lamb from a ranch to cook on the spit for Greek Easter. The ordering process was made easy with their website and the communication after the order was placed was impeccable. And above all, the lamb was DELICIOUS! Will be coming here for fresh meat from now on. ~ Jason
 

More from the blog

May 2026 newsletter

New Life on the Ranch… and a Big Rebuild Ahead This has gone through a thousand edits because there's just so much we want to say. SPRING/RAIN/MUD...done 🐑 New Life (and Real Talk)We’ve got a brand-new baby lamb, just about a week old, and thriving. First-time mama is doing amazing, and the whole herd seems to be watching over her.Bo (our OG sheep) is still getting ready to lamb, and as of writing this… we just had TEN piglets born 🐖💥 with more on the way from two other mommas. But let's jump into the hard talk part:We lost a large portion of our sheep herd this winter. That hit us all hard, emotionally and financially. The cattle herd is also thin, meaning they aren't up to an acceptable-to-us weight to be sent to freezer camp. We won’t rush it, our cattle are pasture-raised, corn and soy-free, which means they grow slower, but better. The result is cleaner, healthier, better-tasting beef… it just takes time. 👉 No lamb available for the foreseeable future (hopefully next year)👉 Beef herd is thin → limited availability (working hard to solve this)We DO have:🍯 Honey • 🥛 Milk • 🧈 Butter • 🥓 Pork (lots of pork)• 🥚 Eggs • 🥩 Meat sticks & jerky *Working on the chicken  🎟️ RAFFLE: Help Us Rebuild (and WIN Big) This started as a celebration of our nation's 250th birthday and has become a little more urgent for us: 🎟️ $10 tickets🥩 Multiple meat prizes🥇 FREE MEAT FOR A YEAR Every ticket helps us: Restock the freezerPay for processingRebuild herds👉 Buy tickets  🐔 Eggs Are BackChickens are laying strong again → limit increased to 4 dozen/order 👉 Order eggs 📦 Order Online (This Really Helps)Ordering online helps us plan, forecast, and avoid shortages. 👉 Shop here Pro tip: Check your order before delivery/pick up. With the shortages we are having, it could change daily. especially subscription peeps. We will always do our best to match what you want. 🚚 Delivery + 📍 PickupDelivery: $5 fee • NO minimumChicagoland + surrounding areasShipping via Southwest Airlines Pickup Locations: Beecher (Ranch)Evanston (TruFit)Hegewisch (Baltimore Food & Liquors)Wicker Park / Noble Square 👉 Want to host a pickup spot or know someone who might? Reply to this email, we read them all! ⚡ Farmers Market UpdateWe were set for Manteno… but no electrical capacity for our freezer setup.It’s the #1 reason we don’t do more markets—our food has to stay properly stored. We get this is a big ask of markets. Rest assured, if you placed an order to pick up there, we will be setting up delivery to you free of charge. We’ll keep looking for solutions (and yes, we’ll still come visit as customers 😊). 🐝 Bees & What’s ComingWe added 6 bee hives 🐝Honey is in stock now from our friends in Southeastern Tinley Park and honey should be flowing here on the ranch by July! ❤️ Ranch Family Update🎓 Nina graduates U of I May 16 → heading to U of AZ for her Master’s🔧 Gus is back in telecom (health insurance is no joke)🤝 Melissa doing some caregiver work🛠️ Niko becoming a top-notch carpenter🐄 Breck is absolutely crushing it as ranch manager 🤠 Texas EditionTexas crew is growing strong—watch for their separate newsletter. Please add Texasedition@happyliferanch.com to your contacts list so the newsletter doesn't go to spam.👉 Texas Edition ❤️ Final ThoughtWe’re rebuilding—not rushing, not cutting corners. Mission:To raise clean, honest food the right way—caring for the land, respecting our animals, and feeding families we’re proud to serve.If you want to be part of that:👉 Buy a raffle ticket👉 Place an order👉 Share what we’re doingIt truly means everything.— The Happy Life Ranch Family 🐄 🐖 🐑 🐔

Update for 2026

What is Happy Life Ranch? We're a family-owned regenerative ranch in Beecher, Illinois raising truly pasture-raised beef, pork, and chicken. Our animals are raised without antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, corn, or soy and are rotationally grazed on diverse pastures. What do you sell? We offer beef, pork, chicken, farm-fresh eggs, Amish Country dairy products, and bulk beef and pork options including whole, half, and quarter shares.