Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Gray.
Hi Rob, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Gray Hobby Farm – Our hobby farm began with 2 apple trees in year one. In year 2, we transplanted raspberry plants with my grandfather from their home. and asparagus and rhubarb from my parent’s home. Over the years, we added many layers to our farm trying to increase our production, efficiency, and services annually. We went organic in 2014, and now use only excrement from our barns and coops to fertilize and mulch our gardens to assist in soil amendments and rejuvenation. Our animals eat solely organically meaning our products are organic and our gardens receive organic fertilizer.
By 2006, we were growing over 20 different types of fruits and vegetables. We felt we had a handle on that and so we added chickens. We got 10 chickens in year 1, and 3 more from our son’s school after the school year ended. In 2017, we added goats and now have a seasonal Goat Yoga program at our farm. We added aeroponic tower gardening to our home in 2022 so we can grow green leafy vegetables, herbs, etc….
Over the years we have produced many items for consumption by canning, freezing, or storing in our homemade root cellar. Applesauce, apple pies, raspberry rhubarb jams, pizza sauce, pasta sauce, salsa, candied jalapenos are amongst the items we can. We store root crops like potatoes, carrots, squash and onions in our root cellar. And we have frozen many vegetables. In the summer, we can produce most of our food on site. During the winter, the eggs still make a wonderful breakfast while our canned goods are great supplements to what we eat.
The farm is a FT job in the summer. We typically have 3-4 Goat Yoga classes a week between public and private classes, and the gardening is non-stop. During the remainder of the year, we like to travel when we can get people to watch our animals. My wife, Mary, works remotely and has some flexibility. Myself (Rob), am a certified pickleball professional. I teach play and teach lessons mostly in MN, but also in many areas of the country and have international trips planned for 2026 and 2027.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hobby Farming is not a huge profit machine. The rewards from the farm come in the form of a feeling of accomplishment for successfully navigating our intended goals. We love the relationships with our animals and the products of our efforts from our gardens and chickens. The Goat Milk itself is my favorite. Goat milk ice cream is the best, and the organic soap my wife makes has solved all my skin issues. But there are challenges to hobby farming. Profitability is difficult in a small farm. Rainy seasons require us to occasionally cancel a goat yoga class, while drought makes it much more difficult to obtain bountiful returns from our gardens and orchard. For every one hour of a Goat Yoga class, there is probably 10+ hours behind the scenes to make it run. But is it all worth it? Absolutely! We believe the food industry overall is not a healthy one. Reports of plastic in foods, preservatives, etc… all make it exciting when you can grow something healthy, or milk a goat and make ice cream or soap or just throw in on your cereal. We have definitely learned a lot by hobby farming. Building structures, doing amateur vet care, and so many other things, can be a challenge at times. Fortunately, we had a plan to only add one new thing a year. We felt that each year when we would get efficient with our current farm, we would add something new. The last couple of years we have focused on efficiencies over additions as we are happy with what we have.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I spent the majority of my professional life as a manager in the fitness industry. I enjoyed the work, but it was demanding. My wife and I desired to do more with our farm, grow healthy foods, live a healthy life, and decrease our stress. So I left the industry in 2018 and incorporated the Farm and began Goat Yoga. I also began playing pickleball and by 2022, played in my first senior professional event, got certified as a teaching pro, and began teaching lessons. Now I am known mostly for being a “Goat Farming Pickleball pro”. Some people don’t believe me when I tell them what I do.
My wife, Mary, has been a Nurse Practitioner for her career. She currently works as an educator in her field.
What sets us apart? We are both health driven, hard-working people. It is not uncommon for us to work a full time day and then have a yoga class at night, or work in the garden until sun down. We are fully invested in a healthy lifestyle.
What matters most to you?
There are so many things we deem important to our lives. Our Christian Faith and love for Jesus is at the center of everything we do. We do some sort of Bible Study, church attendance, discussion, or prayer time every day. Our wonderful children, grandchildren, parents, and extended family are our greatest blessing. We have so many great friends as well. We feel very blessed to have so much love in our lives and on our farm and are so thankful for everything that has been provided to us.
Lastly, we are thankful for the kidney that I recently got transplanted to me in November of 2025. My dear friend Matt was a match and happily saved my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grayhobbyfarm.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grayhobbyfarm
