SPRING AWAKENING

Brown County: You might know the southern Indiana region for its namesake state park or shop-packed main street in tiny Nashville. Or maybe you know it as the muse of Impressionist painter T.C. Steele. But do you know the people who call it home? Those producing sweet mash whiskey, farming sustainably or running an artsy inn that stands out among chockablock cabins? Meet three entrepreneurs and the creative pursuits they're bringing to this popular area.

- JULIA SAYERS GOKHALE 

THE GOAT

Tonya Plachy balances a toddler on her hip as CONSPIRACY she bends down and scoops up a newborn goat. The brown-and-black patchwork kid snuggles into her arms as her (human) baby reaches out to pat its head. At The Goat Conspiracy, a working goat farm and creamery-turned-sanctuary, Plachy has her arms full-both literally and figuratively. She raises her family in a straw-bale house next to the farm. Plachy and her team-including her husband, Josh Jackson, and co-owners Nicole Schonemann and Mark Veldman-lead goat yoga classes and operate an on-site Airbnb.

It's very much a grassroots, organic operation. Plachy's kids run around the property, forging bonds with the animals they raise. Plachy walks through the pastures, evaluating the goats' impact and determining where they need to rotate next in order to not exhaust the land. "That was a really big part of our theory," she explains. "We want to be as sustainable as we can. We needed to get back to the soil because that's where our food comes from." It's also the reason they decided to cease their creamery operation in early 2024. "We enjoyed the creativity that goes. into making cheese," says Schonemann, who previously ran the creamery. "But after learning that meat and dairy are two of the largest contributors to climate change, we felt that we were on the wrong side of that equation." The team has now turned the farm into a retirement home for goats and chickens. Visitors can book a farm tour or sign up for a yoga class, and plans for concerts are on the horizon too.

Before founding The Goat Conspiracy, Plachy and Jackson worked in social services and then nomadically traveled the country via bike for several months before being called back to the land. "It's grounding for me," Plachy says. "I enjoy this and feel very thankful to be here. But what keeps me going is the outside filter of new energy that comes here."