Oak Street Station

Joan and Dennis Hoogendoorn. Photo by Dear Jane Photography.

Amy Hoogendoorn showing sheep at the Lyon County Fair.

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2403 US Highway 18 Inwood IA 51240 good feet. And the most important trait is they’ve got to be self-sufficient. Because I’ve got quite a bit going on, I can’t be here babying them. They’ve got to take care of themselves.” He enjoys working on his own. “That’s the way I like it. It just helps the bottom line. We save Saturdays for if I need a little help. Then Dad or Mom or my sister, Amy, can help.” Amy is a senior at West Lyon High School and has enjoyed showing sheep at the fair. When Brent was at West Lyon, “I was more into dairy back then. I worked at a couple dairies and went to school for dairy science at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. But it helped me – with nutrition, genetics and management style.” After college, he raised some bottle calves. “After we’d get done lambing, I’d pack the barn with baby calves and I had huts outside. But now it seems everybody wants to do it and there’s not much money in it.” Life isn’t all about sheep. He and his wife, Vanessa, have been married since 2015. She is a therapist who works at Sprout Play Therapy in Sioux Falls. She was born in Fairmont, Minn., and grew up in Sioux Falls. “I took a city girl and moved her out to the country. She has no interest in the sheep, but is glad her boys are growing up on the farm,” Brent said.

Vanessa’s work at Sprout Play assists children and their families to find meaningful tools and strategies to help children grow and thrive. According to the late psychologist and play therapy pioneer Virginia Mae Axline, “Play Therapy is based upon the fact that play is the child’s natural medium of self expression ... It is an opportunity which is given to the child to ‘play out’ his feelings and problems just as in certain types of adult therapy an individual ‘talks out’ his difficulties.” In addition to play therapy, Sprout Play offers counseling services for children and their families. Vanessa and the other therapists in the practice collaborate with teachers and daycare providers to develop techniques to improve behaviors. The couple has four sons: Brentley turns five in May; twins Lincoln and Jaxon are three; and Garrett is six months old. Brent joked that with four boys growing up under their roof, “I figure I’ve got free labor until they’re 18.” Brentley enjoys being with his dad and the sheep. “He’s still a little intimidated by some of the older animals. He loves to chase; he’s got his favorite rattle paddle he takes with.” Brent says the boys are all about being outdoors. “We try to go fishing at the Rock River as much as we can. I think the boys like to throw rocks in the river as much as they do fishing, but that’s fine with me. Since the boys are so close in age, I try to do one-on-one time as much as I can.”