Before 10 a.m., he and his little sister had brushed a donkey, sprinkled cracked corn for hens and fed horses, too.

In the big city, Isaiah wouldn't get to touch nature, but his family took a vacation to Leaping Lamb Farm east of Alsea.

The rural business has operated a farm stay - a sort of small agricultural inn - for three years, offering one family at a time a scenic spot and a chance to partake in the more rewarding chores.

"It's pretty cool," said Isaiah. He and his little sister Jordan, who is nearly 2 years old, particularly liked the chickens, said their father, Stephen Woolworth.

"Seeing her eyes yesterday when we were going to feed the birds, that was worth it alone," he said.

"Educationally, it's great for the kids," added Sherri Woolworth, Stephen's wife and the children's mother.

Leaping Lamb Farm is owned by Scottie Jones and her husband Greg Jones, who moved to Alsea from the Phoenix area six years ago.

The couple was looking for a change in lifestyle when they bought their 60-acre spread, but initially thought they'd run a conventional farm focusing on lamb meat production, Scottie Jones said.

The farm stay, however, now brings in the most revenue for the business.

"It's been far more successful than we ever thought it would be," she said.

Guests have come from Oregon, across America and even from foreign countries, where farm stays are a more common form of tourism.

Jones said she hopes to encourage more locals to open farm stays, saying that the demand already is there, and there are few such businesses in the United States.

"There's this groundswell of people wanting to go back to the land, to reconnect. It seems like a good opportunity," she said.

Leaping Lamb Farm has been featured in Sunset Magazine and on the Today Show. The farm stay is available year-round, and spring also is a popular time to visit because of newborn lambs.

The farm consists of 20 acres of pasture, 40 acres of woods, hiking trails, a garden, fruit trees and Honey Grove Creek. What it doesn't have is television and cellular phone reception.

The cost is $125 for up to two people, and $25 for each additional person.

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Information from: Gazette-Times,