Our Story

Luna's Prairie owner and operator, Isaac Moel, moved onto 20 acres of land south of Iowa City, Iowa with his parents and two brothers when he was 12 years old. After remodeling the 100 year old farmhouse, the Moel family started working to restore the corn and soybean fields back to native prairie and wetlands. The images you now see on our website are evidence of all that hard work. Walking the winding paths through the Prairie enjoying the wildflowers, birds, bees, butterflies, pheasants, and other wildlife that now also make Luna's Prairie home are one of the Moel family's favorite things to do. We are so excited to share it all with you!

Unfortunately, on April 23, 2019, the Moel family received some devastating news. At the age of 23, Isaac was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer. Since that time Isaac has undergone several surgeries and dozens of rounds of chemotherapy and fortunately continues to respond well to treatment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was forced to stop working due to treatment side effects and a compromised immune system and found himself in the position of needing to reimagine his future career path. After trying out a goat yoga class with his family, he decided raising Nigerian Dwarf goats might just be a path forward for him. If nothing else, it would keep him active and a smile on his face during the challenges of treatment!

It turned out his instinct was good and he's now grown a healthy and happy herd of goats on the family prairie. Which brings us to the creation of Luna's Prairie! Luna means "moon goddess" and is a very fitting name for the queen of Isaac's Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat herd. Luna and her twin sister, Eleanor, each delivered their first set of twins in the Spring of 2022.

Since then, Isaac has been up early most every morning to milk Luna & Eleanor and then works to turn that milk into the beautiful handmade soaps you can now purchase from Luna's Prairie.

Nigerian Dwarf goats produce very high quality milk which makes extra moisturizing and gentle soaps and lotions for sensitive skin. These products became especially important to Isaac when dealing with the side effects of cancer treatments. It was challenging to find quality, non-toxic, fragrance and dye-free options that actually work, feel and smell good. 
It is his hope that by providing high-quality, local, sustainable, and healthy products anyone can enjoy and feel safe using, he can give back to the community that has supported him through so much! 

 

Isaac also receives support from the Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS) Self-Employment Program. This program provides "technical and financial assistance to help individuals achieve self-sufficiency and work at their optimum level by starting their own Iowa-based small-business". IVRS provides up to $10,000 of financial assistance based on a Dollar-for-Dollar Match. If you are interested in helping to kickstart Luna's Prairie with a direct financial crowdfunding contribution which can then be matched dollar-for-dollar by IVRS you may donate at: https://www.causeteam.com/causepages/support/lunas-prairie. This is where you can also purchase shirts and totes with the original "Luna's Prairie" logo Isaac designed himself.

Thank you for helping Isaac achieve his self-employment dream!

Now go wash your hands!!