Lilly, our "spokesgoat" and queen of our herd.
Neither of us had any experience with livestock before we got our first goat; we had gotten a few silkie bantum chickens a few years before, but that was the sum total of our experience. What began as a brief conversation after reading an article about raising goats and making cheese blossomed into a new lifestyle. We wanted some structure and purpose in our lives as we looked forward to retirement - and we found it!
We began to look for goats, prepare space for them and get permission from the town early in 2007. We got our first goat on July 4th, 2007, and two others in August. Three more were added in December, with the first kids delivered here in April 2008.
Goats, like many other dairy animals, need to be milked twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. Initially there were some very frusterating moments and we were VERY slow milkers. But, as with almost everything, practice makes perfect. What used to take 45 minutes now takes 5. We have gotten used to the routine of this lifestyle - and it is a lifestlye, not just a hobby or business...make no mistake! - and have fully integrated the goats into our family.
As our milk production increased we began making cheese right away. In talking with friends and family it became clear that there was a market for goat cheese. We began t investigate how to obtain our state dairy license and renovate a small building, that was a home office, into a dairy. After completing all of the required paperwork and passing a state inspection we recieved our dairy license in April of 2009. During this time we also applied for and received our state mobile vendor's license to allow us to sell our products at local famer's markets. Our licenses have successfully been renewed each year.
In 2009 we won a number of awards for our products, including a "best in show" for our yogurt, at the American Diary Goat Association competition (see our award section). In 2010 we produced 2,000 pounds of cheese from fewer than 24 miniture goats -- literally a ton of cheese!
Much of what we have learned has come from experience. We have also learned from reading books, searching the internet, and talking with other farmers. Many thanks to the kind folks at Bombahook Acres, Old Mountain Farm, and Whitbred Farm, all of whom have shared their knowledge and advice freely and to whom we are forever grateful. We have also found the folks at Hoegger's Supply, our favorite goat supply store, and their catalog to be great resources.
We began to look for goats, prepare space for them and get permission from the town early in 2007. We got our first goat on July 4th, 2007, and two others in August. Three more were added in December, with the first kids delivered here in April 2008.
Goats, like many other dairy animals, need to be milked twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. Initially there were some very frusterating moments and we were VERY slow milkers. But, as with almost everything, practice makes perfect. What used to take 45 minutes now takes 5. We have gotten used to the routine of this lifestyle - and it is a lifestlye, not just a hobby or business...make no mistake! - and have fully integrated the goats into our family.
As our milk production increased we began making cheese right away. In talking with friends and family it became clear that there was a market for goat cheese. We began t investigate how to obtain our state dairy license and renovate a small building, that was a home office, into a dairy. After completing all of the required paperwork and passing a state inspection we recieved our dairy license in April of 2009. During this time we also applied for and received our state mobile vendor's license to allow us to sell our products at local famer's markets. Our licenses have successfully been renewed each year.
In 2009 we won a number of awards for our products, including a "best in show" for our yogurt, at the American Diary Goat Association competition (see our award section). In 2010 we produced 2,000 pounds of cheese from fewer than 24 miniture goats -- literally a ton of cheese!
Much of what we have learned has come from experience. We have also learned from reading books, searching the internet, and talking with other farmers. Many thanks to the kind folks at Bombahook Acres, Old Mountain Farm, and Whitbred Farm, all of whom have shared their knowledge and advice freely and to whom we are forever grateful. We have also found the folks at Hoegger's Supply, our favorite goat supply store, and their catalog to be great resources.
Rocky. She and Lilly were some of the first goats we purchased in 2007.
