"Hell yeah I eat small trees, what about it?"There’s a few things we’ve chosen to emphasize with our farming model, one of which is to work WITH the land, not against it. Among the multitude of problems we see with so-called “conventional” or “industrial” ag is the unsustainable approach of forcing human technology and infrastructure on mother nature simply because we can and because it’s cheaper and “more efficient” in the short-run. Early memories of dirt feedlots full of cattle eating corn in the deserts of New Mexico come to mind. Those farmers work hard and that’s the way the American milk industry has trended, so I don’t blame them, but that approach just doesn’t make sense to us. So with each decision we not only ask ourselves what it means for the animals, but also for the land.
Because of this we have to remain highly flexible. As we get to know the land better and as it evolves over time we have to adapt our business to make the best use of it. The more time we’ve spent on the farm the more we’ve come to appreciate the fact that right now the land is more suited for dairy goats than it is for dairy cows. Our land is full of wooded areas, cedar saplings, and blackberry bushes. Years of pasture negligence have led to nearly complete erosion of soil organic matter and a rapid increase in “weed” growth. Well, it just so happens that goats tend to prefer many of the “weeds” we're growing and we want to use that to our advantage.
Because of this we have to remain highly flexible. As we get to know the land better and as it evolves over time we have to adapt our business to make the best use of it. The more time we’ve spent on the farm the more we’ve come to appreciate the fact that right now the land is more suited for dairy goats than it is for dairy cows. Our land is full of wooded areas, cedar saplings, and blackberry bushes. Years of pasture negligence have led to nearly complete erosion of soil organic matter and a rapid increase in “weed” growth. Well, it just so happens that goats tend to prefer many of the “weeds” we're growing and we want to use that to our advantage.