Sustainable Farming With Dairy Goats: Anne Cavanagh and Bill Thacker

Sustainable Farming with Dairy Goats
Anne Cavanagh
and
Bill Thacker
The Domesticated Goat
• The first domesticated farm animals
• 860 million worldwide with 2.5-3.0 million in U.S.
• Depending on breed, goats are kept mainly for
milk, meat, or fiber
• Worldwide, more people
eat meat and drink milk
from goats than from any
other animal
• Also used in livestock
shows, for brush control, as
pack animals, and as pets
• Goat farms in the U.S. are
almost all small (well less
than 500 head)
• Herbivores with four-chamber stomachs
(ruminants) that browse rather than graze
• A male goat: “buck” or a “billy” – or “wether” if
castrated
• A female goat: “doe” or “nanny”
• 1 to 3 “kids” per doe in the
spring after a gestation period of
about 150 days
• Within minutes of birth, kids are
walking and drinking colostrum
• Life expectancy is around 8 to 12
years
KalCarbon Acres, Home of
Mattawan Artisan Creamery
Farm Background
• Founded 2005 on 19 acres used for corn for many
years, then fallow for several years
• Consulted with Cooperative Extension, area
farmers, USDA and other publications, the internet
• Attended Extension course “Farming 101”
• Looked at new market opportunities that fit our
interests, small size, and zoning
Farm Background
• Rising demand for naturally grown local food, and
premium price for artisan cheese
• Goats have good feed conversion (150 pound doe
produces 3,000-4,000 pounds of milk per
lactation) and do not require large equipment for
care and transport
• Ability to grow some of our own hay and rotate
areas used for gardens and pastures
• Chose goat cheese as the primary farm product
Farm Background
• Purchased two young, pregnant Alpine goats
• Grew goat herd slowly (mostly internal) to avoid
serious mistakes
• For the first few years sold herbs and vegetables to
local restaurants
• Also had heritage-breed, free-range chickens for
eggs and, later, turkeys for meat
Basic Considerations with Goat Farming
• Goat breeds
• Herd growth and culling
• Pasture, feed, and water
• Housing and bedding
• Fencing and predators
• Hoof and health care
• Breeding and kidding
• Milking and processing
• Manure management
Goat Challenges
• Require more attention
than many farm
animals:
- Escape artistry
- Kidding needs
- Predators
• Though now better,
regulators have been
unfamiliar with goats
and small operations in
general
Goat Challenges
• Problematic parasites and other diseases. We kept
a closed herd and did not show, which limited
herd growth but kept the goats healthier
• There are few veterinarians in Michigan who care
for small ruminants. Fortunately, a local vet was
highly knowledgeable
Pasture Rotation Considerations
• Feed value
• Parasite control
• Need to separate goats by age, gender, milkers
• Kids need the cleanest space possible, ideally no
goats for years
Breeding Options
• Breed your own doe with own buck if sufficiently
unrelated
• Take doe offsite to a buck or bring buck onsite –
best for family-scale operations but disease risk
• Bucks onsite can ruin milk taste (“goaty” or
“bucky”) unless precautions enacted that require
space and effort
• Artificial insemination
What to do with Male Goats?
• Few are needed for breeding, but
registered bucks can be sold for a
good price
• Some breeders euthanize unwanted
males at birth (not us!)
• Limited market for land clearing or
pet duties
• Meat option is possible, particularly
if pasture is available to keep males
and there are local ethnic markets
Meat Issues
• Establishing markets for goat meat
• Meat sold to stores, restaurants and the public
requires a processor regulated by USDA's Food
Safety and Inspection Service
• Animals can be sold to individuals who will
slaughter for personal/family use (ethnic cross-
cultural communication)
• Humane handling
• Prices obtained for goat meat significantly
improved over the past few years
Farm Regulation
• There are no USDA or FDA regulatory standards
for defining or using the terms
- “Humane” animal treatment on farms
- “Sustainable” management of farms
- “Natural” food products
• The USDA National Organic Program (organic
standard) governs organic foods
• Organic farms must demonstrate they are
protecting natural resources, conserving
biodiversity, and using only approved substances
Farm Regulation
• Compliance must be verified by an accredited
certifying agent before products can be labeled
USDA organic
• We were not certified organic but avoided

prohibited substances and otherwise followed
organic requirements
• Chefs, store owners, and the public could visit the
farm and see the operations
• Concerns with the organic standard have been a
driver for the local food movement
Commercial Dairy Regulation
• “Farm side” refers to the milking of animals and
the refrigerated storage of raw milk, which
requires a license
• Most producers, who have cows, ship raw milk
offsite for processing, although we did not
• Transportation requires another license, even for a
small sample headed to an analytical lab
• Processing side (pasteurization, cheese making,
packaging, etc.) requires another license
The First Few Years
• Learned to care for goats and make cheese,
starting with two bred does (Ima & Ity) and
donkey Bo
• Developed relationships with local farmers, feed
supplier, veterinarian, Cooperative Extension, and
early customers
• Established pastures and kept land free of
substances prohibited by the National Organic
Program (NOP)
• Minimized drug use on goats relative to NOP
• Worked with MDARD to plan commercial dairy
In 2008
• Added a parlor to our north
barn for mechanical
milking of goats
• Built dairy building, which
included a milk house,
pasteurizer room, packing
room, laboratory, restroom,
and mechanical room
• Obtained MDARD Grade
A License for the farm
side; Manufacturing Milk
Permit for processing side
More 2008
• Began selling fresh
cheese (chevre and feta)
to local restaurants and
retail outlets, June to
October
• Cheese also sold
directly to public at
summer farmers
markets
Cheese Making Basics
• Pasteurize milk if cheese to be
aged less than 60 days
• Add bacterial culture and rennet
(coagulant for curd formation)
• Heat and cut the curds
• Drain whey
• Knit or press curds
• Salt or other additives
Later Years
• Increased number of
milkers, length of milking
season, customer base
• Rented land from
neighbors for additional
pasture and began land
rehab there
• Michigan Cheese Makers
Cooperative formed
Cow Milk “Greek” Yogurt
• Required an upgrade to Grade A processing
facility (no hand capping of containers)
• Larger (100 gal.) pasteurizer installed
• First customer was a frozen yogurt shop
• Milk obtained from pastured Jersey cows at a
nearby farm, Moo-nique Dairy
• In 2011 began selling yogurt retail through the
same outlets as goat cheese
Recent Developments
• Most of goat herd sold due to family move
to TC
• Cheese making no longer done at farm
• A few pregnant goats were brought to
Kingsley and live in that area
• Donkey Bo now lives in TC at Peace
Ranch
• A few goats remain on the family farm,
where son Steve and family now live
• Production of cow-milk yogurt has been
expanding
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• We were not certified organic but avoided

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