She asked me if I would write and article about our homestead farming life. I was honored and hopped to it as the deadline was ct 21. The paper goes out to 45,000+ in NW MT, Northern ID and Eastern WA. Here is what submitted...
If you were one of the friends I grew up with from back east, you would probably not expect me to be living this life...that of a rural Montana dairy goat, pastured chicken and grass-fed beef hobby farmer married to a mountain man of sorts! We like to call it Pioneering in the 21st Century!
I moved to MT after being raised and working in southeasterd PA. I vacationed out here and decided I had to move. I met my hubby Rob that year and we got married in 1998. Ever since I was given of a copy of a mid 70's issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal, we kept dreaming of becoming more self-sufficient. We started by gardening, canning, adding 2 chickens and ducks, and 1 rabbit to our neighborhood back yard. I had started hunting and it became more important to try to eat food of "known" origin. Eventually, we moved to a 12 acre mini farm that has everything we want: mostly fenced pasture, root cellar, barn, gravity fed water, wood heat. It even has a good garden spot, anestablished herb garden and fruit trees. Only problem is nothing was done to this place for years and it still needs LOTS of work. Rob is a gunsmith and likes to be able to testfire and have a small range. We have USFS border, a seasonal brook, 16 goats, 5 cows, 4 rabbits, 3 dogs, 2 children, 1 cat, 1 beehive and several chickens. So, you can imagine we are busy people. Oh, and I do go to work 5 days a week somewhere in there as a Physical Therapist at our local nursing home.
We started off with 4 goats to milk and eat knapweed but Savannah, my first doe barely had an udder to speak of and NEVER stood still. We had a wrestling match twice a day for less than a quart. So, I found some reputable breeders and got a Nubian and a registered Saanen. Later, we rescued an extremely hardy, crazy gymnast of a Toggenberg. I held out on getting a buck for 2 years and I eventually ended up w/ a mixed breed herd of 40. I basically try to keep 4-5 decent milkers at a time and have pared down to 16 goats ( including bucks, does, kids, and 3 token wethers we have limited time to take on pack trips). We drink raw milk and make yogurt, chevre, mozzarella, ricotta and feta cheeses. On occasion, we crank up the separator for cream, butter, ice cream and sour cream. I even freeze some of the whey from cheesemaking in ice cube trays to put in my smoothies in place of ice for added protein and probiotic value. I am not holding my breath for the milk laws to change here, so I can only offer advice to those interested in learning how to make cheese or to start a homestead dairy. Due to its manageable size and lower feed costs, I like to promote the goat as the ideal animal for this.
We have had many challenges and successes and continue to learn more every year in our husbandry. I like to compare goats to dogs in that they are great companions and are highly entertaining. They need a good fenced yard and their toenails trimmed occasionally but just eat different food...preferrably 2nd cutting alfalfa and a good loose mineral with selenium. Production animals (milking/pregnant does and active bucks, growing kids) need an additional 16% protein feed to maintain good condition and development. We have tried lesser quality hay w/ poor results. Luckily, our surrounding area has some of the best hay in the inland northwest.
I tried my hand at raising rabbits but, oddly enough, have not had much success! So, in addition to wild game, our main source of meat is grass fed beef. Queenie is our grumpy but easy calving cow who finally, after 3 times, gave us a heifer. Not that we minded the bull calves! We now have added a Scottish Highland breeding pair to our assortment and may even train one to milk in the future. They are a triple purpose breed used for meat, milk, and fiber and are said to have less naturally occurring cholesterol and fat in their meat. I have come to the conclusion it may be easier to sell beef than goats here for the time I (don't) have to devote to marketing and registered herd management. Every other year, we raise medium grow-out chickens for the freezer as we do not enjoy watching the growth rate of the mutant white Cornish Crosses. We try to follow the teachings of Joel Sallatin for limiting grain (hence, GMO's) and maximizing pasture/hay for optimal health benefits.
I welcome any questions and comments and can be reached at .....................
Visit my blog at http://granitelakefarm.blogspot.com/
