11/20/2024
In April, everything changed. We experienced a brutal and devastating goat death that changed the course of our future. For context, we have been working our asses off, and exhausted,for more than 10 years farming. We did it because we loved the goats so much. This winter, I lost my two original goats, who died of old age, and their deaths really affected me. Fast-forward to April, during kidding season (which everybody knows I hate so much because it is so stressful), andJon texted me that something was wrong with his favorite goat, who was due to kid in one week. I immediately prepared to call the vet, when Jon walked in the door and told me it was already too late. We lost her and her babies that fast. Our best guess is that it was likely due to some kind of trauma, from being pushed around by another goat. Before bursting into tears and losing it, I told Jon that I was done. I was really done. Over it. He agreed. On that day back in April, we decided that this season would be our last season goat farming. We’ve had a great ten years farming in Maine- but I’m not going to lie- it’s been really hard- financially, physically, emotionally. Farmstead goat farming is not easy. Jon and I have both realized that we have other passions we wish to pursue. I for one am focused on my human children, teaching, and traveling. I still love goats and we still have some of our herd- but now they’re mostly just pets that I get to enjoy for fun. We haven’t closed our farm, but we’ve changed a lot. We now only make cow milk yogurt and goat milk soap. We have stopped doing farmers markets (hallelujah for not having to pack coolers and prep for market before leaving for my teaching job in the mornings). We wholesale our cow yogurt and soap, and have soap and gear available on our website. We thank our sweet goat that we lost in April (I still can’t bring myself to write her name)- for we really believe she came into our lives, and left so quickly, to help us look at our lives and decide what is really important to us. We are excited for this next chapter, and we are really really ready for it!
