Speaking for the Farms

Starting this blog is pretty uppity of me. After all, who am I to try and speak for all the farmers, or all the consumers.?Well, farmers and consumers don't talk often enough and since there are more buyers than growers out in the world, at least in America, someone has to try and build a bridge. 

So here I am.

I'm a sustainable, not organic, goat farmer raising Nigerian dwarf goats in central MA. I'm not a big grower, nor am I a factory farmer. My goats have names, as well as registration numbers. I milk them everyday, twice a day, even when it's cold. (Of course, if they aren't in milk, I just feed, water and take care of them.) I've also taught lots of children about meat, milk, eggs and gardens, and watched their parents nod in amazement from behind. There have been plenty of times when the kids can't even get their questions asked because the "grown ups," are learning too and the conversation has taken a "grown up," turn.

There are lots of times when the news reports only the words of the USDA (Dept. of Agriculture), or a big Ag-giant, and the information doesn't apply to those of us who farm like I do. We need to have a voice too, and since I've been doing this orally for 20+ years I figured I'd just put it writing. If you have any questions about food safety, farmer's choices, how to do something? just ask. I don't just mean consumers, but also people who are dreaming of a farm or garden of their own, or already have one. 

However, this is not a place to discuss animal rights or omnivore/vegetarian. There are lots of places to do that, and from my experience there is no easy way to keep things civil. So, for the record, I'm a "card carrying" animal welfare practicing, meat eating farmer who knows all my animals by name, remembers their parents and doesn't have to look up in a computer who they gave birth to. I'm also an environmentalist who greatly respects those who  choose to avoid meat, but God gave me canine teeth and He knows more than I do, so I'll follow his lead.

Hope this grows into a community of friends. I'm better at raising awareness than I am at carrots, so this, and the goats, are my main commodity. Hope you enjoy it.