FGFCara

Thanks for asking this question!
You are correct that we are not certified organic. During our initial dairy build and licensing in 2009, my husband and I discussed in depth whether we thought that being certified organic was a direction we wanted to go. There were two major factors in our decision to not certify organic:

1) As much as possible, we try to keep our purchases local- especially when it comes to feed for the animals. We purchase the vast majority of our hay from farms within a 10-20 mile radius of our farm. We personally know the farmer who is tending the fields and how he is managing them. He regularly has come to pick up our manure pile to fertilize these fields, but he is not certified organic. We purchase bedding (shavings are the common bedding up here) from a local lumber mill. The lumber mill is not certified organic. If we were to pursue organic certification, we would be trucking these things from all over the state and region, if not farther. We feel better about knowing our fellow farmers and producers- being able to see the field where the hay is cut, etc.

2) Animal health and well being. For dairy animals to remain in a productive certified organic herd, there is a very narrow range of medical options available for treatment should a problem arise. Most traditional western medicine options, antibiotics, NSAIDs, etc, are out. We feel that our animals should be able to get the best treatment available are not comfortable limiting our options when it comes to their comfort.

I am certainly not anti-organic by any stretch of the imagination. This was a decision based on our set of circumstances and experiences.

Nubians are kind of the diva princesses of the goat world. They like to talk. Some people find this annoying, but we generally get a kick out of it. We can tell many of them apart by their voices.

My husband was bottle feeding the kids a few years ago, and one of the kids lost sight of my husband. The kid immediately started yelling and it sounded like he was saying. "Dad? DAD?! DAAAAAADDD?!?!?!"

Another great question, thanks!

When we first starting raising animals that we knew were destined for the dinner table, it was a little weird. We raise the wethers right alongside the doe kids, so there is no difference in the quality of life that the boys enjoy. We take them to a butcher that we feel confident in and comfortable with, all in a group so they have their herdmates with them. We thank them for contributing to our lives and the farm.

Our herd is overall, pretty young. We have a couple of older does that we will retire in a couple more seasons. These girls, Rain and Grace in particular, will live out their days on the farm for sure. A dry doe is a pretty easy keeper, and these ladies have done more than enough to earn their place chilling out in the pasture to live out their days.

As we have more animals that we need to part with, we will sell them to families, hope to get involved with 4H groups, etc. We have had a good number of interested people looking for does, but we have been keeping them all so far to continue to be able to make more cheese and yogurt.

Goats are awesome, I definitely agree! :)

They can be a bit problematic as far as the whole keeping them contained thing. The best possible advice I can give is to keep them busy! We have had really good experiences with portable electric net fencing and moving them regularly around in the woods and pasture. Even our buck respects this type of fence, and as long as he's happily munching on the pasture or trees.

Don't keep just one goat- they will drive you absolutely crazy. ;) They are herd animals and need a companion- in the absence of another goat, you will be that companion.

An intact male (buck) can get pretty stinky and obnoxious in the fall during the breeding season, but a castrated male (wether) is generally a really easy animal to keep- just do not feed them lots of grain! They do not need all that extra energy and are prone to urinary stones and obstruction. A female (doe) that is not in milk is pretty easy too, and you always have the option for kids and milk.

I was born in Bangor- small world :)

Factory farming certainly is the source of some horrific images and stories. Before we started raising our own animals, I didn't eat meat for years, unless it was game from hunting- my dad has hunted deer regularly for as long as I can remember.

Our main goal at our farm is raising animals is a low stress, happy and comfortable environment. We raise the goats for diary and meat, and we have also been raising pigs for the past few years. The pigs are a great addition to the dairy because we feed them the whey from the cheesemaking. And they are such cool animals.

Anyway- to answer your question- how do we make sure they have happy healthy lives? We take into account what that animal is supposed to be doing. Goats want to browse in the woods and on pasture if it's there, they want a protected place to sleep and rest, they want space to interact and caper around. We give them those things. We make sure they are doing well in terms of health by knowing all of our animals. We very quickly can tell if someone is feeling a bit off, or needs their hooves trimmed or a change in their food just by watching how they act.

The pigs want space to root around and dig in the dirt and plants and acorns to eat. We make sure they have water and mud to wallow in. Our sow is due to farrow in the next few weeks and we've moved her to a private shelter with her own pen and wallow and lots of space to have her piglets.

In one of my classes in vet school this past year, there was a discussion about the "animal-ness of the animal." "The pig-ness of the pig or the cow-ness of the cow." How much can that animal do the things that would come naturally to it? That's the environment we really try to provide.

How can we stop factory farming? Know where your food is coming from. Buy from the farmers' market. You probably will pay more money for it, but maybe it's worth it.