June 3, 2023
When getting started with raising goats, one of the most common questions that comes up is how many goats per acre can I raise?
May 31, 2023
Email marketing: It’s a term that strikes fear in the hearts of so many farmers and ranchers I’ve met. With a million things to do each day, taking the time to sit down and craft and send out an email can feel like an understandably daunting task.
May 16, 2023
Recently I was featured on the For the Love of Goats Podcast, where I talked about about marketing goat meat farming and online sales.
May 9, 2023
Portable goat fencing paired with electric is an effective solution to keep goats in and it’s a lower-cost option.
May 8, 2023
Learn about goat terminology, including the scientific name for goats, as well as the terms for goats related to gender and age.
May 5, 2023
Electric goat netting is one of several temporary fence options to use with goats when grazing on pasture or managing brush.
May 2, 2023
Having the right goat fence is one of the most important things when it comes to raising goats.
April 22, 2023
One of my top reference books for goat cuts, processing, and butchery is the book Butchering by Adam Danforth.
April 21, 2023
Goat pens are an important component of housing your goats. While pens keep your goats contained, the right design provides many benefits.
April 13, 2023
There are many factors to consider when choosing a meat goat breed so you can make the right decision for your future herd and farm.
April 11, 2023
Kidding season can be an exciting, yet stressful time on the farm. There’s a lot of uncertainty when newborn goats will arrive and how much you might have to assist the doe in the birthing process.
March 27, 2023
Brian and Mary, along with 5G Insurance, are offering a $10k small business grant in celebration of M5 Small Business Week.
March 24, 2023
Knowing your ideal customers, and how they differ from your current customers, is an essential part of developing your farm business.
March 24, 2023
This week I was featured on the American Farm Bureau Farmside Chat Podcast, where I talked about about goat meat farming and conservation practices.
March 23, 2023
When we first started storing frozen meat on our farm we wanted a way to know quickly if our freezer wasn’t working properly.
March 19, 2023
The USDA Web Soil Survey is a powerful tool that can be used to map out your pasture’s soil type in great detail.
March 3, 2023
Creating the right pasture for your meat goat herd may be easier than you might think.
February 7, 2023
While basing goat meat prices off your competition a start, it’s important to also know your production costs and margin goals.
January 17, 2023
Undoubtedly you’ve heard the phrase “know your customer” but what about “know your consumer?”
January 10, 2023
So many farmers and ranchers who raise meat goats know very little about the meat, largely because of a lack of information widely available.
January 3, 2023
One of my absolute favorite things to talk about (and something I always get a lot of questions about) is bale grazing and how we make it work with our goats and sheep. Wisconsin winters bring heavy snowfall which means that at a certain point we can no longer rely on stored forage. That’s where […]
December 27, 2022
On this week’s Q&A session I’m answering your questions about bale grazing sheep and goats including where you can bale graze in your pasture, how to manage the quality of hay while bale grazing, and how long it takes to see results.
December 16, 2022
This past month I had the pleasure doing an with Regenerative Farmers of America and shared more about our journey with raising meat goats.
December 16, 2022
Goats need minerals to help their bodies function properly. Feeding loose minerals can help make sure they’re getting the nutrients needed.
December 14, 2022
The Smart Fence is a great option for portable goats since it is so easy to use.
December 11, 2022
When it comes to grazing, there are so many different methods and methodologies that you can fall down a serious rabbit hole researching and trying to understand them all. And of course, that’s not factoring in the necessary switch in routine that has to happen during winter. Here in Wisconsin we get heavy snowfall during […]
November 17, 2022
We recently invested in a working chute for our herd of meat goats. The handling system we chose is a portable chute from Sydell. We chose this working chute because we raise our goats and sheep on pasture with rotational grazing and needed a portable handling system option.
October 29, 2022
It can be challenging to find grants for farming. Learn how to find funding for your farm, including where to find grants.
October 6, 2022
You can see the results of bale grazing with sheep and goats in less than a year. We will see visible difference the following summer.
October 6, 2022
Applying for grants can be time consuming and the process is competitive. Learn how to successfully write grants to help fund your farm.
October 4, 2022
Four years ago I wasn’t in a good place. I was struggling. I’m not sure if many outside my immediate family sensed anything was off.
September 30, 2022
There are a lot of factors to consider when planning how much it will cost to start your herd of meat goats.
September 26, 2022
Training goats to respect electric fence is often overlooked. With simple training, you should be able to keep your goats in their fence.
September 6, 2022
Read more on my experience with the M5 Entrepreneurs Course lead by Mary and Brian Heffernan of Five Marys Farms in Fort Jones, Calf.
August 23, 2022
A breeding buck for your goat herd has the potential to greatly impact the future success of your entire meat goat herd for future generations. In fact, selecting the right buck is probably more important than the breeding does you might consider adding to your goat herd. I recently covered this topic in one of […]
July 26, 2022
When I first learned about rotational grazing, I knew right away that’s how I wanted to raise goats. But no one was really doing it, at least in my region. So I dove in and learned how to raise goats on pasture using rotational grazing and regenerative practices. I should say I’m still working on […]
June 29, 2022
Live Q&A Topics: Using 1 or 2 strands of polywire with goats. Options for portable goat electric fence for dividing paddocks.
June 22, 2022
This Live Q&A covered fly control with goats on pasture and using an auto feeder with bottle baby goats.
June 21, 2022
Around the farm I’ve been making little changes and upgrades along the way. My most recent one was adding a “screen door/wall” to my pack shed.
June 20, 2022
This Q&A Replay covers how we got started selling goat meat, including planning from harvest to the type of cuts offered.
June 2, 2022
Catch the replay of the Instagram Live Q & A on all things raising, grazing, and marketing meat goats.
May 5, 2022
Here’s a quick rundown on how our lamb and kid auto feeder works. We have a Lac Tek II from Biotic. We had purchased it when we were originally feeding male dairy buck kids. Since that time we’ve phased out of that part of our farm and have been focusing on our meat breed herd. […]
March 27, 2022
Kid Goat Feeding Trial MSN174849 DATCP (PDF) Results of a trial conducted by Dr. David L. Thomas (dlthomas@wisc.edu), Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr. Tera L. Montgomery (montgomeryt@uwplatt.edu), School of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin-Platteville Early Weaning of Dairy Kids – report UW Spooner Research Station Raising lambs and kids artificially, University of […]
February 15, 2022
I bet you’ll never guess what my favorite tool is for the farm! It’s my iPhone! Yes, that’s right.
February 11, 2022
Moving to an e-commerce site was a big jump for our farm three years ago, but I knew it was the direction I needed to go with our farm business. This was pre-pandemic. At the time we had a basic website with an online form that operated as our means for placing orders.
February 4, 2022
Running a business, especially a farm, can get expensive. With a farm that direct markets, the type of expenses can be more vast.
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