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Learn how to set up a portable goat water tank system for rotational grazing goats.

Learn about goat virtual fence research: training, welfare, containment, and labor savings.

Manage parasites in goats during the summer with pasture rotation and strategic deworming. Break the parasite cycle with grazing timing.

Fencing for sheep and goats can be challenging. The topic alone generates plenty of questions and comes with real-world troubleshooting on the farm. In this Q&A session, Gallagher expert Ray Williams joins me (Leslie Svacina of GrazingWithLeslie.com and Cylon Rolling Acres) to answer questions submitted by fellow farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders. Key topics on goat […]

When we purchased our farm almost 15 years ago, we were drawn to the land not only for its farming potential but also for the chance to enjoy the wooded for recreation. One section of the woods featured a magesticl old-growth oak savanna, but it was completely overtaken by buckthorn. Restoring this oak savanna and […]

I’ve always been a reader and a lifelong learner. What you might not know is that my roots are actually in research and writing. I studied agricultural marketing communications and print journalism in college, think storytelling meets science and farming. After graduation, I jumped into agricultural journalism. I wrote for industry magazines, worked on an […]

We recently tried out a new solar energizer from Gallagher to use with our off-grid fencing setup with our goats and sheep.

When it comes to winter bale feeding your livestock, there are many different approaches you can take, including bale grazing.

As fall is creeping in, I’m working to finish up the last of my projects.

Recently I was profiled by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau as part of their Leaders of the Land series.

We’ve been giving our pastures a break over the last few weeks to let the grasses, legumes and forbes time to recover and to help reduce future parasite issues.

Throughout the grazing season I rely heavily on my Gator to not only get around the farm to check goats and sheep, but also to haul the rotational grazing fencing gear and goat supplies I may need. 

The Smart Fence is a great option for portable goats since it is so easy to use.

When done correctly, rotational grazing offers many benefits to your livestock, soil quality, and pasture productivity.

When getting started with raising goats, one of the most common questions that comes up is how many goats per acre can I raise?

This week I was featured on the American Farm Bureau Farmside Chat Podcast, where I talked about about goat meat farming and conservation practices.

Creating the right pasture for your meat goat herd may be easier than you might think.

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 […]

Training goats to respect electric fence is often overlooked. With simple training, you should be able to keep your goats in their fence.

Live Q&A Topics: Using 1 or 2 strands of polywire with goats. Options for portable goat electric fence for dividing paddocks.

Learn more about regenerative agriculture in this recent Blog Series

My work as a farmer is really rooted in idea of lifelong learning. I’m always learning, whether it’s daily through observation of my livestock or from season-to-season how our pastures grow and flourish (or, not so much with a drought year like last summer).

Yes! While it may seem like when everything goes dormant for the season, our work with the farm and the environment around us slows down. That is true, but there are ways we can prepare for winter and during the winter months that still keep the environment, in particular, soil health in mind.

Regenerative agriculture, or any agriculture for that matter, starts with the soil. Soil is at the core of everything we do as farmers. It supports the pastures and crops we grow to feed our livestock and our communities

Meet Clover, our new border collie puppy! I made the day trip to southern Iowa yesterday to pick up our new herding puppy from Fiona, who is also the livestock manager for Premier 1 Supplies.

Meet Lauren Manning of White Hoof Acres in Arkansas. I’ve been able to get to know Lauren through Instagram. She’s also raising meat goats, mostly-Kiko, with rotational grazing practices. I admire (and know the challenges) her work to build a low-input, resilient herd of goats. She’s also a talented writer. If you don’t follow her on Instagram, I encourage you do so.

Meet Cherrie Nolden of 1DR Acres Farm in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.

‘ve heard Cherrie speak at a meat goat producer meeting when I first was getting started raising goats, then later met her through our state-wide grazing organization, GrassWorks. There aren’t many of us in Wisconsin raising meat goats on forage alone, so it was great to connect with her. She’s a wealth of information when it comes to grazing and goats and have appreciated her willingness to share what’s she’s learned through her work with goats and research as well.

1. Goats can be trained to electric fence Yes, it is true. Goats can be trained to respect and stay in electric fence. How does it work?  Fence training. Then, keep the fence hot at all times, make sure there’s enough pasture to eat, and repeat offenders/troublemakers find new homes. 2. Quick rotations are important […]

As a farmer it’s hard to not think about the weather. What’s the temperature going to be? Is it going to rain? Is it going to be clear for a stretch? Will we ever get any rain? Will the rain ever stop?Our lives revolve around the weather, more specifically precipitation, otherwise known as water, our lifeline as farmers to grow crops and raise livestock.

While farm operation is my “thing,” my husband Scott is just as invested in it as I am. While farming is hard work, and not to mention, a lot of work to start a farm operation, it’s something we truly enjoy doing. Here’s a little more on why we farm: