Oh my goodness it has been an amazing year. I am so proud of what we have accomplished with both of our businesses and I am incredibly grateful for our wonderful, loyal customers, who allow my husband and I to work together, build this farm, and live our dream. I cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store for us as we start our journey of both Kevin and I putting a full time effort into both of our businesses… It’s certainly going to be an adventure.
Stand out moments of 2014
- Baby Goats! – I think baby goats will still be one of the top highlights of the year decades from now. Watching these precious little creatures come into the world is nothing short of amazing, and getting to watch as their personalities develop is such a treat. I can’t image it will ever grow old! We had 4 beautiful little babies born on the farm this year. William, Chelsea, Elsie, and Eleanor… all of whom we retained.
- Farmer’s Markets – This was our first year doing farmer’s markets full time and while we were only able to be in 2 markets a week (nothing compared to the 5-6 a week we hope to be in, in 2015) it really allowed us to find our customers. I love being able to interact with the people who use our soaps. I love their feedback and stories.
- Purchasing Our First Herd Sire – Before this year we would do “driveway breedings,” meaning we would wait until the girls would go into heat, take them to the farm where our chosen buck lives, breed them, then bring them home. This is extremely stressful. Especially when goats are only in heat for 24-36 hours, with only about 12 of those hours being “optimal,” and the truck you use to transport your goats is also the truck that your husband takes to work. Goat heats, when you don’t have a buck in rut to throw them into a really good heat, are really slight. You have to know exactly what you are looking for, and in the case of our girls, it can be easy to miss if you aren’t actively looking for it. This spring we purchased our first herd sire. It was so much easier to tell when the girls where in heat. The only challenge was dealing with a young buck who had never bred before… He didn’t really know what he was doing… but in the end he got the job done and we currently have a herd full of pregnant does.
Thank you for all your support in 2014! I can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store!