Goat school!

With acreage to reclaim as farm-land and the goals for Runamuk’s future in mind, I’ve signed up for the June Goat School with Ken and Janice Spaulding at Stony Knolls Farm in St.Albans this June.  The Spauldings have been raising goats for 25 years and were even featured in this article in the Bangor Daily News back in 2010.

After we have moved from the one-acre where we currently lease in-town to our new home 5 miles away, Runamuk will expand it’s farming endeavors to include a variety of livestock. Not only do we have significant acreage to be reclaimed for farming, but there is a growing demand for locally raised organic meat that we intend to feed along with our own family.

Runamuk will be home to heritage breed goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits and poultry.  We will use rotational grazing methods to pasture all of our animals, and in the distant future we aim to grow our own winter feed as well.

This is a two-day intensive training that will cover choosing your new goat, management, breeding and kidding, medical problems, nutrition, hoof trimming, milking, tattooing, all necessary paperwork, record keeping, and even a special segment on emergencies.  Aspects of raising goats for meat, fiber and dairy will be covered, and even an optional milking demonstration.

Participating in goat school signifies the beginning of our farm expansion, and I am looking forward to meeting and learning from the Spauldings.  No worries–I’ll share all the details with you in June!