Our Homestead Farm
A Focus on Self-Sufficiency
Call it stubbornness, or call it strong will. We like to do things ourselves.
After an awakening to the industrial commercial food system, we vowed to take matters into our own hands in order to prioritize a small food chain—including elevating animal welfare, a low carbon footprint, and our own know-how. Since 2014, we have raised the majority of our own meat and dairy products and have sourced vegetables and other products from local, organic growers. Currently we are growing on 13 acres in Barre Massachusetts, near the Quabbin reservoir.
We feed our animals an organic, soy-free diet and support organic, earth-friendly growing methods.
The Animals
Goats
We primarily raise registered Mini Saanen dairy goats.
Mini Saanens are hardy mid-sized goats with high milk production and a friendly, calm demeanor.
In 2024, we added two standard size does to our herd, an Alpine and a Saanen. These girls will be bred to our Nigerian Dwarf buck to produce Mini Alpine and Mini Saanen kids.
Kalina shows our goats in local 4-H fairs and ADGA and MDGA sanctioned dairy goat shows in the Northeastern United States. We are excited to showcase mini dairy goats as interest and support for them grows throughout the United States.
Read more about each of our goats on their individual webpages.
Sheep
Koselig, pronounced “Koosh-lee”, is our sole sheep representative. He is a Mini Cheviot x Merino fiber wether and lives with the goat herd.
He produces extremely fine, soft wool, which we hand spin into yarn for dyeing and knitting projects. He is sheared once per year, each April, and spends the rest of his time browsing grass and forage with the dairy girls.
Ducks
We breed and raise purebred Welsh Harlequin and backyard mixed breed ducks.
They are rotated on new grass daily during the growing season and provide eggs and meat for our family.
Pigs
Every other year, we raise a couple of mixed breed heritage pigs. They help us to recover overgrown areas on our property by overturning the ground and rooting up established plants that we want cleared.
We butcher the pigs onsite ourselves for our family’s personal food supply. Excess fatback is processed and used in our handmade soap.
Dogs
Whiskey, our family dog and farmhand, is a registered Old Time Scotch Collie.
He enjoys keeping the goats in check, playing frisbee, and competing in dog sports. He has his Canine Good Citizen title and several agility titles. We are working on earning his disc dog title now!
Cats
Our two barn cats, Pickles and Mustachio, are essential for pest control on our organic operation.
They are dedicated hunters, but spend plenty of time napping in their favorite places, too.