Start-up considerations10 goats and a dream

摘要

Along-time dream of mine has been to own a raw milk dairy. From my earliest recollections, when the "what do you want to be when you grow up" themed days were held at church or elsewhere, my answer was pretty consistently that I wanted to be a goatkeeper. Of course, anyone who knows anything knows that "goatkeeper" is not a paying occupation. It's a hobby, and albeit it is very rewarding, it is not a lucrative pastime, and dairy goats in particular are very time-consuming. Dairying generally is not ahigh-dollar field either, and the average conventional dairy farmer of today is deep in debt. Even the "specialty" dairies producing raw milk or artisan cheese often fold due to expenses exceeding income and debt.