CATEGORIES

milking how to

Goat milk is liquid gold, but you have to get milking right to get it.

BREEDING BASICS

The traditional goat breeding season in the U.S. is between late August and the early part of January, according to Angela McKenzie-Jakes, extension animal science specialist at Florida A&M University.

GIVE ME Shelter

When Kathryn Spann started raising dairy goats in 2008, she thought wooden sheds built on skids would be the ideal housing for her herd. The shelters could be attached to a tractor and moved, ensuring the herd had a safe space to escape the elements and allowing Spann to practice pasture rotation without building individual shelters in each pasture.

Natural FIBERS

When visitors drive up to our Northern California foothill farm, they immediately notice the fluffy, long-horned beasties dotted all over our pastures. If they have never met us before, these visitors will always tell us how they love seeing our beautiful \"sheep\" and ask what we do with their wool.

Choosing a DAIRY GOAT

A number of considerations will determine your ideal dairy goat breed.

CHOOSING A Meat Goat

Once you've mastered the basics, keeping goats for meat is pretty easy.

WHY KEEP Goats?

My love affair with goats began because of one simple thing: goat cheese. It was love at first bite when I first tried the creamy, tangy spread in college. For almost two decades, it was an infrequent treat because of the high  price tag of a dollar an ounce. (That was back in the 1990s!) When my family decided to move to the country to grow our own food organically in 2002, I knew I had to have a couple of goats so that goat cheese could become part of my regular diet.

Meet Li Schmidt

At Cultural Roots Nursery, in Winters, California, Li Schmidt grows more than 100 Asian-heritage vegetables, herbs, fruit and trees on 1⁄4 acre.

A DUCK FOR ALL Seasons

Care for ducks throughout the year with this seasonal guide.

Turkeys for the Home Table

Raise your own birds for a tastier and healthier holiday meal.

FLERD is the Word

Explore the benefits and barriers of multispecies pasturing.

raise STRONGER CHICKENS

Look around your kitchen, and you'll likely find some natural poultry supplements.

Winter's Last Stand

Early warm weather followed by a late frost can easily ruin an orchard harvest.

FOWL FACTS

Let's explore some random poultry facts ... from a possible bird brain!

Pumpkins & Gourds

Tyler Swafford’s enthusiasm for raising pumpkins and gourds is contagious. The lifelong farmer, himself the descendent of a lifelong farmer, makes his home on Dayton Mountain overlooking Tennessee’s Sequatchie Valley.

Climate-Resilient Crops

Farmers operating large commercial outfits and smaller, hobby growers alike are facing new challenges season after season.

WHEN THE Queen Abdicates

Without a queen to rule, your hive can't survive.

Creating STOCK

Breed and raising your own replacement layers for a small-scale egg operation.

Cut & Dried

DRYING YOUR HERB HARVEST OFFERS AN EASY WAY TO PRESERVE ITS FLAVOR AND USEFULNESS FOR PROJECTS AND RECIPES YEAR-ROUND.

FARM to TUB

GROW HEALING HERBS FOR HANDMADE BATH ESSENTIALS.

Sage

GROW THIS LOW-MAINTENANCE PERENNIAL.

A Spoonful of Syrup

MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP AT HOME TO HELP NAVIGATE COLD-AND-FLU SEASON.

Teas to Please

MAKE DELICIOUS, REFRESHING, HOT HERBAL BEVERAGES.

HERB-INFUSED LIP BALM

CREATE A SOOTHING AND GENTLE PRODUCT PERFECT FOR HEALING DRY, CHAPPED LIPS.

Going Viral

WHEN YOU'RE FEELING BLUE, TURN TO HERBS FOR RELIEF BEFORE YOU HIT THE PHARMACY AISLE.

TONIC INFUSION

HERE'S AN EASY AND REFRESHING WAY TO INCORPORATE THE POWER OF HERBS INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE.

Heart & Soul

CONSIDER SOME HEAR-AND LUNG-HEALTHY HERBS

MOISTURIZING HERBAL LOTION

ENJOY THE SOFT, LUXURIOUS FEEL OF THIS CHAMOMILE CREATION.

TO LIFT You Up

HERBS CAN PROVIDE EXTRA SUPPORT WHEN IT COMES TO DEPRESSION.

MUSCLE & JOINT PAIN SALVE

MADE FROM ONLY THREE HERBS, THIS SALVE STILL PACKS A MASSIVE PAIN-RELIEVING PUNCH.