Check out the “New Farm Spotlight” of Farm-Based Education Association’s Winter newsletter!
At LexFarm’s Goat Yard, we continually look for ways to improve our sustainable land use practices. We have a host of projects that we’d like to complete by the end of Spring, so we are expanding our Learn & Work Projects from monthly to twice monthly!
What: Learn & Work Projects (learn about sustainable farming and work on projects)
When: 2nd and 4th Saturdays, February-May, 10:30-noon
Where: LexFarm’s Goat Yard (park in Busa Farm lot at 52 Lowell Street and walk back to red barn)
Cost: Free (donations happily accepted)
Examples of upcoming projects include expanding compost system and preparing soil, fencing in, and seeding new growing paddocks in the Goat Yard.
Weather note for today: Don’t let the weather deter you — we’ll be at the Goat Yard from 10:30 to noon today building an expanded compost system. Come on over!
Out at LexFarm’s Goat Yard this afternoon, volunteers, visitors, and goats alike enjoyed the sunny but brisk afternoon. All of us were prepared: humans with our manufactured coats, and goats with their natural winter coats.
If you visit the goat yard, you will notice that our goats have thick winter coats now, with three layers of hair to protect them from the elements:
- Ground hair, the bottom layer, is dense and downy. It helps them regulate their temperature to stay warm.
- Awn hair, the middle layer, helps protect the ground hair from the elements and provide further warmth.
- Guard hair, the top layer, is coarser, longer, and more pigmented (colored). It helps keep snow and ice away from the lower layers.
With these layers of hair, our goats are well adapted to be happy and active in the cold winter months. They love to browse around the yard, and the kids love to play with each other in the snow. Sound familiar?
See you at the Goat Yard!
Bright and early on this wintry morning (snowy enough to make a snow angel), goat enthusiasts met Farmer Ben at the barn to embark on our first Goat Care Skills class. Ben began by putting goat care into a larger context of food security and sustainability, then the group got into the nitty gritty of goat care:
- Relationship between breed characteristics/adaptations and diet
- Effect of dominance structures in the herd on goat care
- Wild food versus concentrates, and protein requirements at different developmental stages
- Logistics of feeding the Queen, the triplets, and Jasper
With Ben teaching from experience and an obvious affection for the goats, the participants learned a great deal about goat care — including much that could not possibly be conveyed in a textbook. After this first class of the 8-week session, participants commented:
“Ben, it was fantastic learning from your experience.”
“I learned so much. Ben is a great teacher.”
“Ben conveys his knowledge and experience eloquently and effectively.”
Another Goat Care Skills session will begin on January 28 (six Saturdays, 7:00-8:00am). We have just one space left, so visit the Programs and Group Visits page for more information if you are interested in registering.
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An unexpected bonus was seeing animal tracks in the fresh snow. One participant saw deer and rabbit tracks, and all of us saw what we think are coyote tracks!
At LexFarm’s Goat Yard, we are embarking on a project to revitalize the soil to promote carbon holding and growth of forage material (such as clover) for the goats. This winter we plan to rearrange the Goat Yard to make room for three growing paddocks – and plant bushes such as forsythia around the fence-line as well.
We hope you will join us for this Saturday’s Learn & Work Project, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Together, we will jumpstart the revitalization effort by moving the goats’ large climbing structure closer to the barn and aerating the soil in the areas that will become the growing paddocks.
What: Learn & Work Project
When: Saturday, January 14, 10:30-12:00
Where: LexFarm Goat Yard (park at Busa Farm and walk back to red barn)
Cost: Free!
Bring: Digging forks (pitchforks) or shovels if you have them
Due to an unexpected schedule conflict, we are changing our Saturday Goat Care Skills session to six weeks: Saturdays, January 28 to March 3, 7-8am. You can find more information and our registration form on our Programs and Group visits page.
The Tuesday Goat Care Skills session remains eight weeks: January 17 to March 6.
We are delighted to introduce new hands-on farm-based education programs at the LexFarm Goat Yard!
- Learn & Work Projects (2nd Saturday of each month, 10:30-12:00)
- Pasture Walks (4th Thursday of each month, 1:30-3:00)
- Goat Care Skills – Overview (8-week session, Saturdays January 14 – March 3, 7-8am)
- Goat Care Skills – Focus on Pregnancy and Kidding (8-week session, Tuesdays January 17 – March 6, 6:30-7:30am)
- Goat Stories at The Elephant’s Trunk (days/times to be announced)
For more information, please visit our Programs and Group Visits web page.
And, of course, keep coming to our regular visiting hours (Sundays, 1-3pm). We and the goats are always happy to see you!
Yes, the LexFarm Goat Yard is open on New Year’s Day (Sunday, January 1), from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Ring in the new year with our wonderful Nigerian Dwarf goats!
Suggested donation: $2 per person ($5 per family). Please park in the Busa Farm lot at 52 Lowell Street, Lexington, and walk back to the red barn. We’d love to see you!
With our LexFarm Goat Yard visiting hours (Sundays 1-3pm) such a success, we are beginning to offer new programs! Come join us this Thursday, December 8, 1:30-3:00, to help process our oak to promote carbon holding in the goat yard. You’ll learn about the carbon cycle in our local ecosystem while you’re at it.
What: Goat Yard Projects: Oak and the Carbon Cycle
When: Thursday, December 8, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Where: LexFarm Goat Yard (please park at Busa Farm, 52 Lowell Street, and walk back to red barn)
Cost: Free (donations gladly accepted)
Wear: Clothing/gear appropriate for weather (program runs rain or shine)
Bring: Work gloves and a shovel, if you wish