This is a story about a Massachusetts farm. Owned and operated by Joe and Carolyn Hillman, with the generous support of 36 wonderful animals, this farm was conceived in much the same way as my eldest son...by accident. Maybe a better term would be serendipity. Maybe I could have come up with a better analogy.
It didn't take the couple long to find out that these animals are quite amazing. Soon the two goats developed into a mini-herd, and some cheese was made. After getting many compliments from friends on the taste and quality of this small farmstead cheese, by 1997 it was decided that this would be an operational goat dairy. Joe built a cheese cave, and after some other improvements, licenses, and an increase in the herd, the Hillmans and their goats were in the cheese biz...Not to be confused with cheese wiz.
The rest of this article was created during an exceptionally hard New England winter in 2009. One cold and stormy weekend, I carried on the following email interview with Carolyn Hillman:
What kind of goats do you utilize for cheese production? We have American Alpine and Nubian and crosses. Our bucks have been French Alpine and Nubian.
How large is your herd? We have 36 including our 3 bucks.
Has it always been in this range? We started the first year with nine and have had up to 45.
Do you get to know each individual animal? Is it common for them to become "pets" in a way? Goats have a name and many of them know their own name, I guess it depends how much we have talked to them individually by name. We can tell you each ones personality or attitude, family history and off spring. Our goats are respected, well cared for, and very friendly. They love attention. Some do become actual pets and live out there entire life on the farm. For instance, Betsy, who after a difficult kidding last spring, we nursed back to health and is now retired.
What is this type of goat's life expectancy? That depends on many different things; I imagine how many kids they have birthed plays a roll in it. Other retired goats have lived to about 12 years old.
How much do they cost? Young kids range from $60.00 to $80.00 and does we may choose to sell, $200.00 to $300.00.
Do you breed your own to increase or maintain your herd? Each doe is bred in the fall and births from one to four in the early spring. Through careful selection, we keep about five kids to raise as replacements.
How much raw milk will each produce and what is the value, raw and finished product? This depends greatly on how you feed the goats (lots of grain, a little grain or no grain). We feed a small amount of grain and our own organic hay. In the spring, summer and fall they get pasture and a lot less hay. We get an average of 8 to 9 pounds of milk (aprox one gallon) a day split between two milkings. We do not sell milk so the value would be from retail sales of the cheese at the farmer markets of $13 to $25 a pound. When selling wholesale to stores we get a little less.
What was your best year? Any year that the kidding season is uneventful and produces kids weaned before I start the Farmers Markets.
How does the winter season affect the herd? We dry the goats off for the coldest part of the year. They are all pregnant but still go out, wandering through the snow.
What is the difference in cost for caring for them through the winter, compared to the grazing season? They eat more hay and are eating for two, three or four, but it is our own hay. They eat less grain in the winter also.
What are veterinary costs annually, and what kind of regular care do the goats need? We have a Veterinarian that comes to do a herd check maybe once a year, checking the doelings by ultrasound to confirm they're bred, and answer questions we may have. We do most of everything ourselves; such as yearly shots, deworming, hoof trimming, and so on. We will use their services during an emergency. They are paid $90.00 per hour, and $40.00 for the call to come to the farm.
At what times do farmers / cheese makers start and end their days, and what is their routine? I will try to keep this short: Goats will adapt to your schedule. During the three milking seasons, we start about 7:00 A.M. Our P.M. milking happens at about 6:30. We eat dinner after 9:00 PM. During kidding in the spring, it is almost around the clock for about a month, and during haying time, evening milking starts later. In Fall, things start to slow down but markets are still strong. We look forward to winter and with it -some rest. Cheesemaking is every other day, but certain cheeses take time every day. There are always markets to prepare for, store orders to fill, soft cheese to blend into flavored cheese, packing cheese into containers, aging cheese to care for and more cheese to make.
Do you do any online distribution of these specialty cheeses that you produce? Visit our web site sales page. It is only wholesale; retail is at the Farmers Markets or through stores.
Where can I find some? In Connecticut: Artisan Foods in Southbury may still have some but I do sell out.
Hillman Farm's Website
By Kevin Leland
