Sutton Grange Organic Farm

Why Organic?

Organic husbandry is based on the harmonious relationship between land, water, plants and animals. Respect for the physiological and behavioural needs of animals and the feeding of good quality, organically grown feed.*

Sound like our farm?

That quote is from an early version of the NASAA (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia Ltd) Organic Standards and is fundamental to why we chose to farm organically and to seek certification as organic producers.

When we first made the decision to go organic, we thought that we’d be able to find the information and resources we’d need. We had worked on conventional farming properties, so already knew about the issues associated with this type of agriculture.

A certified organic farm means no synthetic fertilisers (urea, superphosphate, MAP, DAP, etc) no pesticides or herbicides, no antibiotics or synthetic additives, no hormones, no GMOs. But organics is so much more than a reductionist approach of not using, or doing, something. It’s about developing a wholistic farming system, built upon interconnected, natural, ecological processes. Organic production takes a systems approach to the farm, from the soils through to the people. It means happy healthy animals, biologically active soils and a biodiverse farm.

Wander around any of the Victorian Farmers Market accredited markets and you’ll see the familiar farmers’ market ‘tick’ that signifies the grower who sells it has grown it. Many stalls also display a copy of their organic certification, perhaps through NASAA, ACO, DEMETER, or another certifying body.

But there’s another side to the story – farmers making claim to produce being ‘organically grown’, ‘spray free’ or ‘biological’. It may well be all those things, but without the independent accreditation or legitimacy to back that up, you can’t be sure. It is confusing for the consumer. The organic industry and ACCC have acted on a couple of cases (eggs, water) where growers were intentionally misusing the term ‘organic’ (see the links below), but at a local level it’s usually lack of knowledge or awareness of the organic standards and the perception of added expense. Our fees are currently 1% of our gross income to NASAA annually.

The best way to be assured that the produce is legit is to buy from growers who can demonstrate their organic credentials through certification (unless you can visit the farm and see how it’s produced first hand) so look for the certification number, the label, or the certificate. These growers are supporting and developing the organic industry. Of course many of our customers aren’t fussed about our organic credentials; they just love the taste of the cheese!

An audit inspection of Holy Goat is carried out by our certifier NASAA annually – our latest was in September 2013. We provide our records (production, sales, etc.) for the past year. Our soils, pastures, vegetation, goats, buildings and sheds are all looked over. We have to be able to trace a batch of cheese back to the milking date and the herd and what they were fed on that day and where that feed was sourced. All bought-in products – hay, feed, minerals, etc. – must also be certified organic and we must have that proof (everything but our NSW barley comes from within an hour’s drive of the farm). Machinery coming onto the farm must be cleaned. A farm diary and an organic management plan are kept. NASAA have a volume of Standards – NASAA Organic Standard – that must be maintained and these are regularly reviewed and updated as the industry itself develops.

Usually it takes three to four years to gain full certification. Our farm had been lightly managed, no history of superphosphate use and no soil residues, so we had a ‘precertification’ year and then only one ‘in-conversion’ year before we were fully certified in 2003. Ten years down the track and we have learnt so much from being certified organic. When issues or problems arise you have to look outside the box, because you can’t just treat an animal with antibiotics, or apply a fertiliser to the soil, or buy in feed from wherever you can get it during droughts. You have to know your farm really well. Knowing, through acute observation, is the key – and the benefit – to being a successful certified organic farmer.

All that record keeping isn’t just for NASAA. It’s useful to us – we can see exactly when a goat was mated, or what the weather conditions were on a certain day and what the feed mix was, which minerals were being selected, and how our milk production changed in relation to all those things. Over time, we can see patterns and make links.

The other attraction for us was the better welfare for animals under organic management. The focus is on allowing the animal to fully express it’s ‘animalness’, so we can let our goats be ‘goats’, expressing their own quirkiness and inherent nature, and not be ‘production units’.

Some farmers may say ‘I love my animals too much to be organic certified’, because they believe that they will not be able to treat and respond adequately to sick animals. We don’t believe that is the case. It hasn’t been our experience. If an organic animal is very sick and needs antibiotics, you cannot withhold treatment – it just means you cannot use the milk from that animal for 6 months. That can be a strain on a dairy enterprise. Some farmers will move treated animals into a ‘hospital ward’, or send them to a conventional herd, or cull. We will keep the animal apart and handmilk away from the dairy. Even if you do have animal health issues, antibiotics may not be the answer, often an underlying issue, perhaps nutrition or stress, is causing the symptoms which medication can only treat, not cure. We use a range of herbal tinctures, vitamins, homeopathics and minerals to assist with treatment of our herd.

The US based vet Dr Hubert Karreman has been a great resource for us in managing our herd organically. He stresses that the best dairy management tool is observation. We have a checklist of signs and symptoms to guide problem solving, as well as the other tools – checking temperature, CMT test for mastitis, breathing, rumination. We encourage our staff to get to know each and every goat – faces and udders especially – to become part of the herd.

(Here’s a test … can you match the goat with her face and udder?! See the link to find out who’s is whose)

liz

liz

jasmine

meryl

tinker

pear

billie

A small herd, say less than 100 animals, lends itself to organics, because you get to know the individual animals and their behaviours. Knowing when a goat is acting abnormally, (eg she is hanging behind at the milking line up when normally she’s up first, or she’s not standing with her group of mates, or her coat is fluffy) means you can identify a problem very early on. Even then, the goat has probably been ill for a few days. Early ID is critical because organic treatments take longer (a week, rather than a day or two) to have an effect and are more time consuming to administer and monitor than conventional ones.

Being certified organic has meant we’ve had to find our own solutions to problems, rather than just relying on conventional wisdom or science. It has made us better farmers. And usually the organic solution has been superior to any conventional one. Enterotoxemia (Clostridium) is an example – even in conventional herds it is difficult to treat and farmers usually consider vaccination. We worked with a vet to understand the clostridium bacteria and how it works (it actually exists in the gut naturally) and eventually found charcoal to be an effective treatment.

Likewise, we now understand our soils and their influence on animal nutrition much more clearly. In this granite country, the uptake of some minerals is limited, including magnesium. The Calcium-Phosphorus pathway is the only one really talked about in dairying, but we have found Magnesium is every bit as important (in mobilising vitamin D) in the goat metabolism. We supplemented with a Magnesium salt lick and this year no goat has shown symptoms of any metabolic disorder. Organics has helped us to understand the biochemical and metabolic systems on our farm in a way no conventional textbook or course could.

We didn’t achieve organic certification to maximise profits, although organic products do generally command a higher price than conventional in the marketplace. For us, it was the organic philosophy and approach; it fits our farm. We enjoy the creativity and the constant learning and application it demands. The sense of camaraderie amongst other certified organic farmers who supply our feed and hay. And the fact we make a quality, ethical and nutritious product.

Why wouldn’t you be organic certified?

*NASAA organic standards 2006

More links:

Organic Federation of Australia

http://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/groceries/organic-claims

http://www.ofa.org.au/papers/Organic-Claims-and-Consumer-Rights.pdf

http://www.tmorganics.com/livestock/livestock-latest-news.html

http://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/court-finds-egg-packer-substituted-organic-with-conventional-eggs

Heat and Goats

Keeping our herd of 100 milking goats cool, calm and collected – not to mention our two-legged milkers – is our focus as we head into this week’s heatwave. Central Victorian summers are always harsh, but consecutive days of 40 degrees plus can take their toll on a dairy farm.

Goats don’t sweat. They pant and flare their nostrils to try to keep their body temperature down. We minimise herd stress and help keep them cool by providing lots of water, salt and minerals, shade and ventilation, and keep up a supply of highly nutritious feed.

Goats must constantly eat to maintain body condition, health and milk production. When it’s very hot they may not even leave their lounging sheds to paddock graze, so we compensate by providing them with hay and fresh green feed, improving the nutrition of their ration and milking earlier (we try to have the milking cups on by 5.30am) so they can have an hour or more to feed before the real heat kicks in.

On a 40 degree day our goats will still produce milk, but the volume will be less and the protein and fat levels will change. The resulting curd can be fragile, altering the final product. It’s the balance between fat and protein that’s important in cheesemaking. The preferred fat to protein ratio is 1.35. During summer it can be as high as 1.7 This is why providing high protein, green feed is very important over summer.

We don’t standardise our milk, so the taste of the cheese will always reflect seasonal conditions on the farm. And the farm itself. We are constantly learning about the effect of season and nutrition, and evolving our farming practices, and cheesemaking, alongside.

As our dam levels drop, the cumbungi growing around their edges become an important source of green feed. By now there is little green feed about, unless summer thunderstorms stimulate native grass growth – wallaby, kangaroo, spear – or our mown firebreaks. The cumbungi provides about a month’s green feed. We also cut back our lucerne trees (a week’s green feed) and branches from our acacia feed/shelter belt plantings – wirilda and black wattle. The wattles grow back lushly through autumn and spring. We do have to watch out for nesting birds in the vegetation at this time of year though.

The feed mix changes over summer. We increase the green feed (protein) component by upping the amount of lucerne and reducing the oaten chaff. Wheat bran, linseed meal, apple cider vinegar are added to the mix. With the scarcity of green feed we will also supplement with cod liver oil and vitamins A and E.

At this time of year goats have very high salt and mineral needs. Goats do have higher mineral needs than sheep or cattle anyway. Perhaps because by nature they are browsers of (non irrigated) perennial plants, which bring a diverse array of nutrients from deep within the soil profile, rather than the shallow rooted annuals. So we supplement their ration with very small amounts of sulphur, dolomite (calcium and magnesium), magnesium, copper, boron, zinc and seaweed (kelp). We also provide self serve mineral ‘buffets’ where the goats can pick and choose which mineral salt they need – perhaps zinc, magnesium, copper, cobalt, boron, calcium, or just salt alone. Another large salt lick block contains a mix of micronutrients. It’s always interesting to see which minerals they prefer at certain times of the season and at different times in growth and lactation. Right now, the goats are ingesting lots of sea salt as well as boron and copper.

During the heat at milking time we provide a dilute solution of harvested seaweed (Marrawah kelp from Tasmania, soaked overnight and added to 40 litres of water). It’s very popular! The seaweed provides an important mix of micronutrients and minerals, including iodine, and acts as a bit of a pep-up or tonic for heat stressed animals, as well as rehydrating them. If very badly heat stressed, we will give a goat electrolytes.

Breeding also helps. Saanen goats can get sunburnt, but because our Sannen x British Alpine crosses have tanned udders, noses and ears, they’re much less prone to cancers and sunburn.

Goats drink huge amounts of water during summer, more than 20 litres on a hot day. In the lounging shed we provide fresh rainwater, collected from the dairy and shed roofs into tanks. In the paddocks, dam water is pumped up to a header tank and then gravity fed to troughs around the farm. Monitoring water supplies is a vital job over summer as a few goats can very quickly empty a 200 litre trough.

Goats will hunt out shade. Plenty of large paddock trees, shedding and a range of shady sites is important. Our sheds are large, airy, vented and well positioned so they do get cross breezes. We also use vents and fans in the dairy. We let the herd move around the farm freely. They particularly love to hang about under the shearers quarters. This can be disconcerting for the residents above – the goats have been known to pull out power cords whilst having a scratch, stopping the water supply mid-shower and cutting electricity!

Black goats are more affected by the heat, so when they come in for milking we will drape them with cold wet towels. On really hot days we will turn the sprinklers on in the dairy before the goats come in, to cool it down ahead of milking. But we also try to be frugal with our water in case of fires.

Grass seeds (goats have three eyelids so removing seeds from eyes can be a delicate operation) and snakes are our other summer concerns, as well as the ever present awareness of bushfire. We have a well prepared fire-plan, a sprinkler system surrounds the dairy and cheeseroom, and we keep our goats close to the dairy on high fire danger days.

Will you survive the summer ahead as well as our goats?

more lucerne in the feed mix

rations change over summer

salt lick block

yum!

licks are popular

boron is in demand this time of year

seeking shade inside and out

salt and mineral self service

our sheds are airy and comfortable

seaweed solution in the dairy

we use kelp from tassie

the soaked seaweed before dilution

seaweed tonic

goats love the taste

Happy Christmas and New Year from Holy Goat

Well 2013 has been another year of growth and change for Holy Goat, a year where the seasons were (mostly) kind, the goats thrived and our cheeses continued to find new appreciation around the nation.

We look forward to a brief spell, some time to reflect and celebrate the festive season, before embarking on another farming year.

We’d like to wish our fantastic staff, supporters, distributors, customers – and of course the goats – a wonderful Christmas and New Year. May it be joyous and feature plenty of goats cheese!

NB. If you haven’t stocked up on your festive fromage, we will be selling cheese at the special twilight Melbourne Farmers Markets leading up to Christmas. Check the market link here for more info.

Cheesemaking – the Science, and the Art

Our goats have flourished in the spring conditions and milk production reached an all-time high this month. Last month 8400 litres poured into the vat, compared to 5600 litres last spring, and 4200 litres the year before that. But it’s not only sheer volume, the milk is sweet and balanced, with medium protein and fat levels.

The surfeit of riches this time of year allows us to experiment with our cheesemaking. We can develop other cheese types and learn more about the changing nature and chemistry of the milk itself. We’ve been continuing to develop a hard cheese – we’ve named it Nectre – for the past three years now.

Making cheese is both a science and an art. While pH/acidity, temperature/humidity and time dictate the process, we are also dealing with a living, changing, organic substance. Microorganisms create the cheese and the milk itself changes according to season and goat nutrition. It’s not possible to create quality farmhouse cheese simply by ‘wrote’ or recipe. Fine cheese also requires intuition and understanding on the part of the cheesemaker.

We’ve been guided by international experts such as Ivan Larcher and worked with him last week on our Nectar. It is 7 months since Ivan last came to Holy Goat; we were able to refine our methods and have him taste the fruit of our labours so far.

As farmhouse cheesemakers we don’t standardise the milk, but we can adjust temperature, the amount of rennet and the starter cultures. We can further understand milk quality by measuring the titratable acidity and the length of time it takes to achieve flocculation after renneting. For example, our milk has less protein now than in winter, this is confirmed by a lower acidity (18 dornic) compared to 23 dornic in winter.

The cheeseroom always bustles with the usual staff at work – turning cheeses, salting, ashing, wrapping, washing and cleaning, but there is added energy and excitement when we are making a batch of Nectar. See the photo gallery below for the step by step process.

We have 200 litres of milk set aside in the vat (at a temperature of 32 degrees) and the process begins by adding the selected starter cultures. For our slow fermentation cheese we use a lower temperature, slow lactic acid fermentation, where lactic acid bacteria transform the milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid. Rennet is added to coagulate the milk. While we use non-animal rennet in our fresh and soft cheeses. animal rennet is used in the Nectre, to avoid bitter peptides as the hard cheese matures.

The lactic acid and rennet cause the milk to curdle and separate into curds (milk solids, fats, protein, minerals, etc) and whey (lactose, whey proteins, minerals, but mostly water). This happens over a 24 hour period. When the lactic acid concentration reaches a certain level (eg. in the case of our La Luna, a pH of 4.3) the curd is gently ladled. Nectar is a rennet set cheese and the curd set time will vary, depending on the quality of the milk, somewhere between 40 to 60 minutes.

We do one large cut – the Ninja cut – as coined by Ivan Larcher, to assist with removal of whey from the curd. Then 10 minutes later we do the more conventional cut.

The last stage is ripening, or affinage, where microbes and enzymes within the cheese work together to mature it, under controlled temperature and humidity. The Nectar is initially washed daily in brine and cultures.

The whole process is fast paced with many measurements of pH, acidity and temperature through the make. It’s vital that we monitor and record our steps to help refine our cheesemaking and identify what works – minutes and seconds matter, as does a tenth of a unit of pH, half a degree of dornic or of temperature.

Our cheese is a pure expression of the milk and the goats. The season, the pasture and the time of lactation all create the essence of Holy Goat. We simply combine quality milk, with culture, pH, temperature and time. How we work with these factors is where the detail and the delicacy lie. And we also know that, in the end, the ultimate test of a cheese is not with the pH meter, or temperature probe, or burette, it’s actually with the taste buds.

See the cheesemaking process below. To enlarge, click on the thumbnail.

our set up

testing for flocculation

flocculation

setting up the rinse

testing water temperature

buckets ready

monitoring

making the ‘ninja cut’

Ivan Larcher’s ‘ninja cut’

monitoring pH

constant monitoring

cutting the curd

and again

and more

curds and whey separate

continuing

and more

ensuring even sized particles

titration test

watching for color change

slight change in color

separating curds from whey

pH testing for lactic acid levels

monitoring pH, time and temp

and again

checking pH change

testing the curds

ready to ladle

gently placing curds in molds

gathering curds

into the molds

gently pressing curds into molds

the result

draining curds

end of the first stage

time to taste test!

All in a Weekend’s Work

It’s 5.15am on any Saturday (and some Sundays) and you’ll find our ‘market car’ with its cargo of Holy Goat cheese, lovingly packed and refrigerated, on it’s way an accredited Farmers’ Market in Melbourne, or perhaps closer to home at Castlemaine or Bendigo.

By 8am our stall is set up and ready – our cabinet stocked … with tubs of creamy Fromage Frais, wrapped barrels of Silk, pyramids of ash-coated Black Silk, the lovely La Luna, delicate logs of Skyla, and the more mature cheeses – Eclipse, Pandora and Veloute … and tasting plates on hand. Many market-goers know exactly what they want and ask us for it. Others are new to the market, or to goat’s cheese. We have plenty of time for both, because the markets give us an opportunity to interact directly with our customers, to receive feedback on our product and to help us keep developing our cheeses, and our farm.

This two way connection is vital for us and other small producers around the State. It also means we get a fair price for our produce and the buyer knows exactly what they’re buying, how it is produced, and by whom (including the names of our goats, if they should ask). They can also find out how seasonal conditions are influencing the final product. Selling cheese here is much more than just a financial transaction.

Victoria’s uniquely successful, voluntary Farmers’ Market Accreditation, which ensures the produce customers buy has been grown by the person they hand over their money to, and that it has been grown within defined local, regional, or state boundaries, has been an important part of our success.

Today we’re Collingwood Children’s Farm and Bendigo Farmers’ Market. Of the weekly Melbourne farmers’ markets, Collingwood attracts some 3000+ visitors and many are regulars at our stall. The city farm is in a beautiful location on a bend of the Yarra River and many shoppers stay to enjoy the animals, music and lovely Spring sunshine.

Fairfield, at the local primary school, is one of our newer markets and we are gaining a loyal following. ‘Once people have tasted the cheese they will walk back to our stall month after month. It sells itself,’ says Gen, one of our farmers’ marketeers. ‘Children love the fresh cheese. Market-goers have a real taste for the La Luna.’

‘People are very curious to know how the cheese is made and where the farm is. Selling at Farmers’ Markets means you get to meet lots of different people and you really get to know your regular customers. At Gasworks market, people are at the point where they bring along photos of their kids or grandkids to show me! It’s the most enjoyable selling I’ve ever done,’ says Gen.

Naomi lives a five minute walk away from the Fairfield Farmers’ Market and is a regular Holy Goat Cheese buyer. ‘It’s the real deal. The cheese is tasty, creamy and very versatile. It’s stylish on a platter served with crackers. It’s conversation worthy and it has never let me down.’

‘I like buying from the growers and seeing that all of my money goes directly to them without the middlemen. It suits my ethos, the produce is always good and it’s worth the money,’ says Naomi.

Sooz from Brunswick is another regular. ‘I love the social aspect of the Farmers’ Markets, I love cheese and chocolate, but I especially love cheese!’

Farmers’ Markets provide around 30% of our turnover, the rest of our cheese is sold through distributors to regional Victoria, Melbourne and Sydney. Selling our cheese direct at markets suits our farm production schedules, but not all market-goers can find our cheese when they want, which is where the distributors, retailers and restauranteurs come into the picture. It’s a healthy business model to have a wide range of outlets, without the monopolies of supermarkets. Besides, we are a farmhouse producer and not geared up to the sort of scale (and low returns) that industrial farms and supermarkets demand. Plus we rely on the expertise and skill of the cheesemongers and restaurant staff to care for our delicate cheeses prior to sale.

Farmers’ Markets also allow us to carry out product development and research without large outlays; to test the market. Eclipse, a geotrichum ash coated cheese, is an example of our market customers tasting – and then buying – a cheese developed with their feedback. We can also respond directly to questions – how to prepare, serve and cut the cheese.

By 12.30pm we will have sold out and begun packing up for the drive back to Sutton Grange, returning by around 3.30pm. This has been the routine, weekend in and out, for the past 11 years, since the very early days of Farmers’ Markets. That’s every weekend, every month, 8 markets, month in and out. Mostly we sell out, or close to. Then it’s the same all over, the next weekend.

But it’s no chore. We love the Farmers’ Markets and not only for the loyal customers we’ve met and got to know. We’ve been part of our customers lives, their joys and sadness. Farmers’ Markets also mean that producers like us are taking marketing and retailing back into our own domain, becoming price makers, instead of price takers.

There’s a vital place for Farmers’ Markets in this country and our farm is demonstrating that you don’t have to be big to be a successful primary producer; small farms that pay heed to the way they produce and market will always have a place in the economy. We think consumers feel the same. From what we see at the Farmers’ Markets, customers are happy to be paying for quality organic produce and most importantly they are happy to be paying us, directly, for it.

Farmers Market Dates:

1st Sat – St Kilda Peanut Farm Oval
1st Sun – Castlemaine Victory Park
2nd Sat – Collingwood Childrens Farm
2nd Sat – Bendigo Rosalind Park/Williamson Street
3rd Sat – Gasworks, South Melbourne
3rd Sat – Fairfield Primary School
4th Sat – Lancefield Centre Plantation/High Street

Who do you think you are?

Ivy was born on the 9th August this year, the last of the kids born to the maiden does (first time kidding). She comes from a long line of goats. Her mother is Hoya, borne by Jasmine, who came from Lilac, out of Buddelia. Muse is her great great great grand dame. Ivy’s father’s is Milano (Petra’s son) the grandson of Carlos, one of our foundation bucks. No SBS production needed here, because our joining’s are carefully considered and mapped, and besides, the offspring themselves give their heritage away.

Genetics are an important consideration on our farm. We believe that environment, animal care and nutrition are 90% of the story, genetics the rest. But faulty genetics will never result in a happy, healthy, productive animal. Inbreeding can cause conformation weaknesses, neurological problems and poor milk production. So we work just as hard on improving that 10%.

People think it’s nice or quaint, that we name all our goats. In fact it’s for a very practical reason. Not only can we and our staff remember each and every animal when we look at them, milk them and feed them, but through their name we become aware of every other goat that she is linked to – the whole family ancestry and all that comes with it.

We have several maternal lines – the famous singers (eg. Piaf, Bonnie, Marlena, etc), the precious metals (eg. Copper, Silver, Pewter, Bronze, etc), the fruit (eg. Guava, Pear, Mulberry, etc). Performers, goddesses, herbs, and of course Ivy, of the climbing plants line (we started with flowering plants but there were two sisters we wanted to breed from so we split them into the climbers and the flowers).

Naming our goats gives us instant recognition of family lines and traits. Traits get carried down through the lines. We notice the quirky things the most – the adventurous ones that strive beyond the regular goat, like Muse who was always breaking out of her paddock, sussing out the wheelbarrow of feed at milking time. Muse had triplets (Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Bette Davis) – all of them escapees as well, but usually only at milking when they’d come and oversee activities, or seek an extra feed. Even grand daughter Lola does the same!

Besides this behavioural tendency, conformation is another major feature – feet, udders, build and milking volume are all highly heritable. Chervil, Chicory, Mint and Parsley are all big milkers with well formed udders and sturdy bodies.

Our breeding plans are put in place well before joining, based on generations of observation – of a goat’s mother, sister, aunt, grand mother, her sire. We don’t mate underperforming does.

We mate our young maiden does in March. But we don’t join these maiden does until they are one and a half years old, which gives us an opportunity to observe their milk production, behaviour, health and how closely they resemble their heritage. We also want the does to have a fully developed rumen before they kid, which takes at least 18 months. This means they are better prepared for the stresses of birth and lactaction at 2 years old. Our three bucks are put in separate paddocks and we introduce small groups of young does who stay there for 6-8 weeks.

Our older dairy does are mated individually when they are 4 years old. Goats cycle, or come into oestrus, every 3 weeks (a bit shorter than humans) and will tell us by their actions – typically tail wagging, flirting with each other, hanging about in small groups, standing up. If a buck is nearby it’s pretty obvious, but some of the quieter goats need closer observation of behavioural or physical signs. We take the doe individually to the buck we have chosen for them and it’s all pretty quick – impregnation only takes a 5 seconds or so.

Sometimes, despite all our intentions and good fences, a doe will decide for herself who she fancies! In most cases that’s okay, but we have to make sure the buck isn’t closely related to them.

Other dairy farmers may increase nutrition at mating – primarily protein levels – but we have no problems with fertility in our herd (this year we have 35 kids from 17 does) so it is not an issue for our farm. But we do alter nutrition during pregnancy, especially in the second trimester, and focus on providing a selection of minerals for pregnant does.

Over time we can see the genetic influence of the bucks because the maternal lines are strong and repeatable. We want to avoid inbreeding. With only 2 to 3 bucks we need to keep alert to it and ideally would introduce a new buck every three years. The reality is that many large goat herds have animal health issues such as Johnnes disease and Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) so even if their genetics are good, they are a risky proposition. Small herds can run into inbreeding problems. So far we have been able to keep a balance between self replacing our bucks using the maternal genetic traits and bringing in new genes through true and trusted breeders. We don’t try to improve our herd through bucks alone – there are enough strong and diverse genes through our maternal lines to ensure we keep our animals strong, healthy and productive.

It gets more complex the more generations are produced. We have a series of spreadsheets to keep track and ensure we are always outbreeding. Over the years of working with the herd we make connections and we are always thinking about heritage, ancestry, progeny. At every milking we look down the line and ask how is this goat performing? How true is she to her heritage? How variable are her traits, compared to her relatives? What could the next branch of this family tree be?

We are already contemplating Ivy’s perfect match…

Position Vacant at Holy Goat Cheese

Assistant cheese maker/ dairy goat milker

Holy Goat Cheese is regarded as one of the finest farmhouse goat cheese producers in Australia. The farm is certified organic with the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia. This position requires assisting in the manufacture of lactic and rennet set cheeses; wrapping and despatching of cheeses; the cleaning and maintenance of the cheese room; and overseeing the running of the cheese room on a daily basis. The position also involves the milking of our herd of 75+ goats, assisting with feeding, goat care and general farm maintenance. Selling at Farmers’ Markets may also be required.

Visit us at http://www.holygoatcheese.com. Please email for a Position Description to info@holygoatcheese.com.au.

Who’s Kidding?

We are coming up to our most intense time on the farm – kidding. Our pregnant does are due to start birthing on 9 August and it’s an expectant time for us all on the farm.

The natural breeding season for goats is March to September; young females reach puberty at around five months and then cycle every three weeks. Gestation is about the same as for sheep – about 150 days or 5 months (to compare, cows take 9 months, horses 11 months, rabbits 31 days).

It’s a critical time for the pregnant does as we move into late winter – they are at a stage where the unborn kids are growing quickly, the nutrition requirements of the doe are higher and weather conditions can be harsh. So we need to ensure we provide all their nutritional requirements, particularly minerals, at this time, especially if pasture growth is slowed. Calcium, phosphorus magnesium and potassium are the major minerals that need to be kept in balance to avoid metabolic disorders.

There are plenty of things that can go wrong in pregnancy – uterus infection, calcium collapse, energy collapse (ketosis), milk fever, retained placenta, magnesium collapse, dehydration …. just reading the textbooks can make you nervous, but the key on our farm is having the does in good condition, calm and happy, and on a rising nutritional plane that will ensure their demands for birth and lactation are met.

We provide a formulated diet for our kidding goats, especially in the last 8 weeks of pregnancy, dependent upon pasture availability and the stage of pregnancy. First time mothers get particular attention. Six weeks before kidding pregnant does move on to a transition feed with a gradual increase in volume up to kidding. This transition feed is important as the rumen (one of the 4 stomachs in the goat) needs time to grow and adapt to the changed feed. As energy needs are high at kidding it’s important to build reserves to protect the doe from having a collapse into milk fever. Magnesium is the key to the goat being able to metabolise Calcium as the doe comes into lactation. An inability to meet Calcium needs at kidding causes milk fever.

Most does deliver their kid (or in 70% of cases twins – or triplets) without problems and we just need to ensure the entire afterbirth is delivered, that the newborn is dry, warm and sheltered, drinks the mother’s colostrum (the first milk produced after birth) and has the opportunity to bond with the doe. Colostrum is an incredibly high energy source of vitamins, minerals and fat and crucially, also contains antibodies to protect the kid against illness and stress. It’s important that the colostrum is ingested within the first hour of birth when its antibodies are at their peak just and the kid most able to absorb them. We also give the mothers electrolytes, lots of fresh hay and a concentrate mix.

Our goats tend to know when we are around and in the past few seasons, weekends have seen the bulk of births. We also seem to have a sixth sense of when something is happening, or if a particular goat is having difficulties. More likely though it’s from decades of observation and experience, knowing the genetics and maternal lines of the goats and having watched them right through the pregnancy.

In September we will wean the kids from their mothers, training them to drink from bottles then bucket feeders. Kids are fed 2 to 3 times a day. We also train the first time mothers onto the milking line. By the time kids are weaned our paddocks should be providing good spring growth for their growth and development, and for their lactating mothers.

Insiders

At Holy Goat, as much as we farm the land and the goats, we are also aiming to cultivate farmers. In Australia, the average age of farmers is around 53 years of age (compared with 39 years for all other occupations – the latest ABS stats make sobering reading). Agriculture is faced with an aging workforce at a time when our industry sorely needs young farmers with drive and passion and intellect.

Other organic growers, such as Allsun Farm’s Michael Plane and Joyce Wilkie have recognised this too; they have developed the “Growing the Growers” program to address succession planning and the dearth of young people working in sustainable agricultural production. Like us, Allsun Farm have found that the best and brightest farmers, may not necessarily come through traditional pathways.

Over the years Holy Goat has trained and mentored many students and staff. Interested people have accessed our farm in a range of ways: the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) scheme, Agriculture and Veterinary university placements, Odysee Agri (a French Agricultural placement program), Agriventure, work experience, internships or direct employment. Some have gone on to run their own dairy and cheese making farms or take placements in rural locations

Our focus more recently has been on the benefits and possibilities that internship brings, for both our farm and the interns.

The beauty of internship is that we can have interns on the farm for long periods of time (three months and more). The interns benefit from real immersion in every aspect of the farm and the networks and connections that we have developed over years in the industry. Internship does require more responsibility and commitment from us all, but real benefits come with that.

At the moment we have two interns working on the farm – Jessie and Margot. Margot a young French woman studied Agriculture and is working on the farm for 6 months. Her Alpine experiences include cheese-making in Montane and herding and hand-milking 250 goats and sheep through summer pastures of the Pyrenees mountains. She’s keen to bring her French experiences to an Australian setting and learn more from us, and about the local culture. Margot is building her experience here so she is able to set up her own dairy goat herd and make cheese in France.

Jessie a young Australian has left her physiotherapy life to embark on an extended internship working on the farm. Jesse says, “This opportunity of being full-time on the farm has allowed me to learn practical on-farm skills quickly- from fencing to milking goats and making cheese. With my time here, I’ve been able to get to know the entire dairy goat herd intimately. On a daily basis I meet their needs including milking, feeding, brushing and administering treatments. I am a goat slave! Life on the farm has also been about connecting with others through farmers markets, field days and workshops.”

Our six staff are involved in all aspects of the enterprise: from selling our cheeses at farmers markets; through to the day to day farming and cheese-making. Interns will experience all of these roles as well. Staff also appreciate the interns on the farm. The interns offer much needed support in busy times; they inspire with their youthful energy and enthusiasm and bring local and international experiences.

It’s very rewarding to be able to provide learning opportunities for future farmers, to benefit from their unique skills and to see them go on to develop as farmers. We enjoy the energy and positive approach that young people bring to the farm and the opportunity to provide them with another model for sustainable farming. It’s been a vital part of our farms growth.

The Line Up

Twice a day we milk our goats – at 6am and 3pm. The goats are more routine than us; well before it’s time to bring them up to the dairy, the herd will have made their way towards the milking shed – unless they’ve found a particularly luscious spot of feed, or a cool spot to spell in at the height of summer – and almost always in the same order. The goats are very predictable, once you get to know them. Of our milkers, you will always find Lola leading the first group up the race to be milked. You can guarantee that Lilac will be the goat to be the last on the line and it is always Circa who is out the back being picked on by Aphra. Just like kids!

Milking is also an important time for us to be with the goats, to observe their behavior, monitor their health and condition, and pick up any minor issues before they become evident. With goats, early prevention is critical because when you first notice a problem, the likelihood is that they are already very unwell. Goats are stoic and don’t tend to complain. So we keep a careful eye on our herd, especially at milking. If need be we will treat minor issues with vitamins, herbal remedies and homeopathics, We maintain a diary to communicate amongst our staff to keep a watch on certain animals.

Udders and feet (and stomachs) are the most important ‘machinery’ on our farm. We ensure that they are in top condition. The udder is obvious – and we know every goat by name, just by looking at their udder in the line up. Every udder is different, just like humans. It is crucial to notice and act on any change including inflammation or hardness. Mastitis can be a problem in dairy herds. We don’t use antibiotics and good knowledge of each individual milker makes sure we act quickly if there are any changes

Goats’ feet need regular trimming to ensure soundness. A goat with sore feet won’t be able to forage and eat. Goats have a rapid metabolism and must keep eating to survive. We trim about every 3 – 4 months. Milking time gives us an opportunity to trim and inspect hooves. We use sharp secateurs/trimmers and and tie the goat to a fence in the milking yard for her manicure. A mature goat weighs 80-100kg so it’s important that trimming is as effortless as possible. Having (mostly) quiet, amenable goats help. But our goats also associate the milking shed with food, companionship and having that heavy load of milk taken down. A 10 year old goat may have had her hooves trimmed more than 35 times in her life

Twelve goats mount the milking stand at a time so it takes 2.5 hours to milk our 85 goats. As they come up on the line they are given a ration of grain, chaff and minerals (freshly mixed and specific to the time of year and their nutritional needs) and the milking cups are attached. Did you know that goats only have two teats? After milking, they receive a drink of whey from a trough on the way out. We have found that our goats love the whey and it is a cheap way of providing some extra energy, protein and minerals and it also turns dairy ‘waste’ into a valuable resource. Whey is produced when the milk is separated, curdled and strained to make cheese.

More about what happens to the milk when it leaves the udders next month… but take a look at milking….

Holy Goat Cheese and Sutton Grange Organic Farm