Our Story
Texas Blackland Prairie is a vanishing native Texas ecosystem. Our goats are stewards of the land, and so are we. This is about that.
I lied about this being “Our Story”. There’s no humblebrag prose about getting away from the rat race (still stuck in it), or starting a new life (certified Texas hippies from way back). Farming is hard work. Everyone wants a medal for it, and everyone wants to look cool doing it. Whatever. Let us tell you about why we are doing this, and how it impacts you.
First there was the prairie, then us, then the goats
When we bought our property in 2019 it had been home to a small herd of horses for about 20 years. Before that there had been cattle. While there was some land management during all that time, no pesticides were used on the pastures. The fields had been mostly left to their own devices as grazing for large livestock. The land didn’t by any means resemble its native or wild self; it had been over grazed, tended, and generally bent to the will of ‘horse people’.
As soon as we arrived, that all stopped. For the first several years we left the pastures to heal, and regrow. Each new season brought on a new fireworks display of native grasses and flowers. Plants we had never met before popped up like they had always been there. The land began to regenerate and regain its ancient personality. Wild animals made their homes again.
Those years were some of the best of our lives so far, watching our land breathe and reveal itself, seeing the creek fill and dry, fill and dry, witnessing generations of jackrabbits teach their young how to haul ass this way and that through the prairie. We’re still trying to work out which songs belong to which frogs, and who hoots this way and who hoots that way when we sit on the porch at night. We still don’t know the names of all the grasses. It seems like new ones spring up each year.
We have had goats for a while now. They have helped us enjoy the flowers and the grass in new ways. They take good care of the prairie. They are lighter and gentler than their larger counterparts the cows and the horses. They like to nibble the tops of plants, not rip them up by the roots.
As herd animals they care for each other and seem to take pleasure in motherhood and sisterhood. They dote on their babies, tease each other, and talk to us while we do their housekeeping for them. Running a dairy goat farm means becoming entwined with their births, their nourishment, and their hierarchy. It’s humbling and difficult, always, but never heavy.
We love the goats, and we love the prairie. It’s so satisfying to see our two loves care for each other, and support each other. Our daily commitment is to both the land and the goats. Through this we are afforded the highest quality goat milk, fresh and delicious. Useful in so many ways, and so nutritious. We feel lucky to be a part of it all.
Interested in our herd share?
Click here to find out how you can get fresh, raw goat milk each week, direct from our farm.