SPECIAL REPORT

FARMING for GOOD

by Stacey Kusterbeck and Karen Davidson

FARMERS SHARE THEIR STORIES, INSPIRATIONS, DREAMS, AND ADVICE.

AYERS BROOK GOAT DAIRY RANDOLPH, VERMONT

Farmers at Ayers Brook Goat Dairy have learned the hard way to goat-proof everything— light switches, doorknobs, the grain auger. “Goats are curious by nature. They can’t resist the opportunity to fiddle with something. If you look away for 5 seconds, you will have a cleanup project on your hands that will consume your entire afternoon,” says owner Miles Hooper.

A herd of 1,000 does produces milk for Vermont Creamery and a lo-cal producer of goat’s milk caramel sauce, among other customers. “It’s a marginal business. A lot of things have to go right for you to get paid,” notes Hooper. Producing high-quality milk is a priority. “Our contribution to the industry is not the amount of milk that we put in the bulk tank, but the genetic work we do to create heathi-er, more efficient animals,” Hooper explains. “The more protein—par- 48

ticularly casein—that we have in our goat’s milk, the better the conversion factor from pounds of milk to cheese.”

With a healthier profit margin, the farmers preserve both their liveli-hood and the environment. Recently, Hooper purchased a piece of land slated for development and preserved it for agriculture through a conserva-tion easement with the Vermont Land Trust. In 2014, he added solar panels to a 14,000-square-foot barn, allowing the 266-acre farm to be run complete-ly on solar electricity.

Years ago, Hooper visited goat farmers in rural France who some-how found time for an unrushed mid-day meal. Living by this example, Hooper intends to show his children that farming doesn’t necessarily mean nonstop labor: “We are trying to keep the farm fun and lighthearted enough that they might actually be inclined to take it on.” (continued)