Good Results, Inspiring Stories, Playing with Goats
Let’s Take a Walk
I mentioned last week that I had a good news story to share with you. This is it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed the experience that generated this posting.
There is an online publication in our local area dedicated to foodies and all that feeds the foodie world. We subscribe to Edible Asheville, finding their work quite good. The real attraction is that they connect all the dots, from farm to table. There are amazing things that happen in so many places that make that terrific meal you are about to enjoy possible. It is a long trail indeed.
A couple of weeks ago, they offered a tour of some local farms, with a special emphasis on how these farmers farm responsibly (with special care for animals and the environment) and how they linked with local restaurants. Sounded fascinating, so off we went for a day of discovery and dining at the source. We were not disappointed.
Goats Galore!
The first place we visited, after a beautiful drive through the mountains, was a goat farm, well known locally for their cheese products. They have 38 goats and I think our little group met them all. They are naturally curious and like getting attention, so everyone got some quality goat time. The goats had pretty much free run of most of the farm.
Well, at least the females had free range. The few males in the herd have a specific job and they are always willing to serve. So, they stay a bit fenced off until one or more females let it be known they could use a little attention. Some things are universal.
Four interesting notes from this visit.
One, the fellow running this place came out about eight years ago to serve as a volunteer milker, with no experience in any kind of farming. The whole thing about the goat farm overwhelmed him. He never left. He took a series of jobs on site, eventually running the whole operation. He wondered into the job of his life and was smart enough to recognize this was it. Sometimes the Universe lines up just right.
Two, this was the first place, but not the last, where we heard the term “regenerative farming.” The idea is to farm in such a manner that all aspects of the environment are given priority for support. On this farm, it means the goats eat mostly grass and the farm is divided into several grazing areas with different types of turf. The goats get well fed, no use of chemicals, and the meadows are all healthy. As much of the farm as possible is kept in natural vegetation and trees. Heck of a nice place.
Three, goats live in a herd and there definitely is a pecking order. We were advised that when a new goat joins the herd, it goes through a bit of initial isolation, then progressive integration until it and all the other goats figure out where said goat fits in the pecking order. You know, sort of like humans in an office.
Four, the varieties of goat cheese that can be made seems endless. We had quite a tasting at the end of our tour, subsequently buying way more than made sense. Tasty!
Another Goat Story
All this reminded me of an old favorite goat story. There is a farm in South Africa that has two main products: a very good red wine and some fine goat cheese. The wine uses the Cote du Rhone grapes. One day the owner notices that when the goats wondered into the vineyard, they went directly to the grapes that were perfectly ripe on that day.
From that day forward, he used the goats to tell him where they should be picking grapes on any given day. In gratitude, he changed the name of his wine. It was no longer his Cote du Rhone. Now it is known as Goats Do Roam. You can occasionally find it here in the US. A more than decent wine to enjoy.
Next, A Full Fledged Farm
On we went to a farm well known to most of my Asheville readers, Hickory Nut Gap Farm. It seems most restaurants in this area come here for meats (beef, pork, fowl) and other products. They also host a ton of community events and open houses, supplemented with food trucks, beer wagons, and cook outs by local chefs. Even petting zoos are set up.
We learned that this farm had been in the same family for over 120 years. How rare is that today? We also learned much more about regenerative agriculture. They also put great care and emphasis into natural products, complete with a detailed philosophy and very specific processes. Interestingly, they elected to stop producing to meet standards of certified organic farming. They said that the administration, bureaucratic overhead, and costs of certified organic got to be too much, so they make it known what they do to stay natural, and it has been a huge local success.
Other farmers took note and started asking for advice. One thing led to another, and they now have a compact with over 75 other farms to work in the same way. Just a few weeks ago, they got a cold call from Whole Foods, which had heard a lot about their results and wanted to take a look themselves. A team came out, spent a day with them, talking and eating.
They liked what they saw and so talks are underway to go national with their products. All from doing it right and staying focused. We took all this in while munching on charcuterie platters in a converted barn.
A Common Thread
Both these places are enthusiastically engaged with local chefs. The chefs come out to the farms often, taste the food, examine crops and animals, articulate what they need to cook the way they intend. Both places mentioned they have tailored processes and material to meet those requirements. Both farmers and chefs consider this a partnership. You and I are the beneficiaries.
Happily, this kind of collaboration among people who work together is very much a part of the local culture here. People are much more interested in collaboration than competition, more in teamwork than complete independence. Overall, it works.
Any Life Lessons Here?
Yes, indeed. It is possible to pursue work that is enormously satisfying, if you are willing to commit and to take some risks. It is possible to produce with high quality and large volumes and still leave the environment at least as good as you received it. It is possible to team with others who are very different from you and who do something completely different from what you do, but the connection makes everything better.
Overall, a heck of a good day. Lots of reaffirmations and inspirations, interesting fellow foodies, and some fine eating on the move. I would write still more, but I hear some goat cheese and crusty bread calling my name, asking me to bring some wine and join the party. That is an irresistible call. Have a Happy Halloween. Goodbye!
Bill Clontz & Friends
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Read some of Thomas Jefferson’s comments on farmers. Very interesting. Google the subject. He REALLY respected them
Certainly true. He actually envisioned a nation of small farms as the national makeup.
Great read this morning Bill. Good movie about regenerative farming called Kiss The Ground. On Netflix. Hickory Nut Farms is an amazing operation with great meats and other products. Worth the drive out to their farm especially when their ground beef is on sale but be prepared to add some extra items from their store to your basket or cooler. Thanks. Tom
We love Hickory Nut Gap and I really liked reading about the other farms and the goats! Thanks for something cheerful and encouraging in my mailbox this morning!