[Ag-eq] Dairy

Mon Aug 24 18:39:46 UTC 2015

Tracy:

I really have no idea, I'm just following the state guidelines.  Maybe because
cheese involves food preparation, not sure.

The guide lines are really odd.  Consumers have the right to ask to see your
livestock and your milking facility.  However you don't have to show your
kitchen, where most small dairies are straining and bottling the milk.  You can
milk the animals by hand or with a machine, just as long as you are not selling
over 500 gallons per month.  If you sell more than 500 gallons you have to meet
all the regulations to be a comercial dairy.

Oh, I was told that I can sell hard cheeses, but not soft cheeses, which are the
ones that I'm good at making.  I wonder if mozarella is considered a hard
cheese.  I've made it with the goat milk and it turned out good.

You can set up a small dairy like a comunity supported aggriculture farm and
sell cheese.  If there is a strong demand for the milk and consumers ask for
cheese I will probably do that.

It has just been in the last few years that people are allowed to legally sell
raw milk in Arkansas.  I also have to provide a disclaimer for every purchase. 
It states that there are some risks in using raw milk and that the farmer is not
responsible for any illness.  The departmetn of ag provides this and I just have
to make copies and give one out whenever someone buys milk.  I suspect that the
comercial dairies had a hand in all this.

Nella

Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:

> How come you can sell milk, but not cheese?  I would think cheese is less
> likely to have problems than milk, but then what do I know.
> I can buy fresh Mozarella at my farmers' market.  If I could buy goat
> cheese, I'd snap it up!
> Tracy
>
> > Tracy:
> >
> > I plan on keeping the young doe goats asuming they are healthy and grow
> > well.
> > My dose have all kidded easily and are good milkers, so hope their
> > daughters
> > will be the same.  Two of the dose are getting older so can probably only
> > breed
> > them one more time.
> >
> > I will casterate the young bucks and they will go to someone's table.
> > I've made
> > contact with a couple of butchers in the area that specialize in grass fed
> > and
> > GMO free meats.  I plan on following their guidelines so they will buy the
> > kids
> > I don't want.  This is hard for me, but I cannot keep all of them.  I
> > could sell
> > any unwanted doelings as milk goats since they come from good milking
> > lines.
> >
> > I will be selling milk; we are allowed to sell raw milk here as long as
> > it's
> > picked up from the farm.  There are a few regulations you have to meet to
> > sell
> > the milk, that is why I'm building the milk barn.  I've met a family that
> > live
> > a few miles away that are selling fresh Jersey milk and they cannot keep
> > up
> > with the demand.  Unfortunately I'm not allowed to sell cheese, only the
> > milk.
> > I can sell the goat milk soap since it's not being eaten.
> >
> > Nella
> >
> >
> >
> > Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> >
> >> Hi Nella.
> >> Chocolate sounds very nice!
> >> What will you do with the kids?  Will your herd get bigger and bigger,
> >> or
> >> will your neighbors be eating roast kid?
> >> Tracy
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella Foster
> >> via
> >> Ag-eq
> >> Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2015 9:30 PM
> >> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> >> Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> >> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Apple harvest
> >>
> >> Tracy:
> >>
> >> I recently got a dehydrator and so far have only dried some peppers and
> >> herbs.
> >>
> >> The buck goats can get aggressive, but this little guy has been handled
> >> since birth and I continue to spend time with him.  He is very friendly
> >> and
> >> will follow me around like a puppy.  I think he will be o.k. as long as
> >> I
> >> keep handling him and don't let him get away with bad behavior.  I've
> >> met
> >> several bucks that are friendly and the people were petting them and
> >> spending time with them.  I've seen a couple that were aggressive, but
> >> they
> >> were just out in a pasture and didn't have a lot of human interaction.
> >>
> >> The worse thing about a buck goat is how stinky they get.  so far
> >> Chocolate
> >> isn't very smelly because he is still young.  They get more smelly when
> >> they
> >> reach adulthood.  His name is Chocolate, which fits right into my heard,
> >> the
> >> girls all have candy names.
> >>
> >> I purchased Chocolate from a nice Amish family.  All their animals were
> >> so
> >> healthy and friendly.  He is registered and their herd has been tested
> >> for
> >> certain diseases, which is what I wanted to find.  They even called to
> >> make
> >> sure he is doing o.k. and didn't get to stressed by the move.  I've kept
> >> their contact info so that we can do business again.
> >>
> >> I think they had to call from a neighbors, they don't use phones.  When
> >> I
> >> called I spoke to the neighbor; it was strange, but all worked out.
> >>
> >> Nella
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> >>
> >> > Hi Nella.
> >> > My apples are Golden Delicious, sweet/tart, the way I like them.  I'd
> >> > forgotten about drying, and I have a dehydrator.  I'll have to try it.
> >> > This morning, I separated the apples into "use today" and "will keep a
> >> bit".
> >> > After lunch, applesauce!  And maybe more.
> >> >
> >> > Your barn sounds great! And your buck sounds cute.  Do male goats get
> >> > aggressive, when they reach maturity?
> >> > Tracy
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella
> >> > Foster via Ag-eq
> >> > Sent: Friday, August 21, 2015 5:00 PM
> >> > To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> >> > Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> >> > Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Apple harvest
> >> >
> >> > Tracy:
> >> >
> >> > What kind of apples?
> >> >
> >> > I'm so jealous, love fresh apples.
> >> >
> >> > Wonder how long until my little trees start bearing fruit?
> >> >
> >> > Do you ever dry them?
> >> >
> >> > I'm still getting tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.
> >> >
> >> > I bought a little buck goat and put out with my doe goats.  He's kind
> >> > of young, so don't know if he is old enough to do his job yet!  He is
> >> > very cute, will grow up to be a handsome boy.  He and 2 of my dose
> >> > have genes for spots, so hoping I get some spotted babies.
> >> >
> >> > I'm turning my shop building into a milk barn.  The guys are working
> >> > on it right now.  There will be a room to store hay, a room for
> >> > milking and a room to put the goats when they kid and to keep the
> >> > really young kids out of the weather.
> >> > It is going to make milking so much easier.  There is a pen on one
> >> > side where I will bring the girls, then I can take them into the milk
> >> > room to milk and put them out a door on the other side.
> >> >
> >> > I finally have goat proof fencing around the whole pasture, so the
> >> > goats and Cruiser can all be together.  Hopefully by next spring I
> >> > will have more fences up to divide the pasture so I can rotate the
> >> > animals around.  They graze it more even that way.
> >> >
> >> > What is everyone else up to?
> >> >
> >> > Nella
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> >> >
> >> > > The apple harvest is starting to roll in.  Literally, since I'm
> >> > > picking them up off the ground and often finding them by
> >> > > accidentally kicking them.  My young retriever is also good at
> >> > > finding apples.  He has a soft mouth, and can pick them up without a
> >> > > scratch, but I'm trying to teach him not to pick up miscellaneous
> >> things
> >> off the ground.
> >> > >
> >> > > Yesterday, I took a medium-size bucket and filled it to the top.
> >> > > I'll have to sort them this weekend, green or ripe. Then I'll start
> >> > > making
> >> > applesauce.
> >> > > I've also found a pandowdy recipe that sounds yummy.  Applesauce is
> >> > > the easiest though, since all I have to do is boil the apples 10-15
> >> > > minutes, then run them through the whatchamacallit that squeezes out
> >> > > the good stuff and leaves the seeds and skins in the pot.  Yumaroo!
> >> > >
> >> > > They're little apples, 2-3 inches across, so it will take quite a
> >> > > few to make a pie.  But it could be worth it.
> >> > >
> >> > > And then there's just plain eating them.  Or wrapping some up to
> >> > > store for later.
> >> > >
> >> > > Tracy
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
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> >> > >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
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