The Curious Farmer

Q&A with Kate - The Leap Farm goat dairy system

Episode Summary

Late last year, another goat farmer in French Guiana reached out about the dairy system that Kate and Iain utilise. So in the first Q&A episode, Kate explains how their system works.

Episode Notes

Leap Farm dairy system:

• Once a day milking (in the mornings)
• All kids kept with their mothers throughout the season (during the day)
• The mothers and kids are drafted apart in the evening, with all of them shedded at night on a composting hay floor (deep litter system) that provides heat (like an electric blanket)
• Kids are given a small amount of milk every morning (with a cuddle) for the first 6 weeks of life
• Kids naturally wean from their mothers over the course of the season
• The males and the females who lines aren't desirable for the milking herd are turned off the paddock when they reach a reasonable size and are sold for meat
• Milking (and cheese making) is seasonal - in late autumn/early winter, milking ceases for the season, and both the farmers and the girls get a 3 month break
• And so the cycle begins.

Questions and comments can be sent to Kate at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com, or contact her through Instagram or Facebook @leapfarm