Farming is a labor of love. People who take care of livestock humanely spend a lot of time weighing if letting nature take its course is best or if more can be done to help the animals we love live their best life possible. It is a question that keeps small farmers awake at night as we take all the minute observations of the day, filter them through past experience and then try to make the best decisions possible for each animal in our herd. It is a juggling act with intuition, knowledge and love all at play. This week we have been worrying about little Tui, born tiny with two larger siblings on May 16th. He has a tiny voice and is a little slow on his feet. But in our experience, if I goat has a significant issue, their body won't be able to keep up with their growth over the first week. Most goats who make it solidly into the second week can pull through and keep improving. Today is Day 6 for Tui and we are feeling hopeful. I will be looking at him all night on the live cam anyway, but I am feeling more confident he just needs time.

Thanks for visiting farm friends.
Read more about our Farm philosophy and check out our live barn cam here: http://www.sunflowerfarm.info/sunflow...

Our Philosophy for Those who do't know us well...
Sunflower Farm is one of a handful of No Cull commercial dairy goat farms in the country. It is common practice to “cull” or kill goats who do not serve a dairy operation to their fullest capacity. On average, a fourth of a dairy herd is culled for various reasons each year. This might include all newborn bucklings (male baby goats), older dairy goats who are no longer fertile, and any goat who does not produce the desired amount of milk. We know first hand how hard it is for dairy operations to remain solvent. Culling practices can help farms: increase their profit margin, save time, and work towards genetics in a dairy herd that emphasize high milk production. We have consciously chosen another path for our animals.

We are working hard to prove that a farm can be both profitable and humane. We kept second jobs as teachers for the first 9 years so that we could explore ways to generate income on a small farm without the pressure of having to operate in a way that would take all the joy out of what we do. At Sunflower Farm, every goat born on the farm is named and valued and we cherish our animals long after their commercial productivity while providing them the very best feed, medical attention and love.

Farming is hard daily work for all involved. Although the goats enjoy lots of time grazing in the field and enjoying the attention of visitors, they work hard too. The does at our farm take excellent care of their kids. Anyone who has been a parent knows how much work this is! They also hop onto the milk stand eagerly and give us milk so we can provide delicious cheese and other dairy products for our local neighborhood. We see it as part of our contract with our animals to do everything we can to make their life happy and healthy since they give so much to us. We also know that these dams love their kids, and so we find caring homes for any we can't keep (often long before we breed we have a full waiting list). Each kid has a distinct personality and we grow incredibly attached to all of them by the time they leave at 8 weeks. The notion of culling all the bucklings at birth as many farms do as general practice is not acceptable to us. Because they make such incredible outdoor pets, we have had no problem finding homes for all the kids.

Lastly, the idea of killing an animal that has spent its life serving our farm is incomprehensible to us. Many of our does have kids and grandkids who live on the farm. When they nap in the afternoon, they curl up in a heap by family, sometimes 34 generations all snuggled together. We believe even the old lady goats who can no longer be bred deserve this time with family.

While culling might be necessary in a huge dairy operation, we believe that people who buy local are looking for an alternative which is more in line with how they would treat their own animals. We are proud to be a dairy who can offer you products you can feel great about!

Thanks so much for visiting the farm online and we hope we have an opportunity to meet you all in person before too long!

Thanks for visiting farm friends.
Read more about our Farm philosophy and check out our live barn cam here: http://www.sunflowerfarm.info/sunflow...