Benefits of Raising Dairy Goats

Series Summary

Organic farming: more than just a hobby. Today we know that many of the pesticides, fertilizers, and treatments used in commercial and home agriculture are hazardous to the environment. Whereas at one point in history it was ‘okay’ to drain all the nutrients from the soil and poison any insects living there, rendering the land dead and stagnant, and then simply move on to fresher pastures, today people are concerned with their ecological ‘footprint’ and recognizing the damage our framing products (like hormones and feed) have on the environment and human health. Cattle are often treated with hormones to produce more milk or larger muscles, and many of them are bombarded by pesticides and chemicals from the grass and feed they eat regularly. Organic farming is part of the counter-movement, a small step in the right direction that teaches people to trust nature and the natural ways food, flowers, and herbs are produced. In this free organic farming video series, organic farmer and small business owner Daniel Botkin teaches you how to raise dairy goats and their many benefits. Daniel covers how to choose the type of goat for your homestead, fencing in the goat yard, how to feed and water your goats, and what makes goats such good dairy animals. Daniel will also teach you how to trim goat hooves, take care of pregnant goads and young kids, and all about common labor complications in dairy goats. Daniel gives you what you need to start a safe, healthy alternative goat farm.

Video Transcript

"So why should you keep dairy goats? Well for starters, they're real cute, and they're very useful on a farm, both for the milk and the cheese, which is famous, and if you do eat meat, it's a high quality meat. Obviously, this one is not going to be eaten, and we love them because they're moderately sized. On a homestead farm, a big cow or even a pig, is a big animal. These goats, the size is very adapted to the small farm, or even the backyard garden. Why else do we keep these animals? Well, the manure is exceedingly good for farming and gardening, and makes one of the best composts you can find. Plus, these animals are very entertaining, and fun to have around. I would mention that the milk is world famous. A lot of people who can't digest cow milk, do fine with goat's milk. Lactose intolerant people do fine with goats milk often, so there's lots of great reasons for you to get started with dairy goats, and today we're going to cover just what you need to know."