Kidding season is complete with four baby goats on the ground. Our four moms had one baby each, we have two baby boys (bucklings) and two baby girls (doelings). The whole affair was pleasantly unremarkable, which was quite a relief for first timers. And by first timers, I mean both us and the goats! Pratt is a first time dad, each of the does are first time moms, and these babies are the first livestock born on our farm so it’s the first time for me and Randy, too. The does are shaping up to be great moms and we sure hope everything proceeds as uneventfully as it began!
We were a bit surprised that we didn’t get any twins. Twins in goats are common, and even triplets are not unusual. After doing a bit more research, first time moms and young goats are more likely to have singles, and our does are both. Nutrition prior to breeding also plays a big role in how many eggs a doe will ovulate. Our ladies were bred shortly after arriving on the farm, so that factor was out of our control. Oh, well! We’ll hope for more next year and just be glad we’ve got four healthy kids!
We have lots of baby vegetables, too. The greenhouse is already filled with seed trays. We’ve got spinach, lettuce, broccoli, bok choy and cabbage popping up, and even some baby tomato plants destined for the high tunnel. Between all the rain we managed to get Rosie the tractor – complete with her new radiator and fan assembly – out into the field to start preparing the soil for spring planting. She is running better than ever! We hope to put onions, potatoes and carrots in the ground in late February, providing the weather cooperates.
Our CSA starts in just two short months, and as I look at over the frozen mud this morning I think, really? Two months? I know from experience that once spring starts coming it is a steamroller and the pastures and crop fields will be lush again soon. But from where I sit that seems impossible. It gets me every year. I know that new life will spring forth but I just cannot believe it until I see it. Starting seeds is a leap of faith every year.
We will be delivering our Wednesday CSA shares to the Crews Center for Entreprenuership at 3618 Walker Avenue for the 2015 CSA season. We will not be delivering CSA shares to GrowMemphis at their new location at The Commons in Binghampton.
Sorry to switch it up on you! While we love working with GrowMemphis and are grateful to Carole Colter for hosting the CSA drop site in the past, we were mutually concerned about staffing issues that might make it challenging to maintain the drop site all season long. We thought it best to change our plans now rather than having to scramble mid-season!
But we are super excited about our new site! Many thanks to Mike Hoffmeyer at the Crews Center, just a stones throw from GrowMemphis’s old location where members picked up last year. Members will still be able to pick up anytime between 9am and 5pm on Wednesdays and there is on site parking as well as street parking.
