John Hall is the resident farmer at Beekman 1802 and is responsible for first introducing the goat herd to the farm. Though he’s busy with breeding season right now, we managed to get him to take a break to answer a few questions for all of you who have been asking.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up right here in Sharon Springs. My family moved here in 1966 when I was two.
Did you grow up with animals?
My family always had farm animals. My parents were dairy farmers for many years, but with cows.
What made you decide to get your first goat and when was that?
One of the places I moved to had a small barn. Their daughter had previously raised so it was all set up and I decided that I would try them too. So in the late spring of 2000 I got my first goats.
What was the name of your first goat?
Blacky and Sandy were the first. I still have Blacky. Betty and Mable joined a month later and then Tilly, I still have Tilly too.
How many goats are on the farm now?
Currently there are 78 goats in residence. 45 milking age does, 28 yearling does and 5 breeding bucks.
What breeds are the goats?
The breeds of the goats are Alpine, Saanen, Sable and Nubian.
How long does it take you to milk them?
When I was milking all of them it would take about 2 and a half hours in the morning and the same every evening.
How much milk does each goat produce?
The girls average just about a gallon a day. A few of the mature does give almost 2 gallons.
Approximately how many baby goats are born on the farm each year?
Most of the goats will have twins and triplets. Single birth are uncommon. I have had quadruplets and one year Sandy had quintuplets. In 2009 there were 83 kids born.
Having worked with goats for so many years, what is the craziest thing you’ve ever seen a goat do?
I think the craziest thing they do is climb on the round bales as if they are playing King of the Mountain.
Do they really eat ANYTHING or is that just a myth?
Goats like to take a taste of almost anything. They love to nibble on hats, gloves, clothes, fingers and camera wires. This is how they investigate things. Actually goats are pretty finicky eaters. They will browse around the pasture looking for the choicest morsels. When it comes to the grain they are pretty fussy too. Sometimes it seems like they are telling me “okay we had this all last week you don’t have anything different”?
What do you think about the fact that after appearing with Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray and in various magazines that the goats at the Beekman Farm are probably the most famous goats in the world?
Well I don’t allow them to watch TV so it hasn’t gone to their heads yet. We’ll see if fame brings fortune or not.
Do you think they like all the attention they get when people come to visit the farm?
Goats are a very social animal. I bottle feed almost all of them so they are used to human attention; I think the more they get the more they like.
What do you think of Beekman 1802 Blaak, the first artisanal cheese made using the milk of the goats?
I had it first before it had reached its ripeness and liked it. Once it had aged it got its bite and then I really liked it. It’s a good thing I can’t get at it all the time.
9 Comments
When visiting, I remember watching the goats follow John around.. there’s an obvious attachment to him! They’re quite lucky to have such a good guy to watch over them.
Without a doubt, the care that John gives the goats is what makes their milk and the products we make from them the best in the world
How fantastic!
we are planing on getting some in the spring! what breed do you recommend most for milking if we only plan on getting two?
Hi Nadia,
The best kind for milking is the kind that you have an attraction to. If you are able to visit any farms that have goats then you can always see what breed you like the best.
For dairy goats the Nubian breed which have the long pendulous ears have the higher butter fat. The Swiss breeds, Saanen, Sable, Alpine and Oberhasli give more milk with a lower butterfat. Then there is the LaMancha, which have elf or gopher ears. Another breed is the Nigerian dwarf, about half the size of a the large dairy breeds would be good if you don’t have that much space. They have a very high butterfat content.
Read as much as you can about them. Storys Guide to Raising Dairy Goats was the first book I read. Then the Dairy Goat Journal is a great magazine.
Good Luck.
Farmer John
thank you farmer john yes that sounds great i am just getting to know the breeds and now with high butter fat and low, i must learn what will make better for the cheese i hope to make( mostly soft goat cheese) there is two small goat farms down th road where i get my goat cheese from and i love, love her goats i believe they are across breed.
i took pictures on my visit
http://laporterouge.blogspot.com/2009/11/goats.html
THANK YOU AGAIN!
Hi Nadia,
They look like a Nubian Alpine cross. I have many of them. Some are my favorites, sweet and love attention. They would be great for cheese making.
Farmer John
The goats and Beekman are so very lucky to have Farmer John. How wonderful that we finally got to “meet” him!
I forgot another of the Swiss breeds, the Toggenberg. If I recall correctly this is the breed Martha Stewart used to have. The color of this breed is almost a chocolate gray with the white stripes along the face. They are also a heavy producer with a lower butterfat.
If any one has any questions I’d be happy to try and answer them.
Farmer John
David and I are thinking good thoughts for you John! We hope you recover quickly!