The Farm Report: Goats Gone

      56 Comments on The Farm Report: Goats Gone

I wasn’t around last night to write a post.  Sara took her goats to the 4-H livestock show at the county fair early in the morning, and in the middle of the afternoon, Chareva called to tell me one of the goats won his class, then his division.  That meant Sara would be competing for the grand prize in the evening.

So I wrapped up work for the day around 5:00 and took Alana to the fairgrounds to watch.  Here are some short video clips of the day:

Alana and I left around 8:30 PM, but Sara and Chareva had to stick around for the auction.  We’ll make a bit of profit on the goats (although I wouldn’t want to live on it), and Sara took home some nice prize money to put in her “I want a car when I’m 16” savings account.

So that’s it.  The goats are gone. It was a great summertime experience for Sara, but with school starting up again, plus piano lessons and eventually band-instrument practice, I think she has enough to keep her busy for awhile.

In few more days, she’ll auction off five of her chickens at the fair.  Meanwhile, we’re starting to get small eggs from her flock.  When her 15 remaining chickens start laying full-sized eggs, it will be time to open that egg stand by the side of the road.


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56 thoughts on “The Farm Report: Goats Gone

  1. Rae Ford

    I did 4H as a kid as well. They didn’t have us doing cool things like that, though. I remember being asked to grow a vegetable and that’s about it. I’m glad Sara’s experience is so much more hands on. I bet she loves it.

  2. Jean

    I didn’t do 4-H as a kid, but wish I had. Now I have alpacas and chickens, and hope to be selling some eggs by next year. We have 17 4-week-old chicks that we hatched from an incubator. Glad to hear your kids are learning music. It’s one of the most fun things to do in school, and piano is a great way to start. Even if they never play after high school, they will likely travel and make lots of great friends in band. I made it a career, and haven’t looked back.

    1. Tom Naughton

      We pushed a bit on the girls taking piano. When I was a kid, the school music teacher told my parents I had musical ears and should take up piano. In my state of childhood ignorance, I declared that piano lessons were for girls and said I wasn’t interested. Neither of my parents were musical, so they didn’t push. Boy, do I regret that decision.

      I took up guitar and bass later and played bass in a band in college. Loved it, but I still wish I could play piano.

      By the way, I’ll be releasing some songs soon. I had to give up on producing an official Fat Head album with the film’s composer, but the two songs I had in the film will be available, along with a handful of new ones.

  3. Jan's Sushi Bar

    You should have kept one of the goats and butchered it. We bought a young goat from a local farmer a couple of years ago, and I have to tell you – it was delicious. I’d get another this year but our freezer is too full of beef, pork, venison and lamb.

      1. Chareva

        She wasn’t obligated to auction them, but was extremely opposed to eating them. Since they were her 4H goats I didn’t push it. Personally, I would have preferred to have them butchered for our own table. Oh well…next time.

  4. Rae Ford

    I did 4H as a kid as well. They didn’t have us doing cool things like that, though. I remember being asked to grow a vegetable and that’s about it. I’m glad Sara’s experience is so much more hands on. I bet she loves it.

  5. Jean

    I didn’t do 4-H as a kid, but wish I had. Now I have alpacas and chickens, and hope to be selling some eggs by next year. We have 17 4-week-old chicks that we hatched from an incubator. Glad to hear your kids are learning music. It’s one of the most fun things to do in school, and piano is a great way to start. Even if they never play after high school, they will likely travel and make lots of great friends in band. I made it a career, and haven’t looked back.

    1. Tom Naughton Post author

      We pushed a bit on the girls taking piano. When I was a kid, the school music teacher told my parents I had musical ears and should take up piano. In my state of childhood ignorance, I declared that piano lessons were for girls and said I wasn’t interested. Neither of my parents were musical, so they didn’t push. Boy, do I regret that decision.

      I took up guitar and bass later and played bass in a band in college. Loved it, but I still wish I could play piano.

      By the way, I’ll be releasing some songs soon. I had to give up on producing an official Fat Head album with the film’s composer, but the two songs I had in the film will be available, along with a handful of new ones.

  6. Jan's Sushi Bar

    You should have kept one of the goats and butchered it. We bought a young goat from a local farmer a couple of years ago, and I have to tell you – it was delicious. I’d get another this year but our freezer is too full of beef, pork, venison and lamb.

      1. Chareva

        She wasn’t obligated to auction them, but was extremely opposed to eating them. Since they were her 4H goats I didn’t push it. Personally, I would have preferred to have them butchered for our own table. Oh well…next time.

      1. Jill

        I once tasted the most amazing goat which had been richly marinated. It was barbecued and tasted – well, amazing. 🙂
        A nice surprise.

      1. Jill

        I once tasted the most amazing goat which had been richly marinated. It was barbecued and tasted – well, amazing. 🙂
        A nice surprise.

        1. Janknitz

          We buy goat from a pastured source. I’m fine with eating it as long as I don’t know it’s name and haven’t petted it.

    1. Tom Naughton

      Instead of getting on the latest fad diet bandwagon, Hewat said Australians should become familiar with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Australians released last year, and to seek expert nutrition advice from an accredited practising dietitian.

      Yeah, why not follow the same advice that’s done such wonders for the population as a whole over the last 40 years. Headbangondesk indeed.

    2. The Older Brother

      Hey! So now, thanks to hearthealhtywholegrains and arterycloggingsaturatedfat, “headbangondesk” has now become one word.

      Someone notify the Scrabble people.

      Cheers

      1. Jill

        Hey, I’ve invented a word. Whaddayaknow! 😉

        Could always shorten it to HDOB Syndrome!

    1. Tom Naughton Post author

      Instead of getting on the latest fad diet bandwagon, Hewat said Australians should become familiar with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Australians released last year, and to seek expert nutrition advice from an accredited practising dietitian.

      Yeah, why not follow the same advice that’s done such wonders for the population as a whole over the last 40 years. Headbangondesk indeed.

  7. Margeret

    Tom,

    So glad you could get your daughter involved in 4-H! It’s a great program for kids I get involved with the farm life and raising livestock. I wish my parents would have done the same with me!

  8. Margeret

    Tom,

    So glad you could get your daughter involved in 4-H! It’s a great program for kids I get involved with the farm life and raising livestock. I wish my parents would have done the same with me!

  9. Ben Fury

    Bet you’re really loving the move now, huh Tom? Would’ve had serious problems with neighbors trying to raise a goat in Burbank! That was some pretty nice goat wranglin’ by Sara. She doesn’t weigh much and that goat reeeeally wasn’t cooperating. She hung in there and got it to go where she wanted it to. Way to go Sara!

  10. Ben Fury

    Bet you’re really loving the move now, huh Tom? Would’ve had serious problems with neighbors trying to raise a goat in Burbank! That was some pretty nice goat wranglin’ by Sara. She doesn’t weigh much and that goat reeeeally wasn’t cooperating. She hung in there and got it to go where she wanted it to. Way to go Sara!

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