Spring and Summer are very busy seasons here at Redwood Hill Farm. In that time, we go from kidding season to goat show season, with just about every weekend filled with some kind of event. This year it seemed busier than ever with a multitude of events. Sadly, neither the goats or I had time for writing The Bleat Beat!  Fear not loyal readers, The Bleat Beat is back! We are going to review some of the moments that made the first half of 2012 a memorable one, starting out with the 4th annual Goat Fest held at the ferry plaza in San Francisco.

Kids having a good breakfast before their big day in the city!

         It was a beautiful Spring morning in the city.

The ferry plaza market made a great venue for all things goat!

There were chef demonstrations using our chevre, as well as tastings of the delicious goat milk products.

Making a New Friend

Every year the big attraction are the baby goats.  A line of people waiting to see them ran down the pier twenty deep for most of the day.  We brought seven kids along with us, so while a few played with the city folk, the others napped comfortably in a straw lined kennel. Goats are very social animals who love interaction with people. The highlight for me at the goat fest is to see a child’s face light up when playing and interacting with our four legged friends.

Kids of all ages Love the baby goats

Jennifer gave a talk on the benefits of goat milk and educated the public on our caprine friends. There was a Q&A session as the public tasted the chef’s delicious goat milk product creations. It’s amazing to think of all the wonderful products we can produce from goat milk!

Jennifer with a captive audience

There was a lot of media covering the 4th annual Goat Fest.  We were featured on the television shows “California Bountiful” and “Fresh From the Farmers Market”. Henry Tannenbaum from KRON4 News did a live broadcast featuring the baby goats and our products. It was a great day in the city, but before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head back to the farm where we were getting ready for our big annual open house farm tours.

Life is like spring weather in Sonoma County. You never know what you’re gonna get.

Yearling friends cozy inside on a rainy day

I’m sure a lot of places can make that statement for their spring time weather, but after spending much of my youth in the temperate climate of Kauai, I’m often amazed at the dynamic spring weather shifts we have here in the North Bay area.

A Santa Rosa plum in bloom at Redwood Hill Farm

We had a very mild and dry winter this year leading into beautiful, warm February days.  The temperatures were hitting the 70’s, apricot and plum trees were blooming and spring had sprung.  Our egg layers were upping production and the goats were enjoying playing in the pasture and browsing on fresh spring vegetation.  “Not so fast” said Old Man Winter and winter rain storms finally arrived. My hopes for summer tree ripened apricots were falling faster than the blossoms that were being blown from the branches of their trees. Since that first February storm, the weather report has been a roller coaster ride that has just dipped into a five day stretch of rain.

Some of our rural Sonoma county roads that lead to the farm are flooded, but we are up on a hill and the goats are cozy and dry in their straw bedded barns. Goats are like cats, they do not do rain!

Scott's doe, Mango, wishing for a sunnier day

They have ample room in their open air barns, but sometimes I can see them looking out into the rainy pasture and it reminds me of a bored child looking out a window on a rainy day, wanting to go out and play.  I can almost hear our yearling goats singing, “Rain, Rain, go away…”

And soon it will.  Although the rain and mud make work out on the farm tougher, I won’t complain much, as it is needed.  We need to replenish our wells before the inevitable dry summer, that is drawing near.  Our organic apple orchard is dry farmed(no irrigation), so more rain now equals juicer Gravenstein  apples in August. Today I can’t get the rainy day blues, because when I went in the orchard to look at the fruit trees, I saw some baby apricots(yeah, some were pollinated!) growing and I know of the summer delights that will be here before we know it.

Newborn Nubians in cuddle mode

Tango saying, "It's Time!"

Kidding season is now in full swing on the farm.  Ours kids are frolicking around the pens enjoying the glorious Sonoma county spring weather. I love this time of year, as it gets me back more into the barns, tending to the births. Instead of rushing off to some meeting or errand, I spend a lot of more time just “being” with the herd. Often, it is here when I find myself reflecting on all the wonderful times spent with these special four legged friends.

The other day, one of our top Alpine show goats named Tango was kidding (giving birth). I sat there with her and began to think of how special this family of Alpine dairy goats is.I remember traveling to Spokane Washington in 2005, where Tango’s grandmother, Jambalaya, was named the Alpine National Champion at the American Dairy Goat Association’s National Show.

Jennifer and Jambalya enjoying a winning moment

What a special day that was for Jennifer and the whole Redwood Hill Farm team! Jambalaya has always been one of my favorites and not because of all her success in the show ring (she was also the 2007 National Champion), but because of her sweet, easy going disposition.  When she was in milk, she would NOT get off the milking platform until she was allowed a chance to rub her head on you. And she was good too! You could turn around and get a really good back massage and let her work out the knots. Jambalaya is retired from milking now, but she is still good for a rub if you visit out in the pasture or in the barn.

Tango is starting to bear down and push now. As I’m kneeling in front of her, I feel a push myself from behind. It’s Tango’s mother, Jitterbug, almost knocking me over!  Yes, Jitterbug is like her own mother, Jambalaya, loves to give out massages.

Tango starting to bear down

Anyone who spends enough time in our main barn will get a leg massage from her for sure. Yes, personality as well as physical attributes come down in the goats’ family lines. At least Jitterbug doesn’t demand it in the milking parlor!  The milking parlor is where Jitterbug does some her best work though.  Her last lactation put her on top of the alpine breed leader list for milk production for the whole country, Wow!

Tango proceeds to birth a lovely doe kid who is a cou blanc color pattern just like her. Second, she has a handsome buck kid.

Tango's first doe kid getting ready for her "first dance"

Her boy will eventually make his home in Canada, hopefully throwing the traits his wonderful family is known for.Then Tango has a third kid, a beautiful doe kid as black as midnight on a moonless night. I’m excited for Tango and her upcoming show season.  She is one of our best and has already won her age class at a National Show. Now she is in her prime and will be milking well, having triplets. My thoughts transition from the past to the future now as I look at the newborn kids and I think, what great experiences will these new friends bring? Well first off they need a good “dancing” name. Feel free to email me any of your ideas.

The Tango Triplets having some fun!

It’s a warm, spring-like February evening in the barn as I await the first kids of the new year. A full moon is rising over Mt. Saint Helena, and the sounds of the milking herd browsing and ruminating fills the air.  Hope Springs Eternal on the farm, and we are excited about the arrival of the adorable new kids, as well as their fresh-into-milk mothers, who will be our show goats for the new year and provide us with delicious milk to make our cheese and cultured products.

Eclair, getting ready to be among the first to give birth this year

Yes, we know spring is coming with the first kids born of the year that usually coincide with the first daffodil and apricot blooms. Soon the first asparagus spears will be poking out from the warming earth and the Gravenstein apple blooms will start to the fill the orchard. We are excited about another first we will have at Redwood Hill Farm this spring, the blog you are reading now – The Bleat Beat. Our blog will provide a window into the daily life at Redwood Hill Farm.

The First Daffodils of the year

Of course, we will spend a good amount of time covering our first love – our dairy goat herd. We are proud to have been the first dairy goat farm to be Certified Humane^® and we know that the time and effort that we commit to the herd and its health and happiness is what makes the difference in the milk production and quality. We hope to help educate the public on these smart, affectionate animals that give us this wonderful milk we use to create healthful, nutritious products. Redwood Hill Farm is more than just a purveyor of goat milk products, and we will spend time blogging on all aspects of life on a family farm, including our organic fruit orchard and vegetables gardens, and our commitment to sustainability and being good stewards to the land.

There is a lot of excitement for 2012 here on the farm. From our venture into beekeeping to our road trip to the American Dairy Goat Association’s National Show in Colorado this July, we invite you to come along for the ride. Bloggers will include David “Cultured Aloha” Bice, Trinity ”The Goat Whisperer” Smith, Jennifer ”The Big Cheese” Bice, Zimba “The Herd Queen” – one of our Alpine Dairy Goats and, yours truly, Scott ”The Goat Guy” Bice.

Sunrise looking out from our dairy

Éclair, one our La Mancha’s, is starting to push now…..and the first baby of 2012 is born…eyes wide open taking in the new world.  And it’s time for me to get back to work. We welcome you to The Bleat Beat and hope you will visit us regularly for news fresh from the farm.