Want To Start A Small Goat Farm And Produce High Quality Goat Cheese. Where Can I Learn How To Do This?
Filed in Category Cheese Shops
I own property in Livingston, Montana. I am a foodie and love the idea of owning a french bakery and artesian cheese shop. I have the bakery thing down…but am at such a loss about the cheese. Can you go to school for cheese making? Farming goats? I’m not at my mid life crisis yet, but am so wanting a change in life and I think this is what I want…but I don’t know how to get there.
1 Comment so far
Making cheese is pretty easy ~ it’s just another food making process.
Raising goats is a lot of hard work. It isn’t nearly as easy as making the cheese.
If you want to make cheese for sale, you’ll have to have an approved commercial dairy. The costs vary widely by state.
The first thing you need to do is contact your local public health department ~ the folks who inspect restaurants and food manufacturers. They can help you talk to the right local and USDA inspectors.
If you still think you’re interested after talking with them, find a local dairy goat organization (check the adga.org website for a list of groups around the country). You’ll need a goat mentor (or more than one) to help you learn about goats.
Maybe you should try to get a job on a goat farm. That would give you a good idea if you really want to do something like this.
You should also subscribe to the United Caprine News and the Dairy Goat Journal, so you can start learning about goat management and health issues through their useful articles.
And if you do this project, make sure to take it a step at a time, including starting out with a smaller herd and very good, very healthy foundation stock. Goats multiply rapidly, and it’s a good idea to really know what you’re doing before you buy any.
Good luck!