Just want to share a pleasant evening. Joe, Bernice and I went to Pat's in Snow, AR to do a DHIA group test for her does. Pat ordered pizza, and we had the most fun, talking, weighing production and collecting samples, discussing the price of rice in China, and generally having a very fun evening! I haven't been off the place for anything not "building dairy barn" since December and Bernice hasn't been off her place for anything but work for a year! I got to see how Pat's handles her 100 goat dairy operation which helps me a lot in planning the efficiency of ours. Much knowledge was shared, cussed, and discussed and fat chewed with relish. This was an evening test. Now when we do a morning test here, there or anywhere there'll be coffee in an I.V. bottle and all sorts of sugary stuff to wake us up and appreciate the beautiful sunrises in these mountains.

Ice Cream social with pizza. Now isn't that how a DHIA test whould be done? lol

Dennis

-- Dennis (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 07, 2002

Answers

Dennis, ya beat me too it, whats funny is i was going to post the same subject line:):)

Yep, what Dennis said is true, lead a sheltered life here on the farm. It really was so good to visit and get away. I just had so much fun! Even more fun than in my wild and wooly days of going out to clubs and dancing, well, OK, it was the days when Disco was popular and the famous chain of century 21 bars. Ok, so i dated myself here, NEVER in my wildest dreams 16 yrs ago would I think standing in some milking parlour with good friends and eating pizza would be so much fun!

now morning test should be fun if we don't have to do it at 3AM like our old tester in VA. I could never figure how anyone could be so funny and pleasant at that hr.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 07, 2002.

Doesn't it just lift your spirits and give you that little push/incentive to go out and trim feet or whatever needs to be done, when you get together with like minded folks? And the funny thing is you never know who is going to turn into that like minded person! Though I procrastinate so about going to club meetings, I always to feel invigorated afterwards. Right now my lurking friend Rick is the gung-ho person getting into goats, the pretty milkroom with all the bells and whistles and wanting to show. It's nice to be around someone like that! He leaves next week to pick up does for himself and our bucks, and even some does for another new person who is wanting to get into show stock. Perhaps we can one day circle milk test, for now we are going to have a party apprisal day :) You guys are lucky to have such similar herds and goals! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (Nubians) (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 07, 2002.

We're living lean and still lack insulation and interior finish on the dairy barn. We talked to the inspector and can start saving milk for the buyer on grade C until the barn is finished. The plant buys grade C to start with since they can the milk but they are trying to get everyone grade A so that eventually they can sell fresh milk. We'll be 100 strong next year with new does comming up and what ever we can find in the mean time. So while the barn isn't completely finished, it'll have those bells and whistles eventually. Rick, if you're lurking, have fun, and glad I could find the stats on your vacuum pump for you.

I'm pleasantly surprised at the folk we've found here in North Central Arkansas. I thought it would take years before we were "accepted" as local folk. But with the people we've met in the North Central Arkansas Goat Association, we've found immediate acceptance and friends. We met Bernice before we ever even looked for land over here. She turned us on to the Association even though she hadn't had time to attend a meeting yet to join. She made it to the meeting this afternnoon and joined, even though she had to leave shortly to tend to a doe in labor.

If I had time and energy, I'd relate the saga of trying to find a calibration chart on our Milk Keeper bulk tank. Short tale is that the company that bought the company that made it stopped supporting the product 20 years ago. The local cow dairy associoation "preached" to the tank calibrator that goat milk is competition and not to touch a goat dairy tank. Apparently the message didn't completely sway the guy because he'll loan us his meter to help me calibrate the tank. At the NCAGA meeting this afternoon we've decided we'll use our DHIA testers and familiarize them with calibrating techniques and certify our own calibration if the DHIA and the AR Extention office can't help us. We can stand together and compete with the cow dairies, especially since we have a superior product, lol!

I've been wondering. Should we establish a catagory of new goat dairies and their trials and tribulations so other people would have information to search for "how to" information?

Thanks,

Dennis

-- Dennis (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 08, 2002.