Want to start a small goat farm and produce high quality goat cheese. Where can I learn how to do this?

Question

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.

Answer 1

Look on the website vocation vacation

VOCATIONVACATION.COM

They put you in contact with a mentor who does what you would like to do.  You pay a fee and your own expenses, it's usually around $1000 dollars and it lasts from a few days to a week depending on what you want to do.  Last time I looked I believe they had dairy farmer on the list of mentors available.  I heard about them a few years ago and recently saw a few articles in the news about them.  I haven't gone on one of the vocation vacations but I'm thinking about it.

Answer 2

I don't want to be the one to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid I'm going to poke a pretty big "pin" your way.

You live in a state where raw milk, and raw milk PRODUCTS (like cheese) sales are ILLEGAL.  

That means you have to have a Grade A Dairy in order to qualify to sell your cheese to the public.

I have never heard of anyone being able to start up a Grade A Dairy from scratch for less than $100 thousand dollars.

You wouldn't believe the rules and regulations that dairy farms have to meet!  

Here's a link to the Montana laws:

http://www.realmilk.com/milk-laws-3.html...

On the flip side, I realize you love the idea.  I like the sound of the idea too...sounds romantic, farmy, quaint, homey, peacful, ect.  However....who in the heck in Livingston Montana are going to be your customers?

Livingston has a population of 6851 people.  Just over 12% of the population of Livingston live below the poverty line, so whack them off your list as potential customers.  26% of the people who live in livingston are children under 18 years of age....so whack them off your customer list.  The number of people you can sell to is fast dwindling.  Whack off another % of people who don't like cheese.  You have about 5-10 Hollywood celebrities that call the area home.  They could afford to buy your cheese.  Unfortunatly, a couple of them are women, so they probably only eat lettuce and an apple, then barf them up.  A few are very elderly male actors.  Some are druggy rock stars.  The rock stars probably think cheese comes from a can!

What I'm trying to say it that you do not live in a population center that will support this business.  Get a couple of goats, and indulge your passion to learn how to make cheese for yourself.  Share your cheese as gifts with your friends.  

Homemade cheese is scrumptious!  I raise goats myself.  Meat goats.  I have milked some of my dairy does and made my own cheese from time to time.  It's wonderful!  

If you are truely interested, I'll point you in the dirrection for breeds of dairy goats you should look at, and supplies, for your personal home use.  Making basic cheese is suprisingly easy.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Raising meat goats since 1999

Do not drive yourself into the financial hole trying to make this into a business in an area that will not suport it.