Augusta County Promotional Video............

I want to share the video that was presented during the Culinary Writers tour that came to Augusta County on June 9th.   A video segment designed to promote agritourism in Augusta County was produced in advance and presented to the writers and guests during the lunch at Hermitage Hills Farm and Stables.  Guests included the new Virginia Commissioner of

Agriculture,  Matt Lohr and the Augusta Country Director for Economic Development, Dennis Burnett.  Click on this link to see the video. 

The video was created and produced by Tim Nargi of digitaltimmay in Northern Virginia.  It is facinating to read on his website how he got the shots and the equipment he used. The concept of featuring agritourism is new in the area and I believe that it is the first video that promotes agritourism in Augusta County.  We are excited that we were able to be a part of it and that the new Commissioner of Agriculture got to see it! 

Fortunately for us the girls plus Mr. Max were on good behavior the morning the cameras were rolling for them!

Some Before and After.......

This is what Autumn Olive looks like before and during the Boer Bok foraging on it.  They love to stand and reach the high leaves. 

This is what Autumn Olive looks like after the Boer Bok have foraged on it.  They remove the leaves which stresses the plant.  The root then puts its efforts into regenerating the foliage at every point where the leaves have been plucked off.  If you cut the plant off at the base only, all the root energy is applied at the one point, allowing the plant to come roaring back. 

Meet the competition.....

The retired girls and wethers have moved to a location South of Staunton.  They are working on an area that was planted in pine seedlings that got overtaken by Autumn Olive.  You can see how thick the Autumn Olive is. 

While we were there today checking on the goats we met the competition!  It is a giant saw hanging from a helicopter.  This picture does not do it justice.  Check out the video of this thing at work.  We told the guys working on the ground that we would take care of the low growth and they can take care of the high growth. :) Click on this link for Video and this link for Photos of this new site. 

A Fine Fellow has arrived....

T

The Fine Fellow has arrived!  As you can see the girls are checking the new guy out.  They all agreed that he is definitely a Fine Fellow!

He immediately went to work showing off his foraging skills. 

He is a beautiful buck and is a fine representation of the true South African Breed Standard.  He weighs 211 pounds at just 14 months.  We are looking forward to seeing the kids he produces this fall. 

Click on this link for more Photos and a Video of him meeting the girls.

A surprise.............

I was reading the Staunton Newsleader on line and saw a heading that said Herd Control.  I thought is was an article about a herding dog or something.  When I clicked the link I was surprised to see this picture of the girls!  The girls are making the paper and we don't even know it. 

Culinary Writers Tour and our display................

We were asked to be part of a culinary writers tour that came through Augusta County today hosted by Hermitage Hill Farm .  Lunch was prepared with ingredients exclusively from Augusta County.  Our Boer Bok was on the  hor d' oeuvre menu as Barbecue Boer Bok, Apple Mint Cucumber Slaw on a Silver Dollar Hoe Cake.  

Our Boer Bok were featured on a video made to showcase Augusta County.  The girls and Mr. Max did a great job showcasing their foraging abilities.  

This is a picture of our display.  It was complete with a invasive plant arrangement of Autumn Olive, Morrows Honeysuckle with beautiful red berries, Privet, Vine Honeysuckle, Greenbrier, Multi- Flora Rose and a touch of Blue weed.

When the lunch was over we decided to bring the arrangement home to our patient.  One of our does got her front leg hung in a forked branch.  It cut off the circulation to the point that we had to have her leg amputated.  Dr. Bowman did the surgery at Commonwealth Veterinary Clinic.  (This is the former Kingsbury Animal Hospital I worked at during college and where Clay and I met.) 


We put the arrangement in her pen vase and all.  As you can see our patient immensely  enjoyed her flowers and even shared it with the chickens! You can view a 
video on our Flickr site by clicking this link. 

I am happy to report that she is doing very well with three legs and she should make a full recovery.  It is amazing to see how she can walk and even run!