A different kind of kid on the playground...

We were invited by Dr. Mindy Garber, principal at Hugh K. Cassell Elementary School, to bring our goats to the playground to entertain the school kids yesterday.  

 Our Boer Bok goats were the last "kids" to play on the playground before it is to be torn down to make way for a new one.  What a fun afternoon we all had!  

Teachers  and parents were snapping photos. 

Pat Jarrett the photograhper from the Newsleader said it was the highlight of his week!  It is amazing the affect our animals have on people.

The  school kids were squealing and cheering with delight every time a goat jumped off the playground or went up or down the slide. I even heard one teacher say it was okay for the goat kids to break the rule and go up the slide!  The goats had a great time!  

The dogs even got in on the action!  This is Bea, she usually does not like attention, but boy yesterday was a different story!  I looked and there she was standing by the fence letting the kids love on her. This was so good to see. She has been very sick from Lyme's disease. She has had a full recovery!  Thank you Dr. Barton from Commonwealth Veterinary Clinic!  

This is Ms. Peabody our 3 legged goat. She is the most popular goat amongst the kids. They are always looking for and asking about Ms. Peabody. She is an amazing goat!  

 Two of our favorite goats are Wilbur (the one without horns) and #17.  They enjoyed hanging out on the playground.  

One thing you should know is that our goats weren't the last "kids" to play on the playground.  It was actually our son Luke and his friend Forrest.  They were taking a "break" from working...






 

You see, part of the playground is going to become a "chicken palace" here at Autumn Olive Farms! 

"Field" Trip....

The fourth grade class at Hugh Cassell Elementary School went on a "field" trip last Thursday. No bus, no fuel, no money spent!  They just walked out of the back of the school and down the path...  

Ready and waiting for the kids to arrive!

Here they come!  

Better turn the electric net off!

The kids learned what the terms sustainable farming, biological control, invasive plants and environmentally friendly mean and got to see those words in action. They also learned about livestock guardian dogs and their purpose.

Clay telling the kids about Mr. Max.  He is the one who contracted meningeal worm when he was young. It caused him to become stunted and weak in his hind legs.  He is one of those animals that is not a "good business decision," so we found a job for him.  He is great with new goat kids that come into our herd from other farms.  His gentle nature is very calming to them and helps them to adjust to their new home.  

Mr. Max then went over for some special attention. He is a very gentle buck and loves to have his head and horns rubbed!

This is #17 he also loves attention!  Ms. Peabody is standing to his left. She is the one who had to have her front leg amputated.  All of the kids were fascinated with Ms. Peabody. She is a remarkable goat! Now whenever we see the kids out and about they all ask "Where is Ms. Peabody?"

The goats ran and followed the kids back up the path.  They were sad to see them go!  
 

Scenes from the Agritourism Festival...

We had a great day at the first annual Shenandoah Valley Agritourism Festival on Sunday at Hermitage Hill Farm! The Festival had a large turnout with over 600 people in attendance!







It was an honor to finally get to meet Joel Salatin when he came by to visit our display.  It was even more exciting to hear him tell us that our farm model is fantastic and that he has never seen one like it! 

The weather was perfect and folks were very interested in learning about our farm and what we do. 

Pat Jarrett/The New Leader

The goats enjoyed being fed branches of autumn olive, honeysuckle, blue weed and privet. 

It is quite different than what most folks are used to when they go to a festival and see goats.

Pat Jarrett/The News Leader

Usually you get a cone with feed in it. Not our goats!  It was a great way to teach kids and adults about the goats natural diet. It also allowed for an up close view to see how their prehensile mouths work to pluck every leaf off of a branch!  

Even the newest addition had to get in on the action!  She wanted to show that at one month old she can forage too!  

Chloe was her normal "stoic" self. She spent most of her time "modeling" as a Pyrenees statue.  She would mosey over for a few rubs every now and then. She was very disappointed the folks were feeding the goats, but not feeding her!  

Our son, Luke was on hand to give out samples of our Autumn Berry Sauce.  We were anxious to get the feedback on our batch of Autumn Berry Spicy Sauce and folks gave us a thumbs up!  All agreed that it was not too hot just a little warm!







Here is a link to The News Leader article about the festival.  You can see more pictures and learn about the festival.  Hope to see you there next year!