This is a listing of past Ed Blogs featured on our website. These items continue our goal of educating people about farming and the food they eat. We hope you enjoy them.

3/29/08 (Continued)

When I make cheese, using one gallon of Nigerian dwarf milk, I often get 3.5 lbs of soft goat cheese! Because of the high quality of butterfat and milk protein in our herd, the milk is excellent for use in cheese, yogurt, ice cream, baking and drinking. With a little practice, and a cheese press, you can make Cheddars, swiss and other hard goat cheeses.

While others wonder about the quality of the milk that they drink, once you've got a Nigerian dwarf doe giving you milk, it's up to you what the quality of milk is. Provide her with good care, a clean place to sleep, a satisfactory milking area and clean equipment, and her milk will be fine to drink. Aren't sure? Send the milk to a laboratory to check for dangerous bacteria. Then, if you need to, you can make the necessary adjustments to assure a quality milk supply. You can always pasteurize if you're still concerned.

Nigerian dwarf goats need less space per animal than any other dairy breed. They produce beautiful, colorful kids, which can be sold to pay the feed bill. Got some poison ivy? Goats usually eat it with relish, but make sure you wash your hands if you pet a goat that's been feeding in an ivy patch.

Most of all, Nigerian dwarf goats are wonderful therapy for those days when life just weighs heavily. They form strong bonds of trust and friendship, looking forward to the time you spend together. I dare you to be sad when a goat kid is "boinging" around the pen, bouncing off the air for sheer glee!

That's just some of the reasons that Nigerian dwarf goats are a good investment in this economic climate. Their manure will help your garden too, so they help protect our environmental climate as well. Check with this, or other local breeders, to learn more about Nigerian dwarf goats.