Heron's Pass Farm

Jonathan Davies | Jul 09, 2015

Suzanne Clarke has been raising goats for about half a decade, which may not seem like a long time. And yet, from the first pair of Nubian does she acquired in 2009, she has carved out a niche market in the Frontenac region for her breeding stock. With multiple births common for the Nubian breed, a herd can grow quickly, and she currently keeps a couple dozen goats at her farm, called Heron's Pass, near Godfrey.

For a small hobby farm, Clarke's herd is sizable, but small compared with commercial goat operations, which can number into the hundreds. As such, her customer base is comprised mostly of small farms and homesteads, particularly younger people looking for a couple of does to provide a trusted dairy option for themselves.

The goats are classified by the Canadian Goat Society, which means they have been evaluated for characteristics that are associated with good milk production and general good health in comparison with breed standards. They are also raised under organic guidelines, which include a diet of certified organic grains and minerals on top of the nutrition they gain from browsing.

She notes that her interest in high-quality breeding stems from the initial motivation for high-quality milk. “I always have the milk, whatever I'm investing,” she says, stressing that the hobby comes before the commercial enterprise.

Clarke is also an accomplished hobby cheesemaker, and with a cheese making facility on the farm, cheese sales would seem like a natural extension to the breeding stock sales. But this is trickier than it seems at first glance.

Many small farms of Clarke's scope seek creative ways to market their goods outside of traditional supply chains. This can work well for, say, fruit and vegetables, where a farm stand by the roadside can be set up with minimal investment and little or no red tape. Even meats can be sold on farm as long as they have been slaughtered in a government-inspected facility (though this can also cause major logistical headaches – just ask a small-scale chicken farmer in the county), but dairy involves a series of major commitments.

While goat milk is not a supply-managed commodity (and no quota is needed to sell it legally) a prospective venture has to gain a license to sell milk; then invest in a bulk tank and have its facility inspected; and, finally, find a buyer and a licensed shipper. This generally only makes sense for large herds, and means milking year-round to meet continuous market demand.

Clarke points out that a commercial goat dairy takes a certain kind of person. “You need to be really productive, and knowledgeable and manage animals really well.”

Having been raised on a farm where raw milk was a mainstay, she stresses the importance of a healthy, tested goat herd, and awareness of potential diseases associated with raw milk. And while she does not sell the milk and its products, she is a local resource for anyone wanting to enter the steep learning curve of keeping dairy goats of their own.