Our Visit to Valley View Farm!

This past Sunday we had the pleasure of visiting Valley View Farm in Topsfield Massachusetts. We went to see two does who we will be bringing home soon! Valley View is a goat cheese farm who makes all of their cheeses right there at their home. This farm is owned by Elizabeth and Peter Mulholland who started Valley View Farmstead Cheese in 1998. Not only does Valley View farm have an amazing cheese selection, they also carry Maple Syrup, eggs and honey all from their property. It was absolutely amazing to see how they set up and run their farm as they have an incredible operation. 

We're thrilled to be bringing home does from their herd. One of the girls we'll be picking up is Sheila. She is two and averages four pounds per day in lactation. Sheila was actually bred on Sunday so our kidding season will start on March 8, 2023. The other goat we'll be picking up is Cocoa. She will also be getting bred. She is five years old and averages around six pounds per day through lactation. We're so excited to possibly have babies. We will be keeping the babies, assuming all goes well, so cross your fingers!

The drive up was a proven example that farm kids do not do well on long car rides. It consisted of increments of them asking if we were there yet, to crying when they realize we weren't. This cycle would continue about every five minutes. To top it all off, my husband thought it was a good idea to tell my five year old to whistle...need I say more. After Cocoa is bred, we will be going up there again to get the does to bring home. This time around, we'll have to strategize the car ride and how to make it more entertaining for the kids (and maybe not tell them to whistle). 

Sheila is in this first picture: 

Cocoa is in this second picture: