For the Love of Goats

Article Gary Martin Photos by Mike Boyatt

WARNING: To anyone who has never raised goats: try it just once, and you, too, may have goats for the rest of your life. It's an old story: A family with horses buys a few goats to clean up the fence rows, and before they realize what is happening, they sell the horses and keep the goats. That's exactly what happened to Dennis and Patti Dean. They bought four goats merely to trim around horse corrals, only the previous owner of the goats forgot to tell them one of the does was pregnant. That's all it took. Today, the horses are gone, and the Deans have more than 1,000 dairy goats, ship 62,000 pounds of goats' milk every month, and process their own line of milk, chocolate milk, cheeses, dips, and fudge-all from the milk of their own goat herd.

The Dean family operates Caprine Estates and Willow Run Dairy on 165 mostly wooded acres near Bellbrook, south of Dayton, Ohio. It is an area of modern country homes built on the fringes of land that has been farmed for over a century. But the goats seem to be as much at home in one neighborhood as in the other.

Willow Run goats are housed in an open, airy barn behind the Deans' palatial home, but it is nearly impossible, even in the barn, to detect the distinguishing odor so often associated with goats.

"Goats are naturally clean animals," explained Patti Dean. "This barn was planned especially for goats. With it we've been able to demonstrate that when goats are given the right care in the proper facilities, there is no smell."

Patti Dean, hands-on owner of Caprine Estates and Willow Run Dairy, talks affectionately about dairy goats.

Patti has been raising goats since she inadvertently got into the business in 1983. What she at first thought would be just "a hobby herd" eventually grew to 1,700 goats. At the time of this writing the farm had 1,000 goats, with 390 milkers and 210 does expected to "kid" before the end of the year. Multiple births are normal for goats, so the farm's staff is kept busy handling 1,500 to 2,000 births a year. Patti's goal now is to manage a permanent herd of 700 goats that would include 500 of them in milk at any one time. The Willow Run herd is an intentional rainbow mix of all six dairy goat breeds: Saanen, Alpine, Nubian, Toggenburg, LaMancha, and Oberhasli. But why would a family already involved in a successful non-farm business take on the responsibility of a huge goat dairy? Patti smiles at the question. "There's just something about goats," she said. "They make you love them."

"They're affectionate. They remind me of a cross between a farm animal and a dog. And they remember you," she said. "They may seem to be a little aggressive, but they're not mean. And there's something about them that is therapeutic."

"Sure, you get frustrated trying to milk one for the first time, but they learn. I guess I just love goats. I enjoy working with them. It's a passion of mine. You know, I feel sorry for people who don't have a passion in life."

"But I promise that if you try goats, you'll get hooked. They just get into your blood like no other animal I know." Caprine Estates is the sales and marketing part of the farm and includes an on-site retail store and processing plant. Willow Run Dairy takes care of the goats and contributes much to the overall cleanliness of the facility. The ground-level floor area where the does are kept is actually a four-foot pit filled with absorbent materials. First big stones are placed in the bottom of the pit, then two to three feet of gravel is placed on top of the big stones, and finally, a heavy covering of straw is spread on top of the gravel. Every two months the pit is completely dug out and refilled with fresh gravel and straw.

Willow Run Dairy staff veterinarian, Dr. Ralph Zimmerman, with Satin, the 1999 National Grand Champion Saanen.

The goats are fed high quality alfalfa hay trucked in from New Mexico. The Deans say they go to the extra expense of buying hay out of the Southwest because the sunny, dry climate there provides a consistent quality that is free of mold. In spite of their reputation for eating almost anything in sight, goats have delicate stomachs and can die from eating moldy hay, Patti said.

The milking does are fed a 13 percent protein ration that is mostly alfalfa hay, with some grain and minerals. Zinc is an especially important mineral for goats. Feed amounts are carefully controlled around the clock with one-sixth of the ration automatically dispensed every four hours. In addition, transponders on every animal provide a ration tailored to that individual goat as it is being milked.

State-of-the-art dairy goat milking facilities at Willow Run Dairy.

The goats are milked twice a day in a state-of-the-art double-twelve parlor with automatic take-offs, electronic milk measuring, and automatic individualized rations. Patti Dean is a dedicated promoter and defender of dairy goats. In her eyes, dairy goats are easier to manage than cows if for no other reason than they consume less feed and produce less waste. She sees them as "little, friendly cows," 180 to 200-pound animals that each provide about a gallon of milk a day and can be counted on to have two or three offspring at a time.

She acknowledges that goat milk today is sold mostly in two niche markets-to those with a lactose intolerance and those of certain ethnic backgrounds. But she is quick to point out that 80 percent of the world's population still does not use cows' milk and is far more likely to consume goat milk products.

Caprine Estates is working hard to mainstream their unique goats' milk dairy products. They accept both mail and Internet orders in addition to retail sales at their on-farm dairy store. "Of course, I don't think we'll take over the cows' market," Patti said, "but goats' milk does give consumers a choice."

One of the goals of Caprine Estates, she said, is to offer a learning experience: to educate the public and alter the misconceptions people have about goat milk and goat milk products. Guided tours of the processing facilities and the dairy barn are made available to school groups and the general public. All visitors are given the opportunity to sample goat milk products made right on the farm. Patti's second goal is "to have a good-producing herd with goats that are structurally correct." This means careful breeding selections as well as weeks of travel each year to show their goats in competition. One of their top does has been the two-time National Grand Champion Alpine, and another one the National Grand Champion Saanen.

Tori Nagel, granddaughter of the owners of Willow Run Dairy, plays with young goats as most children would play with puppies.

During the early '80s, when the Deans were developing their herd, milk from their goats often had to be dumped. But the market has since improved. The dairy goat industry has been growing at the rate of 40 percent a year, and there is an increasing demand for goat milk cheese. The latest figures from the U. S. Department of Agriculture show more than 9 million gallons of goats' milk were sold nation-wide in the latest reporting year. Caprine Estates alone ships 62,000 pounds of milk a month, and the co-op that takes it would accept even more.

Today there are nearly 150,000 milk goats on more than 11,000 farms in the U.S., according to the Department of Agriculture. Almost 38,000 goats in the six dairy breeds are registered with the American Dairy Goat Association in Spindale, North Carolina. The association has over 14,000 members.

Dairy goat does are bred at 10 to 11 months of age, when they weigh 90 to 100 pounds. About 145 to 155 days later they give birth, usually to at least two kids, though three or more is not uncommon. The young weigh just 7 1/2 to 8 pounds at birth. Like cows, dairy goats have a 305-day lactation, but individual does can milk well beyond that time frame. On the average, goats live 12 to 14 years. Right now, the average age of milking does in the Willow Run herd is four years. February to May is the main kidding season for goats, and as many as 30 may be born at Willow Run in a single day.

A true family business, Caprine Estates is run by Patti Dean and her two daughters, Amy Nagel and Stacey Dean. Amy is Administrative Assistant of the dairy and Stacey is manager of the retail operation and product development. Mom is in charge of the overall operation, but still insists that her name be included on the milking schedule.

Even among employees at Willow Run there is an obvious affection for the little animals with which they work. Joel Smith, Willow Run's herdsman, is hopelessly caught up in the business of dairy goats. "I've always had goats," he said, referring to his own childhood. "And I always will."

Herdsman Joel Smith seemingly comparing goatees with a doe.

Friendly and affectionate is putting it mildly as Renee McPeck, kid-care specialist, gets a lot of attention from dairy goat kids.

Staff veterinarian, Dr. Ralph Zimmerman, makes no apologies for being a goat lover. "Goats are very hierarchical," he said. "They will physically challenge a new doe until the new one learns her place. But personality-wise, they win you over. They get in your blood. I've even seen a person's affection for goats come between a husband and his wife. They can destroy marriages."

"In my pre-goat days," Patti recalls without regret, "we had horses, a boat, and we played golf. Now, the horses and boat are gone. I don't even get holidays or weekends off. What can I say...I just love goats."

For additional information please contact:
Caprine Estates, P.O. Box 307, Bellbrook, OH 45305 (937-848-7406)
(E-mail: info@caprineestates.com)

American Dairy Goat Association, P.O. Box 865, Spindale, NC 28160 (www.adga.org)