Filed under: Farm, Uncategorized | Tags: Chicken, Chicken Coop, Consider Bardwell Farm, Interns, Internship, Kidding, Snow, Vermont, West Pawlet, Yoga
A couple of posts ago we said that our chickens can be timid and flighty during the daylight hours. It took the warmth of our kidding intern, Noah, to melt the heart of one of our Buff Orpingtons.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Consider Bardwell Farm, Goats, Interns, Internship, Kidding, maple syrup, Oberhasli, West Pawlet
This is Stephanie and Noah taking over the Consider Bardwell Farm blog! We are awaiting our inaugural kid: our first doe is Syrup. She was due on Friday (two days late!). We’ve been keeping a close eye on her for the past few days, but she hasn’t shown all the signs of a ready mama just yet. Coincidentally, we spent much of yesterday afternoon collecting sap from sugar maples around West Pawlet that Crooked Stack Sugarhouse is going to turn into delicious maple syrup.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Consider Bardwell Farm, Goats, Interns, Internship, Kidding, Sucker Bucket, Vermont, West Pawlet
Stephanie and Noah arrived fresh from Bushwick, Brooklyn on Monday to experience the ins and outs of life on a goat dairy and lend us a hand with kidding season. We are excited to have them on board! Our first kids are due this weekend and we are well-prepared for their arrival; kidding pens are bedded down, heat lamps are in place, sucker buckets are washed, and milking parlor is freshly painted. Now we wait…
The CBF farmers are handing the blogging reins to the interns for kidding season. Stay tuned for Stephanie and Noah’s kidding season posts!
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Barn, Consider Bardwell Farm, Goats, Hay, Milking Parlor, Oberhasli, Snow, Vermont, West Pawlet
Our supply of first cutting hay was running short in the main barn (where kidding and milking take place), so taking advantage of the complete lack of snow, we pulled the hay elevator out of storage and moved a few hundred bales from the back barn.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Barn, Consider Bardwell Farm, dogs, Goats, Vermont, West Pawlet
Wendy and Stella help us do chores. They are experts at sampling an occasional goat poop and chasing the occasional chicken.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Consider Bardwell Farm, Goats, Internship, Kidding, Oberhasli, Vermont, West Pawlet
KIDDING INTERNSHIP
Contact: Margot Brooks and Alex Eaton
Internship Starts: February 20, 2012
Internship Ends: April 20, 2012
Farm Description: Consider Bardwell Farm is a goat dairy and cheesemaking operation located in Southern Vermont’s Indian River Valley and easternmost Washington County, New York. The milk from our herd of 100 Oberhaslis is used to make several varieties of award-winning, aged raw milk cheeses. We are an Animal Welfare Approved, grass-based dairy, following an intensive rotational grazing program. In addition to the goats we also have a flock of laying hens in a mobile chicken coop and a small group of whey-fed pigs.
At Consider Bardwell we are committed to sustainable farming methods that minimize waste and emphasize quality. Always aware of our ability to drastically affect the local ecosystem, we strive to be responsible environmental stewards, considering the humane and ethical treatment of our animals above all else.
Internship Details: We are looking for an enthusiastic and hardworking individual to assist with our annual kidding event. Our herd of 92 Oberhasli goats are bred to begin kidding towards the end of February, kicking off the milking season. Every doe will give birth to 1-3 kids within this two-month time period, and it is the job of the farm staff to ensure the health and productivity of all the goats on the farm (including the +/- 180 new kids). The intern will assist with all aspects of farm management including: delivery of kids, goat health, milking, feeding, and cleaning chores.
Skills Desired:
-Ability to do hard physical labor
-Ability to work independently
-Where there’s livestock, there’s deadstock. Intern must be prepared to deal with the life and death reality of farming.
-Where there’s milk, there’s meat. We raise all non-replacement kids born at CBF for meat. Intern must be onboard with this important component of our dairy
-A willingness to work long hours in often less-than-ideal climatic conditions
-A good work ethic
-A desire to learn and ask questions
-Ability to maintain a good sense of humor
Educational Opportunities: The Consider Bardwell Farm intern will be joining us for a season when an assortment of goat farm management practices are in use. An interested and self-motivated individual can expect to learn a wide array about goat husbandry, and the management challenges facing a goat dairy coupled with a farmstead creamery.
Stipend/Housing: A $100 weekly stipend is provided for food, in addition to our farmstead products (cheese, eggs, meat). Housing is provided in the form of a studio-style apartment located in a historic building in downtown West Pawlet, VT (1 mile from the farm). The housing situation is charming, but rustic! Twice weekly meals with the farmers will be provided.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Consider Bardwell Farm, Hereford Pig, Pasture, Pig House, Pigs, Snow, Vermont, West Pawlet
It’s been almost a month since we built the pig house, and with the exception of a couple wimpy little rains, we really haven’t felt the gratification of seeing the shelter shelter. But last night it finally happened! A full day of rain followed by several inches of snow last night. It took a lot of motivation to rouse the porks for a photoshoot. Grunty, groany, and indignant, they once again nailed me with one squinting eye.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Consider Bardwell Farm, Grazing, Hereford Pig, Pasture, Pig House, Pigs, Vermont, West Pawlet
Alex built the Hereford pigs a chalet to hunker down in for the winter. They quickly christened it with a good scratch. Photos were taken within minutes of the chalet’s arrival in their pasture (note the muddy patches next to the door).
“The pig, like as not, will nail you with one squinting eye.” -Dirk Van Loon, Small Scale Pig Raising
