Farm Days

A few weeks ago I started volunteering at Ocean Song Farm in West Barnstable, MA.

I'm going to be a "relief goat milker" later this summer, and I've been helping with small chores like watering the garden and minding the goats while they're on a ramble outside of the paddock. Last week two of the does got into the spinach when I wasn't looking, so it looks like my minding skills could use a little work. Yesterday I helped move a herd of sheep and goats for the first time, and learned about installing electric fencing.

Ocean Song Farm is located on a spectacular 110 acre Audubon property called Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary. It's home not only to the farm, but also to a varied ecosystem of plant life, critters and trails that wind through forests and fields and along the coastline of Barnstable Harbor.

The farm itself is owned and run by Jenifer Holloman and Jason Beetz. Jen and Jason are helping to maintain portions of the sanctuary property by practicing Management Intensive Grazing with their goats, sheep and pigs. These animals live as such animals should - part of a herd, foraging and devouring all manner of wild greenery, getting exercise, sunshine, fresh air, and respect from their caregivers. At the same time they are maintaining this land in a sustainable, healthy way. A win-win situation. Some of these animals are raised for meat, others stay on the farm and are bred and continue to graze the property.

There's a community garden as well, with the harvest going to market and to the volunteers who help around the farm (yay!). We've already been the recipients of a variety of salad greens and Swiss chard - tender, flavorful and delicious.

Helping out on the farm is rewarding and energizing (mentally, if not physically!), and it has proved a great way for me to meet some wonderful like-minded people that I might not meet otherwise. I've often thought I would like to keep a couple of goats for milk (read: cheese), and of course I would like to have a flock of chickens again. I've got a long way to go, but I've already learned so much from both Jason and Jen, and I realize that this will be the best way for me to determine whether I really have the energy, drive, and disposition to care for animals like these on my own. Time will tell.

Jen and Jason encourage lots of volunteer help, not just because they need it to keep the place running, but because they understand the importance of passing what they have learned along to others, of allowing people to have the experience of working with the animals and the garden, and of reinforcing the value of producing food in a sustainable way. 

By it's very nature, such a place builds a community up around itself. Yesterday I saw people and children of all ages and from all walks of life at the farm - some were there to lend a hand, others to spend a few minutes watching the pigs, the goats, and Drumstick the turkey (who probably thinks he's a goat), and to pick up a bag of greens cut fresh from the garden. It's a heartening experience and I sense that this community will continue to grow around the farm.