Wakeman Town Farm (WTF) is incredible, and not just because they have baby goats. Though baby goats would be enough to make any place incredible. Except for, maybe, the dumpsters in Parking Harding, though they could certainly benefit from a few baby goats.
So we took a trek to WTF to learn about their small Nigerian Dwarf mammals.
Now, we all know WTF. Their garden, cooking classes, and camps. But in this visit, while hunched down in hopes of enticing a kid to clamber onto our backs, we learned about a lot of great stuff we didn’t know.
But first, Nigerian Dwarf baby goats.
This spring, a goat farmer informed WTF that she had two pregnant adult goats, and would the Farm want them for educational purposes? Which, for WTF, was an irresistible offer.
The does arrived and birthed their kids late March. Volunteers are feeding and raising them while human kids are learning how to care for the mini billies and does and watching them grow.
These are the Farm’s first goat offspring and they plan to keep the two females.
But around the corner from the goats, right passed the chickens (did you know they had chickens?) there was more…
What you may not know about WTF:
There are three alpacas and a big fluffy sheep living at WTF. Workers and volunteers use the animals’ excrement for compost/fertilizer.
Alpacas look hysterical with the right haircut.
Do you love free compost? Help yourself to some right outside the fence! It contains the remains of pretty much all of the garden and animal waste, including egg shells.
You can buy Wakeman-grown produce at their Farmstand every Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. during the summer. (I’ll see you there unless it’s zucchini season. Not a fan.}
Want to sponsor a chicken? For $100/year you can name a chicken and keep it happy and healthy and brimming with gratitude.
The chicken eggs are used in Tim’s Kitchen and are not for sale.
Check their site for farm-to-table chef-prepared meals (they sell out quickly so don’t waste time second-guessing a fabulous dinner.)
They’re renovating the barn across from Tim’s Kitchen. And if you’ve ever been inside the barn, you know this is a really, really good idea. Feel free to contribute.
An amazing two-week apprenticeship program offers 6th-8th graders a hand-on learning experience for everything from pollinator pathways to farm-to-table meal preparation. Plus, they’ll get to hang with the baby goats and hug the chickens (it’s a thing - they’re surprisingly cuddly.)
For more (there’s always more!): WakemanTownFarm.org
