We’ve heard about couples meeting online, through friends or even through their dogs, but not many meet their future spouse through their goats. Dustin and Justyne Noble were teenagers when they met through their bearded pals. “We were at the National Dairy Goat Show in Iowa,” says Justyne, “and afterward, we exchanged advice on how to take care of our goats.”
When Dustin and his brother were babies, they were allergic to formula and cow dairy products. “My parents got goats so they’d have milk to feed us,” Dustin says. “We lived in a Brentwood neighborhood and were the only ones with livestock.”
Those early goat days were brief, but by the time Dustin was 10-years-old, he had cajoled his parents into adopting more goats for him to raise. “I had an interest in agriculture and got my degree in animal science from UT Knoxville.”
The 4H club in Justyne’s rural Kansas hometown taught her everything from gardening to crafting to dairy production. After meeting Dustin and visiting Nashville for a goat show, she decided to pursue a marketing and communications degree at Middle Tennessee State University. She settled her goats at Dustin’s parent's house, and in 2008 the couple acquired part
of a 260-acre Leipers Fork paradise, a Tennessee Land Trust property with rolling hills, valleys and streams.
“Goats were how we met and they’re our passion, so we built our lives around raising them,” says Justyne. Noble Springs Dairy opened in 2009. For the logo, Justyne sketched a picture of her goat “Tribute,” who had moved with her from Kansas. The couple married in 2010 and have two children, Brynlee, 7 and Bryant, 4. “Our kids love to be involved with the animals,” says Justyne. “Because they’re growing up with goats, chickens, beef cattle and dogs, they’re not afraid of animals, which I guess is good and bad,” she laughs.
Their 200 goats are comprised of four breeds: Saanen, Toggenburg, Alpine, and floppy-eared Nubians. “Kidding season,” when 175 or so babies are born, lasts from February to May, and the Nobles deliver the kids themselves. “It takes years of practice,” Dustin says, “and Justyne is great at goat midwifery.” The kids are bottle-fed three times daily for their first three months. Adult goats are milked twice a day. The rest of the time they graze the huge pasture nibbling on grasses and leaves. “Eating vegetation makes their milk particularly nutritious,” says Dustin.
Noble Springs primarily produces chevre, or goat cheese, in a variety of flavors, some seasonal like Honey Peach and Blueberry, or their year-round bestseller, Busy Bee, made with cranberry and honey. “What we’re working on today was in a goat yesterday,” Dustin explains. The process of milking, pasteurizing, culturing and draining cheese takes 36 hours.
Distributors deliver to stores such as Kroger and Whole Foods, to restaurants, and to locations throughout the Southeast. “The cheeses sold at the Saturday Franklin Farmer’s Market were milked on Thursday, so they’re as fresh as possible,” says Dustin.
The dairy is also a popular destination for visitors, with farm-to-table dinners featuring produce, meats, eggs and cheeses produced on their land; “Goats & Guitars” music nights with personalized cheese boards; and Saturday morning “kid cuddling” sessions, where for $12 visitors can snuggle with mischievous baby goats as they bleat and leap about. “We
used to offer goat yoga,” says Dustin,” but everyone just wanted to pet goats.” Justyne agrees that sharing their farm with those who want to interact with animals is the best part of being a dairy farmer. “We’re so fortunate we get to spread knowledge about farming and agriculture while doing what we love,” she says. For information about visiting Noble Springs
Dairy, to arrange private tours, or to shop for products, visit Noble-springs.com.
