Celebrating Maine Dairy Month: next stop, Flying Goat Farm

This month as we continue to celebrate Maine’s vibrant dairy community, we connected with Cara Sammons-Shepard and Devin Shepard from Flying Goat Farm in New Gloucester, an easement-protected 230+ acre farm in MFT’s Farm Network that's home to a herd of approx. 100 Nubian goats, a few pasture-raised pigs, and their two farm dogs Finn & Remus. 

Each week, Flying Goat Farm produces over 140 pounds of cheese and yogurt, supplemented with a small, seasonal pasture-raised pork operation. Early on, Cara and Devin found that by having a few pigs to take care of the liquid whey byproduct from their cheese, they could save their plumbing – and diversify their income stream. 

Both Devin and Cara wear many hats around the farm (and off it), from taking care of the goats, farm management, and the cheesemaking itself – to veterinary care, which Cara provides for the Flying Goat Farm herd as well as clients in Maine and New Hampshire via her own mobile livestock practice. We’re glad to have had a chance to catch them during such a busy season.

Q: How did you get into this type of farming in the first place?

A: Cara and I spent a time in New Zealand in our early 20s and worked and lived on many small farms, learning many things along the way. Cara also was raised with horses and it was a dream of hers to have her horse at home and not to board. We found a property in Acton, Maine where there was a barn that would work for her horse and land where we could make pasture.  Long story short, Petey the horse could not be alone, so we got a Nubian goat from Rams Farm at the Fryeburg Fair. Then Petey passed, and we could not have just one goat. The rest is history.

Q: What is your favorite thing about dairy farming / producing dairy products?

A: Personally, my (Devin) favorite thing about my life as a dairy farmer is kidding season. It’s really hard, long hours and no sleep. Eat when you can and you put everything you have into it. But the kids. I love the kids. They are great for about a month then they turn evil. (he laughs) But that month it’s pretty great. As long as the moms are doing good. 

Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges you face as a farmer in this sector?

A:  The hardest thing about farming the way we farm is balancing all the demands of farmstead creamery. We do everything from animal care, raising the animals from birth, milking them all twice daily, processing the milk into cheese on the farm then managing orders and deliveries to our customers. It is a lot of work, and can be frustrating when we can’t get all of the things done that we want to get done, or mishaps occur and set everything awry. Farmstead creameries are increasingly rare because they are very demanding. 

Q:Is there something you’d like the public / your greater community to know about the work you do?

A: I would like people to understand that dairy farming is very consuming. It takes lots of effort to make it all work and to be profitable. Lots of hours go into our products. We have a very high standard of care for our goats. It’s a lifestyle. 

Q:  What’s one goal you have for the future of your farm business?

A: We are constantly looking for ways to streamline our work and maximize efficiency, while still taking excellent care of our animals and producing a top tier product. We recently submitted a grant to help with creamery equipment upgrades to help free up time to attack other projects, such as acquiring equipment to help work our land and cut our hay ourselves. We are constantly working on ways to do things better. We put up a 30kw solar array on our barn, so we are now producing 130% of our annual power usage, and soon we hope to deliver our product in an electric  delivery van – goat cheese made and delivered by the sun! Future goals are a frozen goat dessert, like  custard, frozen yogurt, or ice cream. 

To experience Flying Goat Farm’s cheeses (and pork products available in fall and winter), you can visit their farm store in New Gloucester or consult this list of restaurants and retailers.  

In case you missed our previous stories this month, you can read about the farmers over at Widdershins LCC who produce raw milk and dairy products here and hear from the folks at The Maine Cheese Guild about all that Maine’s creameries have to offer here.