New Gloucester’s Flying Goat Farm and owners Cara Sammons-Shepard and Devin Shepard were recently featured by Maine Farmland Trust in an article by Kristina Buckley. Find the full interview, along with more terrific photos, at this link. ~ NGX
Celebrating Maine Dairy Month: next stop, Flying Goat Farm
| Kristina Buckley |
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…. Keep reading at Maine Farmland Trust
