Farm Inspiration

We were fortunate to visit the beautiful island of Kauai over the past several weeks; and it was just gorgeous – it truly feels like you’re in paradise. We did a lot of relaxing things while there – snorkeling, hiking, horseback riding, and whale watching to name a few; but we also visited several farms (mostly organic) to see if we could learn new techniques or ideas that would apply here.

One farm, in particular, was very exciting for us, Kauai Kunana Dairy. They’ve worked at it for quite a few years (originally started in 1979) and now produce artisan goat cheese, goat milk products (soap & hair/skin care products), certified organic produce, honey, beeswax products (soap, balms, salves, and candles), and baked goods.

Their dairy goat-herd is 60 strong (I’m holding one of their new additions in the picture), and they’re generally milking about 30 of those at any one time. They use a variety of full size dairy goat breeds for their herd, also have Golden Buff chickens for eggs, and keep honey bees. We found the farm fascinating, and unlike here, the Kauai climate allows production all year. But, there are farm issues there too; bugs are  a problem, supplies generally have to come from the mainland, and electricity is very expensive.

For anyone visiting Kauai interested in local foods and farming, their farm tour is fun and informative – and they feed you samples of the products produced on the farm. I don’t know if we’ll ever get to producing even a fraction of what they’re doing; however, it’s a great example of what can be done with hard work, determination, and a dream. It inspired us to keep working on our farm dream.