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.
Sara says
I LOVE Kaua’i…. My husband and I are planning to go back in the next year or two. We were married there Christmas Eve 2010, and I fell in love with it. It feels like Home to me… So glad you had such a wonderful time!! Definitely going to check out this farm’s website! Thank you for sharing! =)
Lesa says
We love it too – wish we’d found it sooner, but this was the 2nd time back for us.
Ponyman says
Did they give you any strategies on how they dealt with bugs?
Lesa says
They grow a lot of fruit trees, and to kill the bugs bothering the fruit they used plastic jugs with a lure and water in them. The lure attracted the bugs and they drowned in the water. Other than that, they didn’t mention anything and I forgot to ask about any strategies for vegetables and bugs.