From Goat Kids to Customer Connections

So, what did you learn today? My mom would ask me that when I entered the kitchen after school. I wasn’t so much interested in sharing all the new facts, as I was in getting that after-school snack. Teaching and informing people about your farm and its products so they may be interested in purchasing them, is easier if you present the information while they are engaged in an activity they enjoy or love. Like the after-school snack, it was much easier to open up and talk to mom when I had a glass of milk in front of me and a cookie in hand.

When it comes to the most enjoyable part of our farm, it's all about being with the goat herd. Then, after the baby goats have arrived, there is so much joy in holding and petting a baby goat. We even had friends asking to see them when they heard we had new baby goats on the farm. We were thrilled to start our herd, and we welcomed our first baby goats in December!

Time management helped us realize that timing the kidding season from fall to sometime in late March and early April would help us stay warmer and create a perfect date to have folks out to see the baby goats all in one day.

We have had a “KID’S DAY’ event each spring for two years now. I created a storyboard with 8” x 10” pictures of what we do with our fiber goats. We raise registered Pygora ® fiber goats. The storyboard shows the process of how we harvest the fiber (shearing), prepare the fiber for the mill, and what product we get back from the mill (roving - for hand spinners to make yarn or blend with other fibers to make unique yarn). This event has led to the sale of a kid goat each season.

Once we had the barn all spruced up and the storyboard already made, it was a natural stepping stone to sign up to be hosts of an RV-Camper site called Harvest Hosts. After going through the what-ifs and what-nots, we committed to being hosts. We had made an insulated room inside our pole barn so we can work on the goats no matter what conditions are going on outside. The room isn’t used very heavily once summer arrives, as the herd has been vaccinated, hooves trimmed, sheared, and kidding pens are put away until next year. This room has now become our self-serve goat shop. The storyboard is displayed along with  samples of the fiber (roving) and other wares guests may want to purchase. The guests are given a welcome note with a quick run-down on what they can do on the farm while staying. We also attach two small bags of goat treats (raw peanuts in the shell). So far, everyone visiting has enjoyed interacting with the goat herd. 

Helping people enjoy their visit on the farm encourages questions and good conversations. The best way I can describe it is when someone asks me a question I have not thought about; it helps me be proactive in learning more about how to better promote our herd, their offspring, fiber, and more!

Interacting with fellow goat or farm enthusiasts on social media platforms like Facebook has helped me and my husband connect with other goat owners as well as local hand-spinners. These folks follow our Dakota Pygora ® herd, and hand-spinners purchase the herd’s fiber.

As our knowledge of Pygora ® fiber grows, so do the ideas of possibilities for more events and ways to help the public become goat lovers as well as fiber artists.