Integration Acres

Last weekend some friends and I visited Integration Acres near Athens, OH for a tour with OEFFA. We arrived a little late, but met up with the group in the cheese plant where Chris was explaining the cheesemaking process. He also spoke about the pawpaw trees that he grows at Integration and we tasted the two cheeses he makes, a basic feta and chevre.

From there, Chris showed us where he milks the ladies outside. His farm used to be a cow dairy, so he has incorporated that into his goat milking operation. He can milk 4 goats at a time and next year plans to use the already installed pipeline that will pump the milk right into the cooling and storage room.

Chris then took us for a walk up the hill to the top of the field his goats were happily browsing. Chris milks about 15 goats. He has a mix of Nubians, LaManchas and Alpines. He just started making cheese last year and everything he knows, he's learned from reading books.

I noticed that Chris doesn't disbud the horns on his goats. He said that he does everything at Integration acres naturally. He said he also does not bottle feed his goats. But they seemed pretty personable. This one actually followed us partially through the field.

Chris rotationally grazes his goats. He has 35 acres of land and over the summer installed about 3,500 feet of fencing. We will be rotationally grazing the goats at Olde Oak Farm next year. Scott says Olde Oak will be the only dairy goat farm in Maine practicing rotational grazing.

I need to begin thinking about what I will do when I get back to Ohio next year. I had a great time in Athens this weekend and I think I may move to that area if I could find a way to make a living. The farming scene seems to be very active with lots of young and old farmers in the area. Athens also has a well known farmers market, and it's a town that supports a lot of organic and locally grown products.

Would you like to check out Integration Acres? http://www.integrationacres.com/