GoatsÉthey can be awe-inspiring in the wild as they navigate razor-thin mountain ridges with ease and great calm. They can be hilariously funny as “kids” bouncing playfully around, and they are some of the most affectionate and useful of all domesticated animals, as well.

In addition to being all of these things, goats have even more about them that is amazing. Just read this excerpt from Feast Down East and what they have to say about how some local goats that are impacting our local farm community:

ÒNatureÕs Way Farm and Seafood is the collaboration of husband and wife team Bill and Tina Moller. Bill has been a commercial fisherman for 40 years. Tina had always been interested in having animals, and began raising sheep and goats. With her extra milk, she taught herself how to make cheese and soon became a certified goat cheese maker.

“Today, the varieties include ten flavors of chevre, blue, feta, gouda, mozzarella, romano, cheddar and pepperjack, as well as a variety of raw-milk cheeses which vary by season. Their cheeses have placed in the top three in several categories at the American Dairy Goat AssociationÕs National Cheese Competition for 3 years, 2007 Ð 2009.

ÒBill and Tina are doing what they love, and enjoy sharing that with other people. They have maintained the integrity of their operation by staying small and continue doing everything on their own. In addition to the Riverfront and Poplar Grove FarmersÕ Markets, they also have a small store right at the farm. Watching families bring their children to the market, seeing them grow up and enjoy coming to the market, meeting new people and having conversations all make the farmers markets special for Bill. ‘ItÕs not just a buying interchange, itÕs a community social gathering,’ says Bill.Ó 

Meet the Amazing Goat

Though it seems as if there are countless types of goats in the world, there are only about nine species, with the domestic types being the most common among them. (AnimalCornker.co.uk, 2015) They have been domesticated for more than ten thousand years, and not only because of their pleasant personalities and entertaining behaviors.

Not only are goats adorable, but they are incredibly interesting. Consider these seven goat facts and you might realize that goats are more remarkable than you may have previously thought.

1. Goats are incredibly intelligent.

A goat can be house trained and kept as a pet. We may not think of goats as ideal house pets, but if you decided that you would like a small goat instead of a dog, you can train it and keep your house tidy and clean – and you won’t have to get up at dawn to “walk” the goat. They can also be trained to pull carts or carry loads.

2. They are ruminants.

Goats are among the few “cud” chewing creatures here on Earth. This means that unlike most single stomached mammals, goats actually have a multi-chambered stomach that breaks down food in stages. Goats will graze on plants and trees, and then they go through a few different phases before digesting it fully.

3. Goats are curious.

With their incredible intelligence comes equally powerful curiosity. Place goats in a new environment and they will explore and investigate every inch of it, and they show this same behavior with anything unfamiliar. They are usually difficult to keep in an enclosed pen simply because they explore it so intensely and figure out how to navigate their way out of almost any space – including climbing trees and fences to do it!

4. Goats are social.