The Ayers Brook Goat Dairy Farm

Ayers Brook Goat Dairy, Vermont’s marquee goat's milk producer for Vermont Creamery (Land O’ Lakes), presents a unique opportunity for dairy farmers looking to diversify and grow in an expanding sector of agriculture. With ten years of trial and error behind them and European genetics that are found only at Ayers Brook, the farm is ready for new ownership and ready for expansion. Offerings like this are scarce, and any successful dairy farmer would be entering the playing field with a considerable head start.

Main barn and milking facility: 27734 sq. ft., with poured slab throughout and double 20 parlor, expandable to double 30.
Yearling barn: 4263 sq. ft. with hayloft above
Kidding barn: 3638 sq. ft. with elevated and heated feed floor
Equipment Shed: 2332 sq. ft
Compost Hoop Barn: 3200 sq. ft. with slab
Commodity Shed: 576 sq. ft with slab and raised roof for dump trailer clearance

More about goat farming vs. cow:

The speed at which you get animals into milk. We are generally breeding at 6-7 months, and goats are freshening for the 1st time at a year old, roughly a year earlier than your average heifer
You don’t need sexed semen to generate the volume of replacements you need to improve herd averages annually or grow the herd size year over year. With natural service, you can be guaranteed one daughter per milking goat in the herd because they average twins (freemartins are extremely rare)
Manure is dry therefore expensive manure handling equipment and storage are unnecessary and don’t need to be managed daily
Cull price is commiserated with the cost of rearing. You can essentially recoup your investment when the animal is sold.
Ease of handling and the ability for a good buck to service many does per season.
Milk price averages $50/cwt for 3% protein and the feed-to-milk conversion is similar to dairy cows.
Less asset intense. With a healthy, productive herd, income is a higher percentage of asset value.
Stable milk market. The milk price doesn’t fluctuate based on global demand.
Through proper genetic selection, goats have the ability to complete long lactations, milking steadily for 900 days or more between kidding (calving).
Goats are clean and personable. They have similar intelligence to dogs and are a joy to work with.