Seasons Bleatings!   Spring has come extra early to the midwest... but nobody is complaining... This has been the best kidding season we have ever had!   Here I am with my farm-help: Miss Hannah. She has her own rubber barn boots and loves to help grandma with the chores.  A new generation of goat-girls, she and her sister Sammi remind me that what I share with them now will be a joyful memory for the rest of their lives. They will always remember Grandma's goats.

  

 

Shearing

Arthur Hernandez , our sheep shearer, is coming to HMFF on or around March 20th.  I have been getting alot of requests for fleeces... so those of you who are interested in the Border Leicester fleeces should watch for the list of available fleeces in the April newsletter.

I have begun shearing the goats and will post available mohair as it is done.

Websites of Interest
        The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) last month announced the launch of a new Web site to inform producers about the national animal identification system (NAIS). The Web site is available at www.usda.gov/nais on the World Wide Web.

The United Missouri Goat Producers has a new website at http://www.umgp.net/  It has an AUCTION!!!  (I love auctions). They are still working out the bugs last time I checked... but this will be a good resource site. This great association brings us Goat Day every year and supports caprine commodities on the legislative level. It is a friend to dairy, meat and fiber goat producers.  They also have a discussion group at yahoogroups.com called "goats-r-us".

   Winter Feeding Tips

 

#1 Tired of having holes in  your sweaters from reaching over barbed wire or cattle panels?  Try this...  it works!  Slit a length of old garden hose longwise and then place over the top strand of barbwire or fieldfence

#2 Need a jiffy and efficient fenceline hay feeder? Take a cattle panel and bow it slightly, tying the ends to your present fence line (preferably at posts).  Now just stuff the space inside with hay and you have a dandy hay feeder that can be dismantled and moved easily.

Also In this Issue 

Home
French Angora Rabbit news (rabbits for sale / new delivery option)
Goat News - angora preview / dairy kids for sale
Pyranees news - Annie's story
Persephone's Path -a poem about the return of spring  
 March and April Events   

To reach us here at the farm about any of our livestock or products,
you can email me at hmffarm@fidnet.com  Kathy Barger-Harbert,
Herbal Maid Fiber Farm http://www.hmffarm.com/