Lets get a few small things out of the way first.

• Yes, a goat must be bred to make milk. Works that way in humans and every other mammal too.
• No they are not the same as little cows, and are more closely related to deer.
• No, their horns don’t shed, they are a part of their skull and sinus cavities.
• No, you should not keep a single goat in your backyard to eat the grass, because that’s not fair to the goat and goats will eat everything but the grass, and be very lonely by themselves.
• No, we cannot deliver milk to you at your home, market, walmart parking lot, the back of a gas station late at night, or anywhere that is not the second driveway of our farm with the giant “Milk Here” sign. We also cannot help coordinate “Milk Convoys”, because that means we are breaking the law by selling to people that are not on location. You can do that all you want, just don’t tell us about it.

Now to the Big Questions…
Who are the owners of Goatroper Farms and where are you located?
How did Y’all get into goats?
Tell me about the raw milk. Do you do anything with it?
How much do you sell your raw milk for? Where can I purchase it?
What sort of vaccines and medicines do you give your goats?
Can my group come visit the farm? We would love to pet the animals!
I have a goat but I can’t care for it anymore. Can you take it?
How can you raise animals with love knowing they will be eaten? Isn’t that hypocritical?

Who are the owners of Goatroper Farms and where are you located?

GRF is owned by Kate Finefield and her husband Joshua Pangle. The farm is Kate’s full time job, after almost a decade of working in the wildlife biology field. Joshua is a Journeyman Electrician. Joshua grew up in the country with goats, so their crazy shenanigans dont phase him. Kate grew up in downtown Little Rock, and moved to the country in 2007.

There has been more than one discussion between the two which way of doing things is better, the old wives tale way (Joshua) or what The Book Says (c). Lively discussions at times.

In Summer of 2023 Goatroper moved from the Roland, Arkansas area to Clatskanie, OR. The farm sits on 5 acres of woods, creeks, and Mountain Views. The goats have flourished at the new location, and we look forward to living the rest of our lives here

How did Y’all get into goats?
Well, Joshua was raised with them homesteading so for him they have always been a part of his life. Kate bought her first goat at a flea market after being told a sad, probably not true story of foreclosure and farm loss, and that Jack the Billy, who is the goat in the logo, was a trained snake killer. She came home from market without chickens and with a goat. And then learned you cant have only one goat. So she got two more goats. And like dandelions, they just kept showing up at random places. Where Kate happened to be. With her vehicle. And money.

By the way, the only think Jack was trained at was peeing on himself and breeding.

Tell me about the raw milk. Do you do anything with it?

Well that depends. If you are a human being buying our raw milk, then not really. We filter any hair or dust from the milk, then immediately chill it in half gallon glass jars. We are actually not allowed to sell pasteurized milk to people because we are not a certified dairy. We are a homestead dairy that focuses on the happiness of our animals and making the raw milk easily available to our customers.

For the baby goats, we are heat treating the milk to prevent disease transmission for the first time this year. While we are a tested and negative herd for the Big Three (CAE, CL, and Johnes), we have decided that ensure nothing sneaks past us, that this will be the way we go for any dairy kids. Kids raised for meat will probably still be dam raised.

We do also take the milk and make our award winning fudge, salted caramels, and a variety of gluten free baked goods, all available for purchase either on the farm or at one of the markets in which we participate.

How much do you sell your raw milk for? Where can I purchase it?

You can make an appointment and prepay for your milk on our square website. There are multiple options.

What sort of vaccines and medicines do you give your goats?”

The vaccines we give are the CDT, mastitis, and Pneumonia Vaccine. We have had one case of tetanus and one case of enterotoxemia in our herd. The first goat lived, the second did not, and both were horrible to watch and treat. Dams are vaccinated a month before kidding, and the entire herd gets a booster in the early fall. Kids get their shots at at 3 and 6 weeks of age. To prevent coccidiosis we use Diemthox 40% at 3,6,9,and 12 weeks. We keep antibiotics, pain relievers, and effective wormers on hand. We worm according to the FAMACHA test for Barberpole Worm, and random fecals for anything else.

Can my group come visit the farm? We would love to pet the animals!

This is always a tricky one. We love having visitors. Love it. But our insurance guy currently recommends against non-business related farm visits. And we are not set up the same as a petting zoo or children’s. Some of our animals are very wary of strangers, due to being rescues and/or not being handed enough as kids.

We also practice a strict biosecurity protocol, which means any visitors will need to either wear booties over their shoes or be willing to step into a bleach bath, thoroughly wash their hands, and no animals of any kind are allowed on the property in direct interaction with our animals.

I have a goat but I can’t care for it anymore. Can you take it?

Unfortunately except in rare situations, we are unable to take on anymore rescue animals. Too many broken hearts on our part and run ins with CAE and its repercussions have led us to only bring in tested, vet checked animals. However we are happy to try and help you find a good home for your goat!

How can you raise animals with love knowing they will be eaten? Isn’t that hypocritical?

It was a hard decision to finally offer up bucklings as meat goats. Kate fought it for years, always feeling like it was her responsibility to find them good homes or just keep them.

However there comes a time when a home business has to decide to become a Business. And right now we cannot afford to keep extra bucks as wethers. Every animal on the farm serves a purpose, and must do so for it to become successful and sustainable. By raising our meat goats with compassion and love, and only selling them to individuals willing to reserve them, we know they are going to a home which will appreciate the meat and care that has gone into them.

We raise our meat bucks with the exact same love and care we give to our kids destined for milk and show. We can also raise them Halal with proper notice, which requires not only that the animal be unaltered in anyway, but be raised with kindness and respect.