Goat School 2004

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Please note: because of time constraints, this is an adult only class. Registration fee includes our Goat School Book and lunch

It was cold and windy but sunny and bright so all in all, it was a great weekend!

We love sharing the beauty of our farm, especially in the fall. The color was just gorgeous!

The food was plentiful. Here are two lasagna's made with ground chevon and goat cheeses.

The professional chef thrilled everyone late on Saturday afternoon with his version of chevon chops with an herb rub.

Andrew Beals from Poulin Grain had us all spellbound with the enormous amount of information he had on goat nutrition.

He was so great, that we are hoping to get him back for spring 2010 Goat School!

Hoof trimming on cadaver hoofs is always fun!

Thank you Kelly and Alex for the great photos!

Spring 2009 Goat School was both warm and cold! Everyone enjoyed the food!

The cold and wind didn't stop us, but did make for some cuddling amongst the crowd!

Annie, a yearling doe, stood still while we talked about the difference between meat goats and dairy goats.

Ken holds Vin-E while he waits to have his tattoo put into his ears. He was so good!

Thank you to Kathy Harju for the photos!

The crowd was definitely smaller on Sunday, but even with the cold wind, we had a great day!

Little Har-D gets his first CD/T shot

Vin-E is so personable that we used him quite a bit for demos!

Poor Vin-E gets to be the model for a castration. Don't worry we didn't actually do it, just another demo of how it's done!

Break time

Poor Gabe, he was just so pooped out from all the meeting and greeting.

Thanks to Tina Tilley for the photos.

Fall Goat School 2008

Trimming hoofs was quite an endeavor and actually great fun too!

First we demonstrate on real live goats, then we switch over to cadaver hoofs and lots of rubber gloves. It's a great way to learn without turning real goats into guinea pigs.

Jan explains about worming and different wormers.

Putting several goats on stands really demonstrates the difference in age, muscling and of course the breeds. Twinkle and her daughter Sparkle are compared with Isabella one of our Nubian girls. The ears are the same but that is definitely where the similarity ends!

A very special thanks for the photographs to Karl Schatz who with his wife Margaret Hathaway wrote and photographed "Year of the Goat".

	Clear skies, chilly temps and a bit of a breeze didn't stop the camaraderie and fun at Fall 2007 Goat School! A great time, plenty of food and wonderful friendships were formed. We thought Fall of 2006 was large, this Goat School surpassed all expectations!! So big, it had to be two days.
	Some found unusual places to sit and relax during the lunch hour
	This lasagna made with ground chevon and it's twin didn't last long in the cold temps! Believe it or not, these lasagna's weighed in at 14 pounds each!
	Marshall Piper, Consumer Protection Inspector from the Maine Department of Agriculture spoke on Saturday about licensing, quality assurance and regulations

	Demonstrating tattooing on "Apple" whose tattoos had become faded. Freshening up a tattoo on an adult goat is always an interesting project!
	Al Maloney of New Aim farm shares his marketing strategy with Goat School participants.
	Bob Glass from Pan American Vet Labs was our keynote speaker. Here is Bob demonstrating a blood draw. Ken is holding our precious Patti. She's always so willing to participate... Pan American Vet Lab is located in Hutto, Texas. Bob flew up here to speak at Goat School, what a thrill it was to learn from an expert!
	Bob showing the vial of blood. As he explained, this vial is enough to proceed with any and all tests that could be done to a goat. Patti looks on still being held by Ken. I wonder what she is thinking?

A very satisfied Fall 2007 Goat School attendee writes: "Goat School was fabulous. It's a great idea, an awesome service to a niche community, and was so well done! I like the way you really did it up, "soup to nuts," as they say. From the early-morning parking help to the excellent everything-goat meals, to the thoughtful thank-you card sent later....all so well-planned and such nice touches. Getting excellent customer service always makes me feel like I got my money's worth, and I surely came away feeling that way after Goat School!

Of course, the main attraction of the weekend was the information, the networking, and camaraderie. All wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, knowledge, and contacts with us.

We are so appreciative of all you did. :)" Kathy Kahler

Our most recent Goat School is now just a fond memory. What a great time we had!!

Thank you to all who participated!

Scroll down for photos of Goat Schools past!

Putting several goats on stands gave everyone a chance to compare fiber, dairy, and adult and kid meat breeds.	One of our largest goat schools ever! Everyone tried to squeeze in to check out the different goats!
Baldie seems to be enjoying the attention!	The food was enjoyed by all! There certainly wasn't much to clean up afterwards.
Explaining the milking equipment.	Ken talks about a little Angora buckling.
Jan explains about antibiotics and giving shots.	A special thanks to Al Maloney of New Aim Fiber Mill in Waldoboro for the great photos!

Lunch time - a good time to meet, talk, share stories, and eat! Every one seemed to enjoy the roast chevon, chevon chili, goat cheese and corn chowder made with goat milk. Oh, and lets not forget all the desserts!	More talking, more eating...
Our living room furniture was moved out for the day, and tables laden with goodies moved in!	After many requests, Ken and I have decided to do two more different seminars over the summer and fall. One on marketing will take place this summer, most likely in August. Another on fiber from the goat to knitting needles will be scheduled for fall, around shearing time so that we can include shearing in the syllabus. Watch for dates!!
Fall 2005 semester of goat school dawned rainy and cold! The goats in the barn welcomed guests.	Even with the tent, the rain still kept a damper on things. Quite a few people braved the weather and as it turned out, we accumulated 8 1/2 inches of rain in less than 36 hours! Spring 2005 photos are below because with all the rain, we couldn't get many of the fall semester.
	Spring 2005 semester The rain held off all day and a great time was had by all! The Spring Semester of "Goat School" went off without a hitch. Looking over materials and products available before class starts. Dan & Deb Burk from GoTees had a display of their great tee shirts, tote bags, and other screen printed items. Good luck to them with their endeavor of producing agriculturally based logos! You can contact them at da.burk@verizon.net
	Class begins, quite an impressive crowd by any standards!

HI JANICE AND KEN,
I JUSTED WANTED TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR SATURDAY. I REALLY ENJOYED GOAT SCHOOL. VERY INFORMATIVE AND FUN.
YOU BOTH ARE GOOD PEOPLE!!!!!!!
TALK TO YOU SOON
MARTHA

We had fun! Got some great ideas and fell in love with kids!! Now I HAVE to have some here on our farm!! If I wasn't sure before, I'm sure now!.......I was also inspired to get to work on my website!......Thanks for the great information and inspiration! You guys are terrific! Wendy

The photos are GREAT! Thank you ever so much for the "plug" on your site! It made my heart soar! xoxo Deb

(Also from Deb posted to the New England Textile Artists Chat Group) Saturday I went to Goat School at Ken and Jan Spauldings at Stony Knolls Farm...what a great day it was!!! Twenty five -thirty of us were treated to tons of goatie information and a great feast! I've learned a lot on line, but being with 100 goaties (Boer and Angora) first hand was a whole new experience. The goats were fabulous and friendly! Ken and Jan were so kind to invite us to set up a display about our screen printing business - GoTee's and THEN put us in the photos secion (Goat School) of their website!!! What great people!!

Thank you very much for all of the information and experience at goat school (not to mention all of the help that you have provided for us over the past months). We take our goat raising endeavor very seriously and it's great to know that you have always been there to help. We hope that we can contribute to your success as you have contributed to ours. Thanks again, Rich and Darlene

First off I want to thank you for the class yesterday, it was very informative and helped a lot....Thanks again for everything, Linda

What a great day!!! You really put together a wonderful, helpful and enjoyable program! I'm sorry Jeff had to miss it...Was glad to see the next Goat School Scheduled...Thanks so much for all you do...can't tell you how much I appreciate everything. Judy

Ken and Janice gathering thoughts prior to starting! Lots to teach, and lots to learn.

Little Simon doesn't seem to be excited to be the next one for an ear tagging demonstration. Dave, why are you hiding behind the tree?
	Showing where the ear tag goes, avoiding those little veins is very important. Garfunkel, a little Angora buckling is being so patient.
And, of course Gabriel our Flat Coat Retriever had to have his fun too.



Tattooing, everyone moves in for a closer look.

After all was done, we got out a few mohair fleeces and covered washing, picking, blending and enjoying mohair!
	Hey, I thought this was Goat School? How come I'm over here and they're over there? Looks like People School to me..... Feeling left out like "Pale Face Girl"? Sign up for our fall 2006 semester! Click here for more information.