Our Purpose
We are a veteran-owned family farm located on the hillsides above Hardwick, Vermont. Through our hard work in providing fresh, high-quality goat milk and organic garlic, we help maintain the farming traditions of the Northeast Kingdom. In caring for the land, animals and community we are blessed with, we respect those who came before us and honor those who sacrificed all to preserve our freedom.
Our Journey
Our land was purchased in 2007 and kept in agricultural current use by a nearby dairy farm. During leave periods from the military, we began a long-term restoration agriculture project to revive the degraded fields and reverse erosion. In 2016 we finished military service and travelled 4500 miles across the USA in a questionable Airstream bus, landing in Vermont and starting a new adventure here in the community of Hardwick.
Our Name
On the last day of March 2017, we bought eleven beautiful Alpine doelings from Lazy Lady Farm in Westfield, Vermont, driving them home in a snowstorm in the back of our family van. In a strange twist of fate, on this very same day, we lost our dog of 14 years and buried her on the farm just beyond the barn. Her spirit lives on in the goat herd and the Ghost Dog Dairy of Bridgman Hill was born.
Our Milking Herd
Our goats truly are the stars of the farm, and life often revolves around their needs. The current milkers are ADGA-registered American Alpines and we are raising our next generation as Alpine-Saanen crosses.
Farm Dog Formula
We ferment our goats milk into a probiotic formula that is a powerful supplement for pets. It rebuilds the immune system, can quickly solve digestion, allergy and joint issues, and is rich in cancer-fighting CLA fats.
Garlic
We grow high quality hardneck seed garlic certified by Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) as well as soft neck garlic for braiding and feeding the goats. Garlic has a special role in our farm system as a protective nutrient for a our grazing herd.
Grass Fed Meat
We raise both pastured pork and meat goats using a restorative grazing system. Our pigs provide tillage for new fields and our meat goats clear invasive species from the hedges and field boundaries.
Haying at the Farm
Vermont is famous for it’s milk, but look closer and you’ll find the secret is in the soil and the grass. It’s never easy, but the rewards of bringing in a full wagon of silvery green bales on a summer day is something to be cherished.
Farming Methods
We practice regenerative agriculture, building new topsoil and improving the land as we farm. Our unique system integrates several annual beds, cover-cropping, composting and biochar with our hayfields, pasture and winter bedded pack.
Our Team
All farm duties are performed by our family, whether they like it or not, from milking to fermenting to making hay. It’s a difficult life but one with many unique rewards.
Our Spokesmodel
Olivia Newton John is our canine spokesmodel. Her favorite activities are bossing goats around and drinking Farm Dog Formula. Her coat is so incredibly shiny you have to see it firsthand to believe it.
Hockey
In addition to goats, garlic and hay, we also grow hockey players and appropriate-lengths of hair for the season. The seasonal nature of dairy goats lies in perfect harmony with winter’s greatest pastime.