Friday, March 1, 2024
Tribute to the total eclipse coming to Maine in April 2024
It’s been a busy past few months. Actually, it seems it has been non-stop for the last nine months, maybe even a bit more. It started early last summer. We embarked on several new adventures last summer, one of which has turned into our latest venture to keep the homestead out of the red and operating square in the black. Goating is work. Everyone knows that. And if you don’t, I am telling you now! It is work. And sometimes no matter how hard you work, there are still obstacles al read more...
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Saturday, May 1, 2021
Momma Echo and Gma Taho helicoptering
As the year speeds on by into May, we are just about finished up with our kidding season. In years past we’ve been pretty even, percentage wise, between doelings and bucklings. Surprisingly, this year we’ve had a record number of bucklings, 77.78% and just 22.22% doelings...must be something in the water this year. The different groups that we belong to on social media suggest that a lot of other Kiko producers are experiencing similar outcomes this year also. Fortunately, we have had more custo read more...
By Amelia Crise
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Thursday, April 1, 2021
Kathy hanging out in the loft with the square bales
Many of you know from my past writings that a favourite Crise pastime before the all-consuming goat hobby started was going for drives around our beautiful home state of Maine. Once when the kids were little, on one of our many journeys (insert Dateline’s Keith Morrison’s voice), there was a sign...an oh-so foretelling sign.
“Hay For Sale” that sign read.
Josh at the wheel, kids strapped into booster seats, we were reading every sign we came upon as the budding readers in the back seat tac read more...
By Kathy Crise
Featured in the April issue of Goat Rancher (page 19-20).
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Monday, March 1, 2021
Decorative, stylish goat pelts rugs or throws for any occasion
Rather than jump right into today’s topic, I’m going to offer up a quick update on how 2020 shaped up for the Crise Crew and how we’ve turned the corner into 2021. My dad, Josh, has always worked from home. With Covid, however, he’s had a little more time available and mandatory vacation time off to reduce company liability … yada, yada, yada. More time off for dad means more projects he conjures up and we get dragged into. My mom, Kathy, is a faculty instructor in the Computer Technology progra read more...
By Amelia Crise
Featured in the March issue of Goat Rancher (page 22-23).
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Monday, February 1, 2021
Our quick reference board while we are at the barn
As I sit down to write this article today, white stuff, snow, blankets the landscape outside my window. We have been fortunate so far to have a reasonably mild winter but as spring kidding is on my mind, I can’t help but be focused on thorough health checks to make sure the doe herd is ready to go for kidding season. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who noted, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This time of year is so blah in my wife’s words, which makes it difficult to want to read more...
By Josh Crise
Featured in the February issue of Goat Rancher (page 18-20).
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Friday, January 1, 2021
Checking the mucus for the proper consistency. I promise I am not as grossed out as my face might suggest!
With the 2020 Cream of the Crop Kiko Sale in Corydon, Indiana under our belts, and our three new does integrated into our herd and settling in quite nicely, it was time to make their Facebook debuts on our farm page and personal pages. We documented our whole trip to the sale on our pages, as we always do, so we can remember our trips, but also for marketing purposes. This year wasn’t any different in regards to comments on our Facebook posts’ pictures. Many people post things such as, “safe tra read more...
By Amelia Crise
Featured in the January issue of Goat Rancher (page 19-20).
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Our yard hydrant at the goat barn
As many of our readers have come to know over the last year or two, we live in New England, specifically Northern Maine. Often we are asked, especially by our fellow southern goat producers, what winter operations are like this far north? Or they crow, something like there is no way I would be a producer in the North! In many ways, it is much the same as it is in other parts of the world, just a heck of a lot colder. This means we need to take a few extra precautions to be successful, as well as read more...
By Josh Crise
Featured in the December issue of Goat Rancher (page 21-24).
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Sunday, November 1, 2020
Milk two teats or plug one end to milk just one teat
The weeks and the days leading up to the Cream of the Crop Kiko Sale in Corydon, Indiana are always filled with much excitement. As we mentioned in September’s Goat Rancher, we love road trips and all that comes along with them. This year is no different. We have been cooped up in Northern Maine for far too many months at this point. With news that the sale would surely be on, the planning commenced. Instead of heading straight to Indiana this year, we took the more scenic route: a chance for go read more...
By Amelia Crise
Featured in the November issue of Goat Rancher (page 25-26).
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Thursday, October 1, 2020
Small buckling herd doing a bit of goatscaping
This year is surely shaping up to be one for the books. It is hard to imagine that anyone will forget the events that unfolded at the turn of 2020. Covid-19 originally brought about many uncertainties and continues to do so today. The unpredictability of the virus has hurt and even closed many businesses. As we are operating a business, we too, contemplated how the virus would affect this year's breeding stock and meat sales.
In past years, customers piqued interest around March and April, w read more...
by Amelia Crise
Featured in the October issue of Goat Rancher (page 14-15).
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Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Driving from Maine to Southern Indiana just to look at Kiko goats
Look up “professional road-trippers” in any dictionary or online platform and you will find a picture of the Crise Crew! Our kids have been on the road since, well, since before they were born! We could write for days on the driving trips we have taken which include cross-country hauls, Maine to Florida in 24 hours, Alaska, snowstorms, tornadoes, and many more miles of adventures! One of our favorite road-trips now is heading to Corydon, Indiana to the Cream of the Crop Sale!
Kathy’s Perspect read more...
By Kathy, Amelia, and Josh Crise
Featured in the September issue of Goat Rancher (page 28 & 36).
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