Home The Herd Grade A Dairy Cheese Anatolians For Sale We also just uploaded the Cheeses we make and have them listed on our Cheese page! Blue Rose Dairy began on Dec. 21, 2003. It all started with an ad in the Capital Press Newspaper. We had never even heard of a goat dairy, before we read the for sale ad. We went and checked it out and six months later we bought the goat dairy farm, believing we could make a great place for our family to be raised and make money too. By January of 2004 we had 100 does delivered from California, sight unseen. That morning was cold and we had anticipation of seeing our first goats, only to be disappointed by the skinny, sickly and horned goats. What a mess! A few days later we had 45 goats delivered from Eastern Washington. I have to say we were a little scared now to see what again we had bought sight unseen. Well they were in a little better shape than the first load but they were wild as March hairs. About two weeks later they started kidding and then that was another whole episode to our saga. I think we had to help about 85% of the does deliver and half or better of the kids were dead. I don’t think I’ve ever hated the sound of my three daughters voices, until in the early morning hour they would head out to feed and round up the does that needed milked and come running into the house screaming, “Mom, mom come quick a goat is having a baby.” I would run out grabbing a bottle of dish soap, nose sucker, and two large bath towels. That first kidding season was tough. But we made it. We sold our milk to a local Creamery that dried the whey and sold it. Year two went pretty well, not as many kids lost and the deliveries were better. The milking started off strong. But disaster struck again. We fed some bad grain to our does, unknowing and we lost a number of good milkers. A month later we fed some silage (which other dairymen were using) and we again lost a number of does to that as well as one of our really good bucks. And our milk was totally dried up by Sept. What a mess… But again we made it through the trials. We have learned that farming is a gamblers game. Now I don’t believe in gambling, but I would like to win. So to watch and wonder what will happen next has been a scary place to be. This last year was a good year, kidding went smooth, didn’t loose many goats or kids, the grain situation has improved (we buy from a local farmer), and the hay has been consistent and high quality (again we buy from a local farmer). Milk production was up too. We ventured into a new area of cheese making. We made four different types of cheese, our own recipes. And we sold it at some farmers markets. What an adventure that has been. We look forward to our kidding season this year and the milking to be productive and profitable. We are building our own creamery now and this will make the cheese plant a true reality and another source of income for our family. Our Family: We have 9 children, 6 grandchildren, and 2 spouses and one boyfriend. We only have three daughters left at home. We also do foster care, for children that need a home and space to grow and learn. We are actively involved in 4-H and the Local Grange. I teach cheese classes, for homemakers that want to add something new to their families table. Our lives are full and blessed and we would love to have you enjoy some of our blessings by trying our cheese, taking a tour of our farm, or joining us at the local fair or grange hall. Our Farm: We live on 13 acres, with a 5 bedroom house. Our goats are pastured on 10 acres and are free to come in and out of the barn and field. We have two Anatolian Shepard that take care of our goats. We also have boar goats in our mix. Our herd consists of all flavors of goats. Saanen’s are the largest percentage of our herd followed by Alpines. We love to have people come out and try hands on with our dairy, milking and feeding and grooming. During kidding we love help bottle feeding our kids (baby goats). Viewers! Thanks for stopping by!! Copyright © 2007 Blue Rose Dairy ~ David & Rhonda Rider ~ Winlock, WA, All Rights Reserved Website Designed & Maintained by: Jekuthiel's WebDesign Last revised: February 9, 2007