We are located in the "Heart of Virginia"
NIGHT SKY FARM'S MISSION
Night Sky Farm, once a dream is now become a reality. We are located in picturesque central Virginia, part of a rural, agriculturally based community. We are the only goat dairy. Most all of what is used in the making of our farmstead cheese comes from either our farm or from the local area. Through this, we try to keep our money at home where it is needed, supporting the local economy. The goal of this enterprise is to promote a safe and healthy local product, at the same time be good stewards of the farm and it's resources; the land, the animals and our community.
THE FARM HAPPENINGS
The dairy received it's Grade A Dairy license the end of April 2008 and began making cheese! Since that time, our customer list has grown by leaps and bounds. Our herd of dairy goats will also increase in size over the next year to approximately 35 milking does with 10 to 12 of them yearling milkers. This will be double the number currently in milk. Night Sky Farm is a "work in progress" and every day a new project is completed or begun. On the Winter's Project Agenda is the completion of the aging room which will allow us to age raw milk cheeses and offer some new favorites, such as an Aged Cheddar, a creamy Brie and a aromatic Camembert, all exciting new ventures!
Visit our BLOG for Recipes Avec Fromage de Chevre!
THE FARMER
My name is Jennifer Downey and I have owned and bred Saanen and La Mancha goats for almost 30 years and now raise French Alpines as well. I also worked for DHIA for several years testing both cow and goat dairy herds in New England. I strive to produce a superior product and healthy, correct livestock. This is a true family farm; the Grandfather, the three children, myself and the three dogs work the farm and produce the cheese. My father goes to market and is our head of cheese sales! My oldest son does much of the heavy work like fencing and mechanical repairs and also goes to market. My middle son tends to the young stock and poultry and my daughter, the youngest, milks the goats in the evening and supervises the kid rearing and any regular veterinary work the goats may need. The three dogs make sure we are all in our places at the proper times, especially breakfast and dinner. I am the cheese-maker, the overseer of operations and the head of transportation with only one pick-up truck.
Cranberry, The Dearest Goat Of All
Many of our goats have come from Lynn Benedict, owner of
Walnut Fork Alpines. Click on Cranberry to visit her site and see her
georgous Alpines and Nubians!
Night Sky Farm's dairy herd consists of registered Alpines, Saanens, Nubians and grade La Manchas and four handsome herd sires, one of each breed. Our closed herd is tested CAE free and only confirmed CAE free animals are brought onto the farm. In addition, we test all of the goats yearly for brucellosis as required by Virginia law. The goats are pastured on over 4 acres of our farm, utilizing intensive pasture rotation methods and housed in their new barn. In addition to the pasture, we feed high quality hay and grain.
Night Sky Farm makes every effort to provide you our excellent cheese all year long. An admirable goal, but goats are seasonal breeders and will only come into estrus from September through February, possibly into March. To help give us a a fairly consistent supply of milk, our does are bred in rotation. In December and January, milk production and the number of does producing declines . Our kidding season usually begins in February and ends in June or July with our greatest milk production coming in the mid-Summer and into the Fall/WInter.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have regarding our chevre or registered livestock. I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Owner: Jennifer Downey
Virginia Plant Number 51-278089
Email: jennifer@nightskyfarmgoatcheese.com
Telephone: (434) 426 - 4886