Oh the agony.... I just learned the Oregon State University is hosting a 'Small Farms Conference' this month, and it looks great! The problem? It's being held on the exact same day as the Northwest Oregon Dairy Goat Conference. ARGH!!! I can't decide which one I should try and go to!!!!
The dairy goat conference looks all around awesome, and there is a ton that I could and would learn... How to do AI on my own goats, advanced cheesemaking (taught by Gianaclis Caldwell!!), Owning and training a LGD, herbal remedies for goats, marketing raw milk in the Northwest, how to do a proper fecal test, how to process a goat, training a draft goat, pasture management.... Wow, I get excited just thinking about learning all of that!
But then I look at the Small Farms conference and all that it has to offer, and I wonder if maybe I shouldn't go to that instead... Perhaps I would benefit more by learning more farm business skills, then I would increasing my goat knowledge? One thing that has intrigued me is that Kristin Kimball, author of 'The Dirty Life', is going to be a speaker there! I have to admit that I would be tickled to meet Kristin in person... ;)
So here I be: sitting quietly on the outside, but writhing in indecision on the inside! Why on earth did they have to make both conferences be on the same day!? Don't they know that we goat people want to learn the nitty-gritty farm stuff, and the farmers want to learn the goat stuff?!?! Good heavens... I'm already not very good at making decisions, and this is almost too much.
The dairy goat conference looks all around awesome, and there is a ton that I could and would learn... How to do AI on my own goats, advanced cheesemaking (taught by Gianaclis Caldwell!!), Owning and training a LGD, herbal remedies for goats, marketing raw milk in the Northwest, how to do a proper fecal test, how to process a goat, training a draft goat, pasture management.... Wow, I get excited just thinking about learning all of that!
But then I look at the Small Farms conference and all that it has to offer, and I wonder if maybe I shouldn't go to that instead... Perhaps I would benefit more by learning more farm business skills, then I would increasing my goat knowledge? One thing that has intrigued me is that Kristin Kimball, author of 'The Dirty Life', is going to be a speaker there! I have to admit that I would be tickled to meet Kristin in person... ;)
So here I be: sitting quietly on the outside, but writhing in indecision on the inside! Why on earth did they have to make both conferences be on the same day!? Don't they know that we goat people want to learn the nitty-gritty farm stuff, and the farmers want to learn the goat stuff?!?! Good heavens... I'm already not very good at making decisions, and this is almost too much.
Which would YOU choose?
3 comments:
I think I would eventually (after MUCH tossing and turning) decide on goat. Because as it stands you are knee deep in goats, and farming in general could wait another year. ; )
I would want to go to the goat conference, but it is an annual event. I think I choose, in the end, to go to the farm conference. If you can't get the business end of things right, you won't be in the business very long!
Coming from a fellow that wants to increase my knowledge of yhe goats, you know which I would pick, Although any knowledge (of any subject really) is good ! We are going to start with a few does this spring was just reading up on the type and taste/averages. Thanks for the good info. I will be subscribing and reading some more.
Peace
Rich @ NY Homesteader
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