Fall 2009
This morning as I went outside to check on our farm animals, I once again experienced the joy of seeing chickens peeking out of their hen house, pygmy goats romping in the fallen leaves to share a warm hello, and llamas and alpacas rising from their slumbered kush knowing hay was in their near future. As I tended to my chores, I wondered was this return to nature what brought joy to Henry Thoreau when he went to Walden Pond in 1845. Yet, while Walden is much more than one man's account of the years he spent in the woods communing with nature, so too is one’s account of life on a farm.
Sparta Mountain Farm began with a dream of wanting to surround our family with nature. In 1996 we purchased twenty acres in the beautiful mountains of Jefferson Township and built our home in 1998. It has been a long journey and a lot of hard work, but we are fortunate to be able to see the fruits of our labor. Our children have grown and we were blessed this summer with the birth of our first grandchild, a boy. We look forward to teaching him about each animal and their role on the farm. Also born this summer was our first farm born female cria, Hallie. She will make a wonderful mate for Bradford, our one year old male llama.
In addition to Bradford and Hallie, and their moms, we have three adult male llamas. Our male llamas make wonderful guard llamas. Llamas take naturally to guarding other livestock and require no training to do so. They are frequently used for guarding our goats and have taken on this assignment without any coaxing from us. The goats seem to enjoy having “big brothers” look out for them. This summer Bob and one of our sons continued training the males to be pack llamas which they also seem to enjoy. Our alpacas, two males and one female, continue to supply us with high quality fiber.
We have found our guinea hens to be advantageous in controlling ticks, while our sixty laying chickens, a mixture of breeds, continuously supply us with an abundant supply of rich tasting brown and colored eggs daily. All of our poultry are free range only during the warmth of day. At nightfall they return to their fenced in pen and hen house to roost. This provides them safety from predators during the evening hours.
Sparta Mountain Farm continues to grow as we incorporate more farm tours, llama hikes, and birthday parties into our business plan. Our first birthday party last spring was a complete success with the birthday girl and her guests enjoying a fun filled experience on a working farm. The children especially loved the newborn pygmies. Our first annual "Rent A Chick" program held during Easter season was also a success with students and families experiencing the joy of caring for baby chicks. Our Educational Center is up and running with more programs to be included in the spring. Sparta Mountain Farm will also begin a summer camp program in 2010 specializing in the area of special needs children. More details to follow. Farm products such as firewood, eggs, and fiber are available for sale with other products to be included as we continue to grow. Please check our entire website for more information.