Just when I start to feel content, a few catalogs arrive in the mail, and I remember all the things I want! And this is after ordering $80 of seeds for the vegetable garden this year. So, what do I need . . . um, want?
a milking machine for two goats at one time -- $1,749
a cream separator (since goat milk doesn't separate for days) -- $495
butter churn -- $129 for a hand-cranked version or $289.95 for an electric one
a milking stand with a wire mesh bottom (so I won't be crying over spilled milk) -- $280 to 341.95
a goat driving harness for Hercules -- $175
goat packing equipment -- $189.95 to $367.50
goat cart -- $255 to $400
And it all adds up to $3,400. The biggest chunk is obviously the milking machine, which I can live without until my baby goes off to college in two years. The rest of it only adds up to $1,650, if I get the cheapest of everything. Only $1,650. I guess we could live without the butter-making equipment for another year or two, and I can live with my wooden milk stand. We really do need the driving harness if we're going to use Hercules to help out around the farm, so I guess we'll need to get that . . . and maybe we can figure out how to make a cart for him.
3 comments:
Now that's a list! I'd love some of those things too. I need to research Iowa legal requirements for selling milk and/or cheese. I will probably need a lot more than those things to proceed...
If it's anything like Illinois, it's ridiculous. This list is just for our own dairy products. I called the state and couldn't believe what they require -- starting with a $15,000 pasteurizer, and I think that the price for a used one! And you have to have a whole separate kitchen that's state inspected. It would all add up to $70,000 to $100,000.
Ugh...yes....that's what I'm worried about.
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