“We wanted to move towards being self-sustaining,” said Crystal Eutsler when asked about why she got started with production agriculture when neither she nor her husband, Chad, had grown up on a farm. Thirteen years ago when Crystal’s family moved to Bois D’Arc, Mo., she bought some chickens. Soon her son, Ethan, took an interest in his junior high FFA chapter, and wanted to start a project. A small goat herd was the result. Crystal had helped her son, Ethan, buy three Boer goats. At the end of the project, they had 16 goats. “We loved having goats, but that particular breed required a little more care and upkeep than we had the time for, so we sold those and were introduced into the French Alpine breed by a friend,” said Crystal.
Crystal and her family now have milking goats. The family favorite is Tinkerbell, or ‘Tink’ as she’s affectionately called by the family.
“We fell in love with the many qualities of the Alpine breed, and Tink herself, really early on in having her,” Crystal said. Tink had triplets and was feeding three babies as well as providing 2.5 quarts of milk for Crystal’s family each day. Tink requires only 5 cups of feed twice a day to maintain her production ability.
Having never grown up on a farm, Crystal was thankful for the help and guidance from a few goat-breeding friends. She learned the importance of the health and safety aspects of home milk production.
“When we milk, the milk room is spotless,” said Crystal, who mops and vacuums the milk barn daily during milking season. She also brushes and washes Tink before milking her. She milks into a seamless, stainless steel bucket that’s been sterilized. The milk is immediately put in the freezer to keep it cold, and transferred to sterilized glass bottles with rubber lids, to keep from a possibility of rust with metal lids. This is how it’s kept for either use by the family, or trading with friends for other things like farm fresh eggs. Crystal also sells milk to two other families in the area.
“The money we make during the milking season by selling milk pays for the feed for the whole year, including mineral, hay and all-natural grain. Not to mention the money saved by raising all of our own milk and trading for our eggs.”
Crystal leases out a buck each fall for breeding. The goats will be on pasture full-time starting in the spring. The family also wants to invest in a couple of calves this summer to feed out on their extra pasture. Crystal has a garden, as well, where she raises all kinds of vegetables and spices including beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, black beans, lettuce, onions, cantaloupe, water melon, sweet potatoes, white potatoes and every kind of herb and spice she could want for her kitchen. “We try to have enough produce for the entire growing season and then we can or freeze items for the rest of the year. The goal is to be as self-sufficient as possible, year-round.”
