There is nothing to prepare you for a move like this. It’s probably the biggest project I think I’ve ever undertaken,” said Dave Brummet, describing his family’s move from Springfield, Mo., to rural Douglas County.
“We’ve lived here two years and owned it for a year,” Dave’s wife, Ashley, added. “This place was homesteaded by my great-great-great grandfather in 1883. That makes me the fifth generation on the farm. We are in the process of doing the paperwork to become a Century Farm. My grandpa, Herman Hall, kept the farm, but didn’t live here. He always had cows and kept a bed in the house since he sometimes stayed here during calving season. He still owns 100 acres attached to ours. ”
“When Ashley’s grandpa found out we were looking for a small country farm, he suggested we look at his. The first time we came down to stay overnight, we weren’t sure whether it would be better to sleep in the house or outside,” Dave said. Somewhat to their surprise, “Within a month we were living here. We had a brand-new house in Springfield that we put on the market, expecting it would take a while to sell. It sold in five days and we had to be out in three weeks. It’s like we’ve been camping ever since.”
Dave and Ashley decided the first order of business on the farm would be to purchase animals. “We had goats on the place in two months,” Ashley said. “We said the first part when we moved in would be to concentrate on animals. This summer we’re going to actually fix up the house. We came in and just started buying goats and cows.”
“We chose to run goats because it was something smaller for me to be able to handle. We were reading about the meat goat industry and the future of the meat goat industry. We thought it sounded like a good idea,” said Ashley.
Dave explained, “We think the cattle and goats will be a good balance. They should complement each other, especially in parasite control.”
Although they had 150 nannies during the winter, the Brummets have culled their herd to a more manageable number. “About a month ago we went through and decided to keep our top 20 percent,” said Ashley. “Everything else was sold because we were just having feet and worm problems. Our goal is to become a sustainable farm. By keeping our top 20 to 25 percent, running 150 goats could be more manageable.”
Dave added, “If you’re trying to raise commercial goats, you can’t be out worming the whole herd every 60 days."
Dave and Ashley are members of the Southwest Missouri Meat Goat Producers Association, which has been a help to them in beginning their operation. “The prerequisite for raising goats is to find a good goat mentor,” said Dave. “We have very good neighbors who have helped us a lot.
Dave also gives a lot of credit to family members. “I have a brother in Warrensburg, Mo., who comes down occasionally and helps out. My son helps out." But the couple’s biggest source of help has been the man who sold them the farm. Dave concluded, “We wouldn’t have had a prayer without the help of her grandpa. He has had lots of patience with us.”
