California Dreamin’

An Artisanal Goat Cheese producer who loves sprouts

An artisanal goat cheese maker living near Grass Valley California started integrating sprouts for his goats over one year ago. He switched from feeding 7 lbs of high quality alfalfa hay to a diet containing 1lb of alfalfa hay mixed with 5 lbs of wet sprouts. His goats reside on a few acres of dry pasture that provide some additional fiber but little else. He has been pleased to see that his feed bill has roughly halved due to his use of sprouts. The reduced feed bill is what justified the purchase of his sprouting system so seeing the savings materialize was important and meaningful.

When he first purchased the system he was not prepared for all of the positive results that he has seen from feeding sprouts to his goats. First, he reported "we saw milk volumes increase from 20% to 50% higher depending on which part of the lactation cycle his goats are in", with nothing having changed other than the addition of the sprouts to the goat diet. "I have seen a dramatic increase in cheese yield from the milk that my goats are producing" the owner reported. This goat farmer's long term average yield was roughly 1 lb per gallon. This yield would bump up to between 1.25 – 1.5 lbs for a short period of time after the goats freshen. Since feeding sprouts, he is now seeing an average cheese yield of 1.4 – 1.5 lbs of cheese per gallon, and as much as 2 lbs per gallon just after freshening.

The dramatically improved cheese yields, substantially increased milk volumes, and significantly reduced feed bills have improved the farm's bottom line so much that some may wonder if he isn’t just dreaming. Yet, the owner sees these results day in and day out and loves the difference sprouts have made in his life.

The owner adds one more observation. "This year’s kids are absolutely 'huge' compared to any kids that we have seen on our farm". Ask this farm about his sprouts and what they are doing for his goats and his cheese business. Be prepared to get excited!

*Out of respect for the client's privacy, this farmer has asked that his name not be included in this publication.