Student run vegetable garden on campus? Yes please.

Educational garden could come to University campus - News

How is this not a good idea? I know I'd be down to volunteer some grunt work and/or architectural drawings.

They're doing it right up at Yale, which should say something for it's credibility. Come on, Mike. You already goofed UGA's World Cup bid. Don't blow this one, too.

Backyard

This is a snapshot looking down from the top deck across the middle of the yard. Not Nat'l Geographic quality, I'm aware, but it'll have to work until Santa brings me a new camera. (Mom, I know you're out there.)

"Lotta ins. Lotta outs. Lotta what-have-yous."

Between the front page floods and project deadlines, not a whole lot was accomplished since the last post. I did, however, get a chance to talk to both neighbors. Here's the skinny:

I had spoken with Duncan the same day I met with Miss Charlie. Conditions weren't ideal. I was on the street with Duncan in his yard, separated by a wall of camellias. He seemed a little taken aback by our idea of housing three goats out back. He and his wife are avid gardeners, so I could tell it didn't take long for the image of goats munching on their annual flower beds to cross his mind. As predicted, his main concern was the goats using the creek channel/ditch as a passageway into his backyard.

He scoffed at the idea of installing fencing across the creek. Inevitably, debris would collect upstream and create a mess. He questioned the proposition's legality, as well. I'll admit to some truth stretching, but it didn't seem to improve his outlook. I left a little discouraged with only a "Well, we'll think about it."

Yesterday, I tried again with fresh vegetables as my ammunition. Dora answered the door this time. Unfortunately, I had interrupted supper, but she hung around the doorstep long enough to give some good news. The homegrown peppers couldn't have hurt our cause, but she said that they had decided the idea had some merit, and were excited to see the project along. In fact, Dora was a goat owner herself back in her day. So, she could turn out to be a valuable resource right next door.

The other neighbor, a Brazilian woman who's name I cannot pronounce or remember, is a professor at the veterinary college on campus. As any good animal lover would, she gave us the green light on the proposition. As is the case on the other side, this neighbor could be a good contact if anything ever goes wrong.

So, with a previous goat owner on one side and a veterinarian on the other, it's looking like we'd really have put a conscious effort into failing for this project to not succeed. Tonight's game plan is to construct some sort of shelter. Today's LAND3530 doodles and daydreams all point toward a three-sided structure of only cinder blocks and "Free Palestine" signs. But we'll see what happens.

"Ah. Nice marmot."

I met Miss Charlie this afternoon on her farm a few miles south of Watkinsville, GA. She's got a beautiful piece of property with hardwood creek bottoms, plenty of pasture, and a nice, homey house. The goat herd was up under the barn with the two coolest guard dogs you could ask for. Apparently, Great Pyrenees have an instinctual trait that makes them protective of "their" goats. Charlie vouched for them, saying that if I were to cause any kid to bleat or cry for help, those dogs would be at my side in seconds, ready to get physical. And I believe it. At waist high, those beasts could get up and throw 'bows in a heartbeat.

After being introduced to the herd, Charlie spied three young males that fit the bill perfectly. Born in April, these three dudes weighed about 35 pounds a piece, and would put on another 30 before the end of the year. Their size - a little above knee high - is ideal for our existing fence situation. After all, having three hungry goats can only mean less weeds.

Just like every other goat farmer I've come in contact with, Charlie was very generous and informative. I got brief tutorials on catching and worming goats, veterinary troubleshooting, and feed requirements. Nothing too complicated, from what I can tell. She was even nice enough to offer some spare equipment to help get my career as a goat farmer off the ground.

So, everything's peachy on the goat front. As of right now, we have the following:

• 3 goats ready for pickup on Tuesday
• Materials to build a shelter
• A great resource in Charlie
• A yard full of food

Yet, there a more than a few things we lack:

• A goat proof enclosure
• A shelter
• Neighbors' consent

I lied about the pictures. It rained the entire duration of my visit, so the camera stayed dry in the Jeep. They'll be up soon.

"That had not occurred to us, Dude."

A recent phone call to Miss Charlie, my newest Craigslist contact, has thrown some thought provoking factors into the mix. A goat farmer for 30 years, Charlie is an expert on all things goat. Turns out she's also a huge fan of goat meat. The first 25 minutes of the conversation was typical goat talk (grass, worms, water, etc), then she whipped out the possibility of raising goats for consumption. It got graphic quickly - killing, skinning, processing. And I was all ears.

So, I'm scheduled to meet with Miss Charlie tomorrow to examine her herd and further explore the possibility of raising goats for meat purposes. I'll be sure to take pictures to share.

Why eat the poor things?

Well, why not? It's certainly not a new idea. People have been chewing on goat meat for thousands of years. If Moses and his Old Testament buds were drinking wine around a goat spit, there's no reason why we can't too. Do a quick google search. Globally, goat meat is still one of the most popular meats eaten. Point is, it ain't that far fetched to be thinking about eating a goat.

Also, since the beginning, I've had in the back of my head the nagging concern of how this whole thing would end. There are Christmas, Spring, and Summer Breaks to take into consideration. Until now, I assumed I'd procrastinate as long as possible then cross that bridge when it was absolutely necessary. Obviously, that game plan's not going to win any awards. This will allow for a predictable timeline on the entire project.

There is also the argument that if I'm really interested in the idea of incorporating goats into the landscape, I should have this experience under my belt. I'd love to someday work goats into my designs of larger sites. And to be able to do that would require some knowledge of the subject. This route would definitely be valuable down the road.

Not to get too off topic, but eating these goats will be the first time my friends and I will be so connected with the food we eat. I'm afraid if I put on my locavore hat, I won't be able to stop typing, but it needs to be said that the average piece of food on your plate tonight will have travelled somewhere around 1500 miles to get there. You have no idea where the potato in your fry was grown, and you'll never shake the hand of the farmer that raised the chicken in your sandwich. It's frightening just how disconnected we are from the food we eat. This experience should be eye-opening.

"It's like Lenin said..."

Today's plans to begin repairing the existing fence had to be postponed. Instead, we used extra wood to construct a makeshift ark in anticipation of the remainder of this Biblical rain storm.

While I'm trapped indoors, I might as well give you the low down on the backyard:

• Creek: The backyard is split into two sections by a small creek. The water level rarely exceeds ankle-deep; however, it's probably kayakable as I write. The stream bed this trickle runs down has severely eroded banks - probably from rainstorms like today's.
• Bridge: The 8-foot chasm is traversable by means of two bridges, one on either side of the yard. The goats will be free to roam around both banks, as both sides have plenty of weeds in need of munching. Because one bridge is accessible from the porch, it's likely that one bridge will be reserved for Homo sapiens, and the other for Capra hircus.
• Garden: The Little Garden That Could is still holding on by a thread in a small patch along the creek. There's a few scraggly tomatoes and half a dozen or so pepper plants left, so the goats will have to be kept separate.
• Materials: Between several personal collections and a ecelectic trove of abandoned materials under the deck, we have the following available to us for construction and maintenance purposes:

1. Hammer and nails
2. Rusty old saw
3. Duct tape
4. Pile of 4" x 8' lumber rescued from a friend's fraternity dumpster
5. (18) cinder blocks from last year's pig roasting pit
6. Shovel and rake
7. Unknown amount of pre-loved chicken wire fencing
8. (3) 4' x 8' sections of recyclable plywood signage used in one of Nate's Free Palestine rallies
9. Several old 1- and 2-gallon plastic plant buckets

• Budget: Ideally, other than the initial cost of the goats, this entire adventure won't require any additional funding. If it does, expect "Goat Money" to show up on my Christmas wish list. We should be able to get by, though, until birthday and holiday cash starts rolling in. Having said that, there will probably be plenty of unpredictable expenditures. Having said that, it's important to stress my frugality. I'm not above liberating materials from UGA construction sites. Besides, their 2-6 am concrete pouring schedules are entirely incompatible with my sleep routine. And you could classify this as personal revenge for President Adam's decision to decline Athens' bid for hosting a 2018 World Cup match. Really, Mike? That's a no brainer, dude.

The weatherman's predicting rain everyday for the foreseeable future, so getting this thing off the ground is proving harder than I thought. I want to see a goat already.

"Look at our current situation..."

We light the grill for the 2nd annual Cochon de Lait in less than 3 weeks. A small army of friends and family are expected to descend upon the Dougie House to enjoy 200 lbs of Cajun-cooked swine and watch the 'Dawgs lay the wood to LSU. This Pig Roast has been the topic of conversation for a solid 11 months now, so it's safe to say expectations for this 48 hour affair are high.

Problem: The backyard resembles a small national forest. Poison ivy, privet, honeysuckle, English ivy. You name it, it's probably back there. And in large quantities. Altogether, it looks uninviting, overgrown, and probably unsafe. Like a scene out of a John Rambo movie. It's a big back yard. And the residents aren't chomping at the bit to get back there with machetes and Roundup. So what's a poor college student to do?

Answer: Slash and burn agriculture? -Nah, probably frowned upon.

Napalm? - Nope. Fresh out.

Two female Nubian goats? - Yahtzee.

Over the next few weeks, for both a quasi-academic study and personal enjoyment, I'll be documenting our experiences with these two goats. In case there's more of you out there wondering if goats are the solution to all your problems, I'll to try to be as descriptive and informative as possible without turning this blog into a dry, online textbook. Among other unpredictable observations, look for the following themes to come up in my postings in the immediate future:

• Fencing
• Shelter
• Enough food occurring naturally?

(And what's all this hype about goats eating anything? They'll be in pretty close contact with drunk college kids, so we should have some interesting reports by the end of the semester.)

• Water
• Naming the goats

(Any ideas? The more controversial the better.)

• Noisy?
• Skittish vs. friendly
• Amusement factor
• Will the neighbors care?
• How cheap can I get a goat?
• How long till the excitement wears off and we realize we're stuck with 2 female goats?

As of right now, we're at square one. All we've got is a Craigslist contact, a lot of weeds, and an existing fence in need of repair. There is, however, some old bundles of fencing under the deck. So, by this time tomorrow, the goal is a functioning, goat-proof enclosure.