Every student studying Environmental Science and Environmental Justice and Sustainability at Bellarmine is required as a part of their degree program to complete an internship for credit. These internships can vary quite a bit in the environmental field, from working in a corporate sustainability office to working in a national park. Abigail Gnann, an Honors sophomore majoring in Environmental Science, shares her immersive organic farming experience on a dairy goat farm in Vermont in summer 2024.
By Abigail Gnann
This past summer, I was part of a work exchange through Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). I have been interested in the organization for years due to the community it provides for people interested in organic farming of various types.
I worked at a goat dairy in Barnard, Vermont, called Villa Villekulla Farm. The operation consisted of around 50 goats and the farm sold a product called skyr, a thick yogurt that is made from goat milk. Though it does not sound extremely complicated, I soon learned that there were so many details that went into creating a product, especially on a small scale.
My main responsibility on the farm was tending to the kids (baby goats, not humans). On a dairy farm, it is common to separate the mothers and babies after birth so that the farmer can control the amount of milk that is being given to the babies and that is being used for production. Therefore, the kids had to be bottle-fed three times per day and checked on to make sure everything was running smoothly. There were two births while I was working on the farm, and monitoring the newborns was important to make sure they stayed healthy.
I also helped with chores in the main barn. This is where all the milking goats lived. Mucking the barn, putting out hay and feeding the goats different supplements were all part of my daily tasks. Although slightly intimidating at first, I learned to love spending time with the older goats in the main barn. There were about 40 of them, and they all had such unique personalities. It was interesting to see how each one of them played a key role in the operation of the farm.
Even though chores were a large part of my time on the farm, I was able to learn a lot about food production and business ethics during my time there. The entire farm is run by one woman named Lauren, and I quickly became impressed with how proud she is of her product. She milks 30 goats each day while she talks to them and ensures they are comfortable. I learned how much she respects animals, and how she values their quality of life over making a huge profit. Her business is small, but Lauren feels confident in the skyr that she produces because it is made in an ethical and sustainable way.
This work exchange program exceeded any expectations that I had. I have become more passionate about sustainability and agriculture and have so much more respect for farmers now. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be so involved in such a hands-on experience and look forward to doing something similar again in the future!