It started with a little boy’s prayer…
As a small boy, Billy would pick a “wish flower” and ask for a talking dog. He would blow the dandelion seeds to the wind then sit and wait. After a year or so of wishing for a talking dog, he grew disgruntled and demanded to know why God would not send him a talking dog.
A few years later when he was six years old, he attended a Farm Animals 101 Home Education class in Washington State. The farm family taught the children about llamas, horses, chickens, rabbits, and goats. The goats were his favorite and from that moment on, he was hooked! Every night he would pray that the Lord would bless us with a farm and he would name all the types of animals he wanted on his farm.
That was in 2003, we only had 2 ½ acres and the chances to create a “farm” were not looking favorable for us. I spent hours reading and researching various farming prospects for our modest acreage. Lo and behold, four years later the little boys prayer’s were answered. Daddy got a transfer to South Carolina where we were able to purchase an 18 acre farm outside of Columbia, SC in Richland County.
What to do with the farm became the focus of our family’s attention. Soon we were introduced to Boer Meat Goats. We weighed our choices: a healthy meat alternative, small, easy to handle animals, loving, and adorable ~ it was a perfect fit!
In the summer of 2006, we purchased our first small herd of goats in Sumter, South Carolina. A fast dose of “Goat Medicine 101” was quickly served up! Many valuable lessons were learned during that first purchase, the main one being to always buy from reputable breeders!
A few short months after our initial goat purchase, a family tragedy prompted us to relocate to the Upstate region of South Carolina. We are nestled in the humble county of Oconee, whose borders touch on Georgia, North Carolina, and near Tennessee.
At one time during our journey from Columbia to Westminster, we were “homeless”. Our dogs were kenneled, our goats invaded an extended family member’s farm, and we lived in a hotel room for the better part of six weeks in search of our new home.
We stayed in prayer and the Lord was gracious. He led us to this beautiful little farm nestled in the heart of farm country and surrounded us with many caring and helpful folks.
As of this writing, Billy now has, fifty goats, twenty nine chickens, one donkey and six talking dogs!
We are ninety minutes driving distance to Atlanta, 2 hours from Charlotte and 45 minutes from Spartanburg/Greenville Airport.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths”. Proverbs 3:5-6
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