About The Farm

Wayside Acres Dairy Goat "Tail"

Farm circa 1975

We officially established our farm in 1975. At that time, we only raised sheep and cattle. We did not have goats at the time because my husband never really liked them. 

Fast forward to 1978, when friends of my husband decided to stop in and asked if he had any beer. Fresh out, he went down to the local drinking establishment to get a 6-pack. A gentleman walked in and asked if anyone wanted a goat…my husband replied, “how much?” The gentleman looked over and said, “That 6-pack of beer.” 

An hour later, my husband came up the lane with a goat in a doghouse on the bed of the truck. That goat earned the name “6-Pack”.

Farm circa 1985

From that point on, everyone in the area who knew we had a goat started giving us their goats—realizing that goats could be quite smart at escaping fences and pens. There began the foundation of Wayside Acres Goat Farm and so began our goat journey.

These “Heinz 57” or “mutt” goats were primarily used for brush control; eating down years of multi-flower rose, poison ivy, sumac, and other tasty brush growth. As they cleared the brush, we continued to expand the fences to clear more and more pasture.

For the next 10-12 years, the goats were on the farm to keep the brush and brambles at bay. But by the early 1990s, we decided to take goat herds-(wo)manship seriously. We began to bottle feed the babies instead of leaving them on their mothers; we also began registering our grade goats and breeding them to eventually have pure breds. 

Goats Grazing

Through the 1990s, we continued to improve our herd of Nubians, with the addition of Alpines by the mid-1990s. In 1996, we began to sell doe’s and export goats.

In the last decade, we have seen one of our Alpine kids and Nubian aged doe win first place at the 2004 ADGA National Show. One of the most important events at Wayside Acres was the construction of our modern technology milk parlor. We built our freestanding parlor to increase production and efficiency.

Milk Parlor Built 2006

Additionally, we strive to continually improve our Nubians and Alpines…and my daughter’s newest endeavor, LaManchas. My daughter and fellow goat friends suggested bringing some Saanens and since then we have started an excellent herd of Saanens.