Trillium Hill Farm, llc

Two weeks ago James and I embarked on a big winter construction project at the farm. With a great deal of help from my father we framed the floor and walls for a new parlor and milkhouse for the goat dairy. The lumber came from the woods I grew up in, back in Lyndonville, which my father cut and milled.

It is exciting to embark on this project that we had envisioned starting over three years ago. I am slowly learning about how things take time. I like that James and I move slowly- we think and think and rethink and while we’re never 100% sure that something is exactly right, we’re glad we spent some time with it. With most things on the farm we don’t want to be in a rush or jump into things if we can avoid it. And we want to stay as small as possible if we can manage it. I am often tempted to grow bigger- buy more goats or till more land or add another enterprise- then I sit back and ask myself  “can the land support that?,” “can we take on that extra load,” or “is that really what I want to be spending my time doing?” We feel lucky to have support from our family and neighbors to be able to ask those questions and not just jump into something because the numbers tell us to.

By the spring, and essentially by the time the goats freshen, we hope to have the rooms up and running. We will be milking seven goats this year so it will be nice to have the space to expand into. Before then, however, we’ve got floor drains, windows, walls, plumbing and electricity work to do.  Wish us luck!