Our family loves eating tacos and other Mexican food. One of our favorite ways to eat goat meat is in a taco. This recipe was also inspired by a local Mexican restaurant, that occasionally offers goat meat tacos, and works well with a slow cooker, one of my favorite kitchen tools. More recently, I cooked the meat using the slow cook function in my Instant Pot (modifications are listed in the recipe).
 
Goat Barbacoa Tacos
Ingredients
3 lb.  goat roast (contact me to purchase meat)
 
Rub Ingredients
1 tbs smoked paprika
1 ½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt  
¼ tsp black pepper
Optional: ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
 
2 tbs divided butter
1 tbs liquid smoke
1 c goat or beef bone broth
2 large onions quartered
2 tbs adobe sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in sauce
2 chipotle peppers from same can of chipotle peppers in sauce
1 tbs minced garlic, from a jar
1-2 – 6 oz can tomato paste
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
 
Tortillas or taco shells of your choice
Toppings of your choice: chopped avocado, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, lime juice
 
Directions

1. Mix the rub in a small bowl: smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and cloves. For more kick, add cayenne pepper (optional). Rub over all sides of the roast. Keep any leftover rub.
2. Sear roast in pan with 1 tbs butter on all sides. If using an Instant Pot, use the sauté setting. I prefer to use a pan even if I’m using my Instant Pot.
3. Remove roast from Instant Pot, if it was used to sear the meat. Mix the following ingredients in your slow cooker (or Instant Pot): bone broth, onion, peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, liquid smoke and 1 tbs butter.
4. Put roast into slow cooker (or keep in the Instant Pot). For the slow cooker, set to low, for 8-10 hours.  For the Instant Pot, set to slow cook/more setting for 7 hours.
5. The roast is done when it is tender enough to pull the meat apart with two forks. If it is still tough, cook for another hour and check the meat again. Cooking time will vary based on your appliance and roast size.  If you haven’t cooked goat before, know that it often takes longer to cook than other kinds of meat, like beef or chicken. If cooked properly, it’s a delicious meat!
6. Once cooked, pull out the roast to shred on a plate. In the slow cooker (or Instant Pot), add one can of tomato paste and the apple cider vinegar. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth (you can also use a regular blender). If the sauce is too thin, add more tomato paste from the second can until it reaches your desired thickness.
7. Add shredded meat back into sauce and stir. Now it’s ready to eat or keep on warm until meal time.

 
Makes about 6 servings of tacos.

Recipe is inspired by a local Mexican restaurant, DJ's, and some of the cooking concepts are also loosely based of Barbacoa-Style Beef in the Instant Pot Miracle cookbook.

Some days on the farm it feels like I’m winning and other days not so much. This one is a win.

Earlier this month I found this wether, whom I call Kevin (all goats that look like this one are called Kevin on our farm BTW), with his front two legs caught in the crotch of a tree. After I pulled him out I realized his legs were sprained, swollen and he was too sore to walk on his own. He also was too big for me to carry out with 50-60 of his closest friends at my feet. So I pulled him out on a sled and set him up in a recovery pen in the barn and gave him some TLC. Slowly he’s been regaining strength in his legs and using them. In the last week he's been gingerly using his front legs instead of moving around on his knees, 

Today I moved him to our group pen in another barn with a handful of our goats that aren't on pasture. Right away he was busy "facing off" with another wether trying to establish his place in the pecking order in that group of goats. That's another good sign.  While he has lost a lot of conditioning, but I’m grateful he’s progressed as he has.

In June a quick, yet proving to be damaging, storm ⛈ went through. Since then we’ve been having electrical issues on the farm: stray voltage around the barns, metal in the barn carrying an electric current, issues with our electric fence, blown surge protector on fencing system, and even a goat that was either struck by lightening or grounded out a lightening strike by sheer bad luck of circumstances.

The other night we had our electrician out to troubleshoot and he was able to find the source of the issue: the wiring to the auto feeder was likely damaged during that early summer storm and was the cause of our issues. Luckily we aren’t using the auto feeder this time of year so he turned off the breaker and will return to make the fix.

This morning I’m working away at the kitchen counter while I have a sick kiddo home from pre-school. This is day two that he’s home, during my usually three-day work week. I’ll note that as a farmer, I’m truly never off duty, I still have to chores, check livestock and carve out time here and there for other projects outside of my Monday-Wednesday “8 to 5” work week. Don’t get me wrong. I am very glad I have the flexibility to take time off to be here for my kids when they aren’t feeling well. And, I do want to be here for him. But, that means I also had to cancel an onsite meeting I had with a meat processor and will likely sort of get to the rest of my tasks today (working on business marketing, a community outreach project, and of course the day-to-day work of the farm). That’s ok. It’s part of being a parent. But, if I’m really being honest as a one-woman shop, I admit it’s a little disheartening to feel like I’m losing traction on getting things done and moving the needle on my farm business.

Aside from my parent duties today (and, of course every day), part of the reason we’ve chosen to have daycare for our kids, is so I have designated time to focus on my business. It’s for a variety of motives: being present with my work and with my family, being safe around the farm, effective use of time in the office and on the farm, balance (or attempt!) between work and family time, and (also, an attempt) to prevent burn out in work and, even in our marriage. I know others who make it work and kudos to them!  This is what fits for our family and farm. [Side note: Did you know that Bert on Sesame Street was just reading “50 Shades of Oatmeal” before he got interrupted by Ernie to make a movie? Ha ha. Got to love PBS Kids ]

I’ve written and talked about this balance of being a parent and farming before. And as others may also know, one of my favorite “hobbies” is to listen to podcasts for both fun and professional development. This morning seemed to be a nice fit for sharing several “good listens” in the world of podcasts as it relates to women in agriculture and leadership.  Note these link to Apple podcasts since that's where I listen, but you should be able to find them on other podcast platforms.

• Women Rule POLITICO: Where are all the female farmers?
• NPR Hidden Brain: Men 45, Women 0
• Female Farmer Project: Childcare: Motherhood and farming
• Sharpen: The podcast for young professionals: A seat at the table with Lindsay Calvert

Do you know of other relevant podcasts? I’d love to hear your recommendations! I know have a few more Female Farmer Project and Sharpen podcasts on related to this topic on my "listen list."

Nearly a week ago we hosted a pasture walk on our farm to share our grazing practices and how we raise our goats on pasture with fellow graziers and goat farmers. Thank you to River Country Graziers (including Kevin Mahalko for leading the discussion), Wisconsin Farmers Union and the Indianhead Sheep and Goat Breeders Association for coordinating the event. And, thank you to my State Senator Patty Schachtner and Representative Rob Stafsholt for attending as well.

As a grazier with four or so years of experience, I was able to share how we’ve gradually renovated our pastures, set up our fencing and water system, practice rotational grazing, and manage our goat herds in a pasture-based system.  I’ve always enjoyed attending pasture walks to see how other farmers are grazing and managing their livestock. It was humbling as a newer grazier to be at a point where I could start to share what we’re doing on our farm with others. Personally, I also appreciated the discussion and tips other graziers offered during the walk as well.  I was able to take a way a few ideas regarding some of my current “challenges” as it relates to conductivity, grounding and hotness of the electric fencing and rotation timing.

I’m looking forward to taking in a few other pasture walks this summer, including others that are local and of course, other small ruminant graziers.

Thank you to Danielle Endvick, communications director for Wisconsin Farmers Union, for taking and sharing the photos of our pasture walk.

Last week this time I was halfway home from a three-day road trip with a long-time friend from college. While we went by several large cities (Madison, Chicago and Indianapolis) and took in regional chain restaurant cuisine like Steak & Shake, Chick-fal-a and Cracker Barrel, it wasn’t the typical road trip. We drove to southern Indiana, just north of Louisville, to pick up two new breeding bucks for the farm.   

Why did I drive 600+ miles just for new goats? I’ve been growing my herd of Boer-Kiko cross meat goats and am wanting to continue to build the herd’s genetics for thriving on a pasture/brush/forage-based diet.  While meat goats are growing in popularity in Wisconsin, there are not as many herds that raised predominantly on pasture, nor are there many Kiko herds. The bucks, from McGuire Family Farms, have a lot of potential for continuing to growing our herd in the direction that I’ve been taking it: raising hearty meat goats on pasture. These bucks’ background includes coming from a herd that is

• Raised in a similar environment to our herd using rotational grazing practices with a forage-based diet
• Very hearty: No deworming needed, thriving on forage-based diet, strong rate-of-gain for kids
• Hands-off with kidding and does possess strong mothering abilities
• From Kiko genetics, which typically carries the above characteristics
• Has genetic lines with sires that received high rankings in the University of Maryland’s pasture-based meat goat performance test and a similar test in Oklahoma
  

In comparison, these two new bucks are larger than our current crop of kids, born roughly about the same time. I’m looking forward to seeing how my herd will continue to grow with these new genetics.  I’ll plan to use these new bucklings to breed our yearling does that were born last spring.
With the addition of these bucks we will be retiring several of our current breeding bucks, both Boer and Boer-Kiko cross. If you might be interested in these bucks please contact me at cylonrollingacres@gmail.com.

Lastly, I also want to thank Anna, Jr and Joan McGuire for their hospitality for also taking the time to show us around their farm, pastures and sharing their rotational grazing and goat management practices. You can learn more about their farm by visiting their website and following them on Facebook.

For our area farm friends/colleagues: We will be hosting a twilight pasture walk, Tuesday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. Come learn how we use rotational grazing practices with our meat goats. The pasture walk is jointly hosted with the River Country RC&D, St. Croix County Farmers Union / Wisconsin Farmers Union, and Indianhead Sheep and Goat Breeders Association.

Please RSVP to at wisconsinfarmersunion.com/events or to Mary C. Anderson at 715-579-2206.

Come along for a quick pasture check. Throughout the summer I do pasture checks at least 2x a day on our three herds of goats. I'm checking for animal health (does everyone look ok), water tanks, mineral feeders and the plant height and trample in the paddock to know when to move the goats on to a new paddock.

Now that we’re into our second week of rotational grazing, I’ve take the time to get the Gator, my “grazing-mobile,” prepped for the season. 

We rotate animals to new paddocks every 3-4 days. I like to have my go-to-supplies on hand so I’m not constantly running back to the barn or the shop for things, and then back again.

So, here’s what’s usually in my office-on-wheels:

• work gloves
• goat mineral (in the plastic dog food container)
• sodium bicarbonate (in the plastic dog food container)
• dog food (in the plastic dog food container)
• fence tester
• disposable gloves
• livestock marking paint
• hammer
  
• permanent marker
• duct tape
• wrenches
• fence connectors and repair connectors
• tow strap
• chlorine tabs
• dog brush
• nail clippers
• tape measure
• hay/twine cutter
• utility knife
• crowbar
• bug spray
• small bucket & scoop
• electric tape
• dog treats
• tin snips
• halter
• pen
• basic vet meds/supplies
• sunscreen
• not shown: crook (usually 2), Kleenex, water bottle, hat, Gallagher Smart Fences

This season I also spray painted some of the harder to find in the grass items blaze orange in the event I misplace something.  I should be ready for just about anything when it comes to fence repair, waterline repair and working with my goats and guardian dogs.

To others in Wisconsin, Northwestern Wisconsin may seem like it’s home to a scattering of rural communities in farm country. But, for St. Croix County, were we live, that could be farther from the truth. Neighboring the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, St. Croix County’s population is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. According to the Department of Administration, the county is protected to grow 41 percent to 119,010 by 2040, making it fourth to first place Dane, followed by Brown and Kenosha Counties, which are home to the Madison, Green Bay and Milwaukee metro areas, respectively (New Richmond News, 2014).  

Increase in population in our area translates to sprawling communities of Hudson, New Richmond and River Falls, as well as increase in the number of people moving to the country on their own little piece of acreage. While this growth is good for the local economy, it also contributes to fewer of our residents having connections or understanding of agriculture and rural life. This divide presents both opportunities and challenges when it comes to working with our local decision makers, neighbors and fellow community members who live in our county’s larger communities.  

This trend is part of the reason I attended the Wisconsin Farm Bureau IGNITE Conference, which focused on Policy, Issues, Advocacy, Governance and Organization, Building Farm Bureau and Communicating for Agriculture and Farm Bureau.  This conference offered an opportunity to draw on resources and information, so I can continue to advocate for agriculture as a farmer, community leader and through Farm Bureau in my county. It's up to us in agriculture and rural communities to have conversations, do outreach efforts and tell our own farming story right in our own community.

In addition to hearing from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Sheila Hardsorf, I also attended sessions on agricultural education and outreach programs, political trends impacting the fall state and national elections, tips for working with local media and strategies to work with local issues in our communities.

Here’s an article from The Country Today, which highlights the conference, including a few of my own comments: Read the article here.