Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Buffington.
Hi Jen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve actually been an accountant my whole life, just a city girl. I was really stuck in a rut and was looking for a change. I had attended a goat yoga class and thought, this would be a lot more fun than crunching numbers all day. So, with the nod from my husband, we bought a property. A property that had only a house on it. Neither of us have ever had a farm, ranch or livestock, yet we set out to build multiple barns, put up fencing and create pastures. We started attaining our goats, a couple at a time. Some of them arriving before the barns were complete so they lived a few weeks in the lanai. But eventually, little by little, over the past 6 years, we have a successful ranch with goats, miniature mediterranean donkeys, chickens and soon to be, mini highland cow.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Haha! Anything but smooth! Hurricanes for one, flooding for another. We didn’t know how low the property was and it was not disclosed before we purchased. Hurricane Ian was the first time we flooded. All the animals came in the house! Having built the barns ourselves, we didn’t know if they would hold up in a hurricane so we cleared out space and brought all the goats and birds inside. Fortunately, the barns held up! However, we did flood the property (not the house). So until water went down a bit, the livestock stayed inside, just a couple days. The property was still flooded so we had to make ramps for the goats to get from their raised barns to dry land. The next two years we flooded also. So, we cleared out a space again and brought them inside for a couple days. I guess that’s just what our normal is now!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We offer goat yoga, goat snuggling and a gift shop. We also breed our Nigerian Dwarf goats so we can milk them. I produce goat milk soap and sell it in our gift shop. We can’t keep all the babies, of course, so we sell them. We breed for temperament so we have the sweetest, cuddliest, friendliest goats around! You can get on a waiting list for one of our babies, if you want! Many breeders breed for the biggest udder, or best conformation. We do things a little differently. Most of our buyers are looking for pets so we have just what they’re looking for and we mentor them through their journey.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Yes, I have several! The goat world is a very generous community! We are mostly on our own as very few vets work with large animals and even fewer with goats. Through social media groups and other nearby goat owners, I have found friends and mentors that have a wealth of information and are more than happy to mentor and share what works for them.
Pricing:
- $35 for goat yoga
- $20 for goat snuggling
- $20 for goat milk soap
Contact Info:
- Website: http://dimjandy.com/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/dimjandygoatyoga
