Yes, quelle pastoral, but what's missing is Kessler's actual source of income. He alludes in the end that he's not living on whatever income his goats provide.

Let's chuck it all for 75 wooded acres and an antique farmhouse, milk those goats in between trips to Europe. Would pontificate further, but I have to get some sleep... got to go to WORK tomorrow.

Every goat I've ever met at my occasional visits to farm animal sanctuaries has been an interesting and agreeable individual. Even though I rarely spend time with them, I've noticed that goats are very good at signaling if they want to be approached or, if after a long day of having visitors, they want to be left alone. It's amazing that they can engage in body language that I, as a goat novice, understood immediately.

I wish Mr. Tullis and Mr. Kessler had answered the question of whether Mr. Kessler provides a lifelong home to all the goats birthed and raised on his farm, or whether he condemns any of them to an early and brutal death in the slaughterhouse.

Right now the wife and I care for a crowd of cats in our house, but if we ever move to a place with more land, I would gladly adopt a few goats who need a home. At that point, I would get to find out firsthand whether or not they really eat cans.

Husband and I just spent the afternoon waxing poetic about starting a farm with goats and chickens after wandering about a farm here in Mass. Although it doesn't take much to get me fantasizing about chucking it all and becoming a cheese monger. I just pretend we don't have mountains of school loans and a mortgage and responsibility.

Also definitely a goat person. We spent last October traveling around Ethiopia and had more than our fair share of interactions with the little animal. In the cities, in the countryside, everywhere- they are ubiquitous. It doesn't hurt that their milk makes damn fine cheese.

Farm animals are too much work.

I’m sure there are some goat farmers who give lifelong homes to their goats but I think they’re more the exception than the rule – and they tend to be people who look on the goats as pets. They also tend to be the people who accumulate all sorts of animals, which is a whole ‘nother subject.

I can’t speak for Mr. Kessler, but this is how we manage our herd, and it’s fairly typical of the farmers we know:

We have a half dozen female dairy goats (does) that we milk to provide us with raw milk, cream, butter and homemade chevre. We also have two males (bucks) whose sole purpose is to breed in the fall for the next cycle of kidding and milking.

This is the optimal size herd for us since we only produce for our own consumption. Regardless whether any of the current production goats are replaced by younger goats, we will maintain the herd at the same size and the same ratio of bucks to does. After kidding next spring, we will have anywhere from six to twelve kids. Some will be sold to other goat farmers or to people who want them as pets or as therapy animals.

We slaughter any surplus kids and retired bucks and does in the fall. The meat will go into our freezer, to be used in curry or stew. Bones will be used for bone stock. We have a neighbor who will tan the hides for us. Anything else left over will be fed to the chickens.

My partner and I have a small farm in Oregon where we keep seven goats as pets. Since long we have discovered that goats are delightful and very smart companions and we are very happy to be able to provide a good home for them.

We love and tend to their needs the same way we do it for our cats and dogs. We have built a huge barn for them so they have enough space to run around under a roof when it rains since they absolutely hate water on their skins. We put a few oversized boulders in their yard so they can play king of the mountain which they happily do every day. They have trees to munch on and a couple of big stalls to sleep in. Keeping the stalls clean is a job but we manage with outside help. Our vet makes house calls when they are sick and when it's time to cut nails. We have lost some over the years but we replace them and no, we do not slaughter them, we mourn them when they die and we remember them fondly.

My partner sees after the farm full time but I divide my time between Oregon and my business in South America where I am at the moment, reading this article and feeling a little homesick for my partner, the farm, the cats and dogs and Salt, Pepper, Cinnamon, Sage, Juniper, Jasper and Buffy, our beautiful Pygmy goats.

Finding a fence that will keep Mickey Kaus out.

Attention all potential city refugees: Bring money. Lots of money. Spend it here in Vermont. Save some of our farms, country stores, and tiny schools. Yes, you'll get tired of 30-below winters, but with any luck you'll have done something good by the time you get sick of it all and leave for more comfortable surroundings.

And Brad? Sell the real Vermont farmers' cheese to those tony restaurants. Please?

... to get in a reference to Aberforth Dumbledore.

While I have, over time, come to admire and respect your posts, your quite snarky view of non-vegetarians is offputting. You demonstrate all the signs of 'true believer' with both the positive and negative aspects of such a view. Humans are omnivores. You may choose to be an herbivore, but it is not intrinsically superior or more noble than other choices.

Also, you seem to believe that all animal products are produced in horrible factory farms. While much of it is, not all of it is. I eat meat only from farms and ranches that are all organic, do not use grain for feed and where I can visit and see the entire operation including the slaughtering. These places are not factory farms.

Finally, being a vegetarian is almost impossible if one is deathly allergic to beans as I am. 20 years ago, at the urging of my wife, I became a vegetarian. All I got was sick - to the point where my doctor, a vegan, ordered me to begin eating modest amounts of meat again. I got healthy again and remain so today.

You might want to revisit your approach.