One baby goat chews the bottom of her black tank top from behind. Another moves in front of her, his feet up on a the pen’s railing and puts his face near hers for added attention, which he receives.
The barn is full of hungry, playful 2-month old goats all different colors. Another barn, just steps away, is home to the older milking goats and a friendly donkey.
On the other side of the house, a new endeavor – cows. Several dogs of all sizes and types run freely around the yard and farm area following the humans and animals.
A few years ago, these scenes would have appeared unlikely for Lori Thompson. Living in the Rancho Viejo area, she and her husband worked in the health care industry.
Now, they live in Bayview on a 5-acre working farm with a vegetable garden, cows, chickens, pigs, goats and of course some dogs. They have goat milk and make goat cheese, soaps and lotions that are reaching the shelves of grocery stores and are sold at farmer’s markets and boutiques all across the state of Texas.
It all started with a simple desire for her family – to live a more healthy lifestyle.
“My daughter as an infant had difficulty digesting formulas, so we had a hard time after I stopped breastfeeding to find the right formula,” Lori says about her now 8-year-old daughter Taylor Rose.
“She would spit up and we kind of narrowed it down to the formula. When she turned one, we decided to go the goat milk route.”
After reading about the benefits of goat milk and going to a local farmer to try it out, they were sold on the idea. That was in 2010.
“We moved out to a farm to raise animals and have a garden to grow our own food,” Lori says.
