Sooke farmer opens home to share goat births with the community

CHEK

WATCH: A Sooke woman is hoping to promote farming by showing children what farm life is all about. And it’s made all the better with the birth of twin baby goats over the weekend. As Luisa Alvarez tells us, it’s her way of planting the seed of sustainability for future generations.

Kat Barnard lives a simple life on her small-scale farm “Sacred Circle” in Sooke, caring for animals has been her life for over 30 years.

“In the 40 years that I’ve been farming with dairy goats I did the calculations, probably in the area of 100 thousand gallons of milk I’ve milked with these hands,” she said.

Constantly surrounded by animals, needing to care for them and the farm her life isn’t easy but she says she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“The eggs on my plate are produced right here, the milk that I drink was produced right here. There is a deep satisfaction in producing your own food,” Barnard said

But with the world moving more towards technological advances Barnard is afraid of seeing the simple lifestyle fade, a lifestyle she hopes to preserve.

“If we turn our backs on farmers and small-scale farms and family farms and we walk away from it to a world of technology we’ve lost something tremendous,” she added

And to do that she’s taken a modern approach.

Barnard has been using social media, posting in the Facebook group “Sooke Embrace” extending open invites for those in her community to experience the miracles that happen on her farm.

Barnard says it’s about implanting a seed of curiosity that could perhaps steer people towards a life of farming.

“Children are our future and if we give children these experiences and we give children these opportunities to learn then we’ve planted a seed and hopefully it will grow,” said Barnard.

Most recently it was for the birth of baby twin goats where a mother and daughter made it for the birth.

“A little girl twelve and a half years old came to the farm and she told me that shed never actually seen a baby be born but she had watched kittens be born on youtube I told her she was in for a surprise and to watch that little girl face and her moms face as they watched two baby goats come into the world was my reward,” she said

And then last night another  two sets were welcomed into the world.

“They were born at about seven pm last night and I put it on Sooke Embrace and a lady did come by she helped dry them off, I went inside to get my milking gear and when I got back another set were born already. I’m exhausted I’ve been up all night with babies, ” said Barnard.

According to Barnard there’s no better sign of spring than when baby goats are born and with another mama goat due any day there will be other opportunities to witness a birth.

Although, she says everyone who wants to come by and see the baby goats or a birth once she announces its time needs to let her know in advance.

 

Luisa AlvarezLuisa Alvarez

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