About Mathom dairy goat farm

About Us

A History of Mathom Farm

"The Mathom-House it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a mathom. Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort." --The Fellowship of the Ring, "Concerning Hobbits"

Mathom Farm was first registered as a business in Chittering Valley Western Australia in 1992. The business began as a mixed farm running beef cattle, poultry, and later citrus making extensive use of leased land. Whilst travelling around Tasmania for a month in 2000 we fell in love with a house and cow dairy on river flats in Gunns Plains. Mathom Farm Tasmania commenced business using the 86 acres [34 hectares] to grow and trade cattle. After teaching teenagers for 25 and 27 years we decided to sell up in WA and farm only in Tasmania. Call it madness, mid life crisis, the love of Tasmania or just the need for a career change but in 2002 we purchased a second farm in Tasmania, an established goat dairy, situated on the neighbouring property. This consists of a house, a modern goat dairy and stock with 10 hectares of rain forest on 75 acres [30 hectares]. Both properties are well developed, the first having generally good pasture, and a second having excellent pasture with an exemplary fertilizer history. Both properties have water licenses to irrigate from the Leven River.

So with very limited knowledge of dairy goats and at a time when most couples are waiting out their years to pick up their superannuation, we took the plunge and cut ties with our successful WA teaching careers.

There are times when we argue the difference between handling goats and handling recalcitrant teenagers. We do agree that the skills acquired in the classroom can also be applied in the dairy! Do we have any regrets? You be the judge after you have visited and read the remaining pages of our website.

The 2007/2008 Season

UPDATED

01/06/08

Kidding began on the 4th of August 2007 and our aim was to milk 330 goats in the 2007 2008 season. In 2004 2005 we milked 467 up to late March, when drought conditions and diminishing silage stocks forced us to dry off 140 of the 467 milkers. In the 2006 2007 season we milked 340 does and because of a maturing herd easily reached our production target.

Late summer and autumn were again very dry and we were heavily reliant on our 50 acres of irrigated pasture. Drought had a very adverse effect on all aspects of farm management as it increased cost for pellets, silage and hay, and of course electricity for irrigation. We applied extra fertilizer and began irrigating in October 2007 in order to ensure a viable silage harvest and resumed after it was baled. Because of this the harvest was very good and will meet our needs for the coming season. The cost of pellets has been a heavy drain on our budget as has the increased cost of electricity and diesel fuel. During the winter of 2007 silage was virtually unobtainable unless we were prepared to pay exorbitant prices.

The herd was reduced in size during the winter as many of the "old Girls" reached the end of their lives and goats 10 and 11 years old and had served us well didn't survive some of the hard frosts that occurred in June and July. We also culled a number of the herd to cut down on feed costs and to allow better nutrition for those who would form the 2007 2008 milking herd.

Our breed plan for kidding in 2007 was so that registered, pedigree Saanen bucks were mated with our top 225 Saanen milk producers. In autumn 2007 we had a total goat population of close to 520, comprised of a milking herd of 340, replacement does (40) and a meat herd of 140. Our registered Saanen bucks "Mountavon Velour" and "Melyndy Okada" have run with this herd and "Zeore Darian" whose mother was an Australian Saanen milking champion, has proved to be a useful sire. To ensure that export quality Saanen kids were produced first we put our pedigree bucks in with the remaining milkers on the 1st of March 2007.

In December 2003 we purchased two registered Boer bucks. Our aim was to test the local restaurant market with the production of Capretto (the goat equivalent of veal). We planned to have 100 of our dairy does mated to the Boers in March 2003, however because of the shortness of time, a dry autumn and the lack of available pasture through the irrigation main not being installed, this did not happen until 2005. So this season, on April 1st 2007, the Boer bucks were put in with the 140 dry does with the intention of producing kids for Capretto. This has proven to be an outstanding success! Our Capretto has been very well received by some of the best restaurants and resorts in Tasmania as the Boer/dairy cross has the muscle bulk of the Boer and the fine-textured meat of the diary breeds. Dishes prepared from our Capretto have been featured at Tasmania's "Festivale" (Tasmania on a Plate) and have been on the menu at such prestigious restaurants at Freycinet Lodge, Cradle Mountain Chateau and Moorlilla Estate. Kids were ready for the table at 6 to 8 weeks.

Product UPDATE

EXPORT. Autumn 2007 saw more of our Saanen kids exported overseas, this time to the Philippines. Art Almeda is a young, enterprising and energetic goat breeder who is developing a market for goat milk in the Philippines. He imported a large number of Saanens from Australia to get his dairy off the ground and to date has had much success. Mathom Farm has kept in constant touch with him in order to share ideas and experiences. We will further cooperate in 2009 by exporting another 100 kids to Alaminos innovative farm.

GOAT CHEESES. Mathom Farm Goat Cheeses and goat curd have now been on sale for 4 years. Cheaper brands of imported goats' cheese (mainly from Eastern Europe) and the willingness of retailers to offer these at prices lower than the local product can compete with, have forced us to withdraw form supplying to the general public, hence WE DO NOT retail our cheeses, instead, they are supplied directly to restaurants, resorts and hotels. Restaurants supplied have included: The Federal Groups' Freycinet Lodge, Wrest Point Casino and Cradle Mountain Chateau, Stillwater (Launceston), Strathlynn (Rosevears), Hobnobs (Westbury), Novaros (Launceston), The Banc (Swansea), Moorlilla Estate, Hobart and many more. Go to this page for more detail on our cheeses, or go to our products page.

Product UPDATE 2

MATHOM FARM CAPRETTO is now available in selected restaurants. In Tasmania, Daniel Alps' Strathlynn Restaurant (Pipers Brook Vineyard, West Tamar), The Banc Restaurant (Swansea), Hobnobs (Westbury), Stillwater and Novaros (Launceston), Freycinet Lodge and Cradle Mountain Chateau, have all taken delivery and have presented our product with rave reviews. We offered our Capretto to restaurants with well known, internationally renowned chefs as we knew that they would have the knowledge and expertise to present the meat as it should be presented and would pass on the word if they found the product acceptable. Which they have! To read more about Mathom Farm Capretto please visit our products page.