This is something I have wanted to embark on for some time, and bleated about it (excuse the pun) to all who would listen. Finally, it has become a reality!

I was brought up on a traditional mixed farm in Kenn, North Somerset, farming is in the blood! My dad milked 150 Friesian cows; consequently, I have always been aware of the dilemma over the fate of the male counterpart from a dairy enterprise. This paired with a long-established interest in goats which stemmed from my travels abroad, particularly in India, has lead me to here…

It was through just such contacts that lead me to find Dartland Farm owned by Jamie Beard. I am not entirely sure Jamie knew what he had let himself in for when I arrived, but I can say there has never been a dull moment since!

Although farming was not my first career I decided in 2011 to start an Agricultural Business degree at the Royal Agricultural University which brought me to Gloucestershire. During my degree, I was able to meet some fantastic local farmers who have become friends and gave me the confidence and contacts to establish Just Kidding here.

The interest in Goat’s milk in the UK is growing and the number of nannies (female goats) being milked has increased dramatically. Currently, the view of the Billy Kids is a waste by-product with little or no value or use.  There is simply no established market or demand for the meat. The female Kids are kept for milking but, the male offspring are often dispatched at birth.

In order for the Billy Kid not to continue to be viewed in this way, they must be seen as an asset in their own right and be given a value. I was once told a very simple saying ‘everything that is born is dead’ and we are not changing the ultimate fate of the Billy Kid but we are giving them a purpose and a use by providing a sustainable source of red meat.

All the Billies that we raise on the farm arrive from one High Health Status dairy farm. We try and keep them as naturally as possible, reared on grass outside wherever possible.

Keep things simple…. It may not seem like we are achieving that, but, in essence, it is what we are trying to do!!  Jamie has created a fantastic farm from scratch at Dartland Farm – not something easily accomplished, as most farms have been standing for generations.  It is always quite a responsibility to develop farmland but Jamie has done this with thought and care.  Native hedges have been planted and nurtured on the farm and over 500 trees have been planted.  We want to farm with the environment we are so fortunate to live in, not against it, but we are not a nature reserve we are a working farm.  Sustainability is becoming a very widely used word, the Oxford Dictionary defines it as “keeping something going continuously” – that is what we aim to do here – farm in a way that is sustainable for future generations. We want Dartland Farm to be as productive in the future, as it is now, so we will rear our Kids to that end.

Back to the golden word – ‘simple’ – rain falls from the sky so why not collect and store that water and reuse – simple! This way… we are nearly self-sufficient in water, we only need fresh water to mix the milk.

Our Meat

The problem with talking about our Kid Meat as a by-product is that the connotation might be that it is the lesser product. This could not be further from the truth and we like to think we blow that conception out of the water! You don’t even need to take our word for it…. Our meat has been awarded a Gold Star in the prestigious Great Taste Awards every year entered!

Red meat has been under scrutiny recently and rightly so. We all have to think differently about how and what we eat. It would be no good to us if everyone became a vegetarian but we do believe in eating less meat and better quality. We all need to think about how all our food is produced and not just the meat.

In keeping with not wasting anything, we use the Skins from our Billy Kids to produce a truly bespoke and beautiful product. The tanning industry in this country used to be vast but now the number of tanneries is down to single figures. It is cheaper to send our tanning needs oversees where the rules and restrictions on the chemicals used are not enforced. This is not only morally wrong but the final product is inferior to the quality finish found from our own British tanneries. All our skins are either tanned Organically by Nicki Port or conventionally by Devonia. If we do not support our British crafts their knowledge and expertise will disappear forever.

Often people fear that the skins will shed hairs, this only happens if the skin in question has been taken when the animal was moulting its winter coat. We do not use any skins during the moulting months and so our skins will not lose their hair!