The Scalawag Story
Scalawag Farm is a small Nigerian Dwarf goat dairy operation based in rural central Maine. Farmers Paul and Trina founded the farm based on our shared love of excellent, responsibly raised food, and our strong attachment to four-footed creatures great and small. We believe Nigerian Dwarf goat dairy products are exceptional for their flavor, butterfat, and versatility while also providing numerous health benefits, and we absolutely love sharing our lives with these furry freaks.
ScalawaG Farm was founded in 2016 in South China, Maine, where the farmers and their herd of goats, flock of chickens and ducks, and three cows reside. Scalawag farm also features two barn cats, marvin and Chichi, and a quartet of rowdy house-dogs who love to explore the property on walks with their humans.
South China is about 20 minutes east of Augusta, the state’s capital. It is a small, rural, tight-knit community that does all it can to support agricultural endeavors on the part of its residents.
While Goats have been the predominant focus at Scalawag since about 2019, we also have a small herd of three cows — Redcow, Josie, and Juanita — who we use primarily to fertilize and “mow” a variety of pastures on the farm. We also raise ducks and chickens for their eggs and meat, and have also raised pigs a few different times, both for their meat and for their skills at clearing land.
in 2022 and 2023, we were able to finally start to put our vision for a small nigerian dwarf goat dairy to work. WE added a fully customized shipping container that houses our milking parlor, milk house, and a creamery room for making cheeses in the future. The container and its pipeline system started to be put to use in August of 2023, with big hopes to sell lots of milk to the surrounding community and other interested parties in 2024.
One of the guiding principles for Scalawag Farm has always been following the most humane rearing practices. We are not seeking to maximize the production of each animal through manipulation, but we instead prefer to make decisions based on what we believe will allow the animals to be in the least stressful situations possible, while also maintaining their safety. Certainly, our goats would prefer to roam the property unattended, at all hours – but we can’t let them do that because it wouldn’t be safe for them or the trees!
This has informed some significant decisions on the farm, such as allowing our goat kids to be dam-raised until between 8 and 12 weeks. This ensures that the goats are well socialized with their herds, participate in the unique dynamics of their goat families, and get the appropriate nutrition from their mothers’ milk as well as a boosted immune system.
We welcome ndividuals and groups to our farm (by appointments, which are available to book on this very website!) to spend some time exploring the space that is a part of their community, and to get a first-hand look at what we are doing – how we are connected to the land and our animals. In the not-too-distant future, we hope to be able to host apprentices of our own so that we can continue the cycle of inspiring others to pay attention to the land they occupy.
