Christmas for the Goats!
“What do you do with all those Christmas trees?” I often get that question! Christmas trees keep our animals going through the winter, reflect our sustainability focus, and build community support.
Christmas is a magical season, which starts for the goats on December 26th. That is often when the first Christmas tree arrives to Harrison Farm, and this brings them profound joy!
Goats love pine trees. Years ago, I began putting my Christmas tree out for the goats to enjoy after the holidays. My friends began bringing theirs, too, and the goats ate them up rapidly. I decided to put up a post on social media alerting our community that the goats would love Christmas tree donations. I was abundantly grateful that many people began bringing their trees out to the farm. This kept the trees out of landfills, it provided extra nutrition for the animals, and it gave the goats a lot of enrichment. Goats are extroverts who prefer warm weather. In the winter, things are quieter at the farm. The Christmas trees give the goats much-needed activity during the time when they are getting bored of the gray, cold Ohio winter.
Four years ago, Strader’s Garden Center saw my social media post and asked if we could take in their extra Christmas trees. This relationship has become a huge blessing to the farm. For Strader’s, they can now count this as a donation, so unsold trees are not a total loss for their business. For the farm, these trees have been a God-send. The sheep eat them as well, so we move through a lot of trees. Currently, we could easily feed around 40 trees a day. Christmas trees help to keep the farm going during the winter. And, this reflects our sustainability focus. After the goats & sheep eat what they want from the trees, we have bonfires to clean up the stumps. What could be waste instead brings joy to the animals, and then results in splendid bonfires.
The first tree of the season arrived to the farm on December 26th this year. I thanked the kind lady who brought her tree out, and then took a video of the goats devouring it. I shared this video on our social channels, hoping it would inspire more donations. I never imagined that a local news station would pick it up and share it! I awoke the next morning to messages from friends that they saw our goats on the news. This was a significant blessing, as this year we are relying all the more on these donations.
Due to the drought in 2024, I had to start feeding hay much sooner than expected, and our hay stockpile is already gone. This was further complicated, because my main hay supplier was my dear friend who passed away unexpectedly in August. I never imagined that these factors would combine to create more stress on the farm, and on me. Because of these challenges, I am all the more grateful for everyone who brings their Christmas tree to us. Community support is truly what keeps Harrison Farm going, and I am profoundly thankful!
Happy New Year from me & the goats!
