Don’t throw out your Christmas Tree!
Most of us get an extra flurry of energy and excitement during this time of year, whether it’s the inner child memories of the holidays coming to the surface or the thought of what the season is really all about, love and hope . However, for goat farmers there is an additional quality to the season, that being a surplus of pine trees available for the taking! Goats absolutely love pine trees and will devour them completely, including the bark. It’s a win-win for everyone involved in this exchange. Trees are digested and put right back into the ground for further fertilizer. The term sustainable has been grossly over used and somehow lost its true meaning that being ” the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance” What a lot of people don’t know is that pine needles have a natural de- worming property to them. Imagine that… I’m not saying that this is a replacement for more conventional methods of removing worms, but it is a free, natural and they love it! Finally my favorite benefit of feeding pine trees to goats is that they obtain pine -fresh breath! Give any of my goats a hug after December 25th you’ll feel like you’re in a forest of pine trees. There are many great places to get your trees this year and some even benefit a good cause. Rick stumbled across the Gard’n and Gate Tree Farm in Van Hornesville last year. ( https://www.facebook.com/gardngate/ ) It is right out of a Hallmark Christmas Movie! Cut your own tree with the hack saws provided or buy one of the pre-cut trees . Take home a unique wreath and kissing ball. The owners will take your families picture with your prized tree and place it on their display champion Christmas tree bulletin board. You can take the picture home the following year as a memento. I can’t say enough about the experience of visiting this magical farm . The complementary popcorn amd hot chocolate just tops the whole experience off!
If you would like tree picked up after the holidays please reach out to us on www.facebook.com/hulsehillfarm/
