Production of Medicinal Herbs as an Integral Part of On-farm Cheese Production and the Use of Medicinals for Immuno-stimulation and Enhanced Milk Production

Project Overview

FW03-016
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2003: $5,455.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2005
Region: Western
State: Colorado
Principal Investigator:
Denise Bohemier
Email
El Rancho del Cielo

Commodities

  • Additional Plants: herbs
  • Animals: goats

Practices

  • Animal Production: feed additives, feed formulation, herbal medicines, manure management
  • Crop Production: foliar feeding, organic fertilizers
  • Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, workshop
  • Farm Business Management: whole farm planning
  • Pest Management: disease vectors, prevention, sanitation
  • Production Systems: integrated crop and livestock systems
  • Soil Management: composting, organic matter

    Proposal summary:

    El Ranch del Cielo, a dryland goat farm in southwestern Colorado, is establishing a goat dairy for the production of farmstead cheeses. But the five-year drought and recent wildfires have suppressed production. Long periods of unseasonable heat, smoke and dust in the air and evacuation of the animals have compromised the goats’ immune systems, retarded kid growth and decreased the does’ milk production. Ranch owner Denise Bohemier will use her SARE grant to build a greenhouse to produce herbs that have medicinal and nutritive value for her goats. The greenhouse will be built from unconventional materials like straw bales. Herbs will be produced on garden beds and in the greenhouse using waste streams from the goat dairy, including manure, gray water and whey.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.