“Cheese Nights” Pay Off At This Goat Farm
Terrell Creek Farm, owned by Lesley and Barry Million in Fordland, Mo., is known for its artisan goat cheeses.
     Lesley and Barry have been milking dairy goats since 2007, and they went commercial in 2012. Today, they milk a herd of 38 goats (primarily Nubian) to create their artisan cheeses. “The previous two years we milked 50 goats,” said Lesley. “We’ve worked on improving our breeding program, so we get more milk from fewer goats.” Terrell Creek Farm goat cheese can be found at numerous local farmers markets, restaurants and grocery stores.
    What’s more, Lesley and Barry have been hosting “Cheese Night” events on their farm since 2017. That year they held two events. In 2018, they held one a month from May through October and 2019 is their second full year of hosting these fun and tasty farm events. “I kept seeing all these lovely cheese boards online,” said Lesley. “My degree is in art education and I thought, ‘I can do that. That looks like fun.’ We always have customers interested in coming out to the farm to see where their cheese is made and meet the goats who produce the milk. Being a working farm, it’s hard to accommodate visitors sometimes. We decided this would be a way for customers to see the farm and also a way for us to make a little extra money.”
    Tickets to Terrell Creek Farm’s events are $35, and include live music from local artists, a chance to mingle with the dairy goats, and all the goat cheese, charcuterie and other finger foods you can eat. Some of the artisan cheeses that grace the buffet tables are Herb and Garlic Chevre, Feta, The Dude (a cousin to Brie), Chimney Rock and many others. Goat milk ice cream also frequently makes an appearance.
    “The Cheese Nights have definitely been profitable for us. In addition to that, they’re a good way for us to really connect with our customers and to recharge ourselves. It’s nice to see people enjoying themselves and to hear positive feedback and appreciation for what we do. It reminds us of why we do what we do!” says Lesley.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lesley and Barry Million, 508 Fordland Hills Dr., Fordland, Mo. 65652 (terrellcreekfarm@yahoo.com).


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2019 - Volume #43, Issue #4