An Urban Family Farm

Climate change is real, and we are certainly feeling its effects in the Pacific Northwest. As a family, we are doing our best to contribute to sustainable solutions. We drive less and bike more. We collect rainwater for use in the garden. We buy locally to reduce transportation emissions and support the regional economy, and buy most of our food in bulk to avoid plastics and packaging as much as possible.

But each time we recycle an empty plastic gallon milk jug -- at least twice a week for this dairy-loving family! -- we feel like our efforts are being thwarted. And buying milk in glass jars at the co-op is too expensive for us as a family of five.

Then we realized: goats are a major source of dairy and meat products around the world. Not only that, they are more environmentally friendly than cows. Goats produce significantly less methane than cows do: about 5kg of methane annually compared to the 55kg of methane produced by the average cow (1, 4). That is a huge difference in depletion of the ozone layer!

Goats also require fewer resources than cows, including less water and less space. As browsers they also eat a wide variety of shrubs and weeds, including many common "pests," making them a useful and sustainable resource for weed management on the homestead (2, 3). As a result, goats also eat less hay and significantly less processed feed than cows do. 

Goat milk has more calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and Vitamin A than cow milk. (4, 6) In addition to higher amounts of some minerals, the bioavailability of minerals in goat milk is higher than in cow milk, meaning the body has easier access to those minerals. (8) 

Goat milk also has less lactose than cow milk and its protein structure is different, making it more similar to human breast milk. Hence, many people who are lactose sensitive can actually drink goat milk. (5) Compared to cow milk, soy milk, or nut milks, goat milk has more protein per serving, a whopping 8 grams per cup! (7) And the protein in goat milk appears to be more digestible, meaning your body can use it more easily. (6, 8) 

Studies have also shown that goat milk can help reduce cholesterol in the arteries and gallbladder. (6) Goat milk also has higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acids, which play an important role in immune stimulation, growth promotion, and disease prevention. (8) It is also rich in oligosaccharides, which serve a protective function for intestinal flora against pathogens and in brain and nervous system development. (8)