Black Mesa Ranch
Snowflake, Arizona, USA
Artisan Cheese
Nubian Goats
Site Navigation and Links
Cheese and Candy Information and Online Ordering Page
Featured pages on this site
Updated!
6/07: We have revamped our Ranch Workshop Packages!
In addition to our one and three-day cheese making and goat management workshops learn about our free open- house days and lodging accommodations.
______________
Award Winning Artisan Goat Cheeses
4 Awards 2005 ADGA National Competition
3 Awards 2004 ADGA National Competition
(available seasonally)
2 Awards 2005 ADGA National Competition
2 Awards 2004 ADGA National Competition
____________
Click here to read the online version of Kathryn's booklet
______________
________________
____________
This site last updated:
October 11, 2008
© 2000-2008 Black Mesa Ranch Inc. All Rights Reserved
Arizona Grown!
Nutmeg on one of her toys
4/18/01:
Well, it's been a while since my last report from the ranch. The weather has been, for the most part, gorgeous and we've been too busy with outside projects (and yes, just enjoying ourselves) to sit down at a computer for any length of time and there has been a lot going on in the last few weeks.
The goats are doing well. We've been fighting an unidentified culprit which is making them all itch but they seem to be improving. Trudy, our 1 current milker is now giving about 6 lbs of milk a day. Not great, but up from where she had been thanks, perhaps, to the addition of more protein to her diet. Angel is still pregnant with her 1st and is past due for her first time in with the buck so it could still be another month before she kids. Nutmeg (Trudy's new baby) just got disbudded last weekend, with the help of some goat-experienced neighbors.
Neighbors supervise our first disbudding
We've done some major work on the orchard including finishing the irrigation work and planting about a dozen assorted, locally purchased, fruit trees plus some grape vines. We also have almost gotten our vegetable garden soil improved, the area fenced and generally ready for planting.
New trees in the Orchard
We've been having alternating trials and triumphs with our various utilities around the ranch.
1. One time when we went to turn off the large portable generator (8k Coleman upright) at the well and found it covered with black oil. Never a good sign. After some investigation we found that because of (yet another) design flaw the oil filter constantly rubs against the frame-work for the engine and it had gotten a hole rubbed through it. Easy fix to a dumb problem that never should have happened, and something else to keep an eye on for the future.
2. Our solar power system inverter began acting oddly about a week ago. We witnessed power spikes followed by sudden battery amperage drop-offs. It also seemed like we were going through power much too fast. After a couple of days of this we were able to get our solar guy out for a look. He eventually found a loose power buss in the panel that had been heating up and arcing for a while. It had actually melted about half of a 1/2" retaining bolt away! Once the bolt was replaced and torqued down correctly everything started working fine again.
3. Today we finally got our wind turbine generator installed on it's 50' tower. It's as quiet as can be and we are looking forward to seeing how it effects our power situation. The weatherman predicts a couple of windy days coming up for a good test drive.
Installing the wind turbine
4. We have been trying to track an intermittent but occasionally tremendous water loss situation from our well's storage tank. Our consumption has increased somewhat recently but we have found ourselves filling it every 3-4 days (we used to be able to go 10-14 days). Today we saw moisture around the tank base. Our solar guy (who also installed the tank) dug a hole next to it which promptly filled with water. He had problems with bad welds on another tank made at the same time from the same local manufacturer and will now have to have them come out to repair it.
5. Our LP gas back-up generator was having starting problems. Several times when we were having difficulties with that loose inverter buss robbing us of power it was directed to come on but was unable to. We ended up having to jump-start it with our truck. Turned out that the 1 month-old starter battery was just no good so we replaced it.
4/19-23
The weather was very windy and it was good to have the wind generator, which kept us in good power supply. One sunny and windy day we were able to do 10 loads of laundry without taxing the batteries at all. We also got a little afternoon rain and evening snow on the 21st.
A partial nursery order from Gurney’s arrived, just some seeds, and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the fruit trees, cane fruits, fruit shrubs and herbs. I finished the gates for the veggie garden so we’re pretty much ready to plant.
I did a bit of cheese making, working on my “Goatserella” and “Rigoatta”.
"Goatserella" cheese
We got a letter from the AZ dept of Water Resources saying that they needed more info in order to continue processing our request for an extension on the permit to dam one of our washes to make a livestock and irrigation reservoir.
Our water tank is still leaking.
4/24-30
While taking a walk with the entourage (4 dogs, 3 goats and us) we discovered a very old, hand-dug well on the property down by Hay Hollow Draw, about ˝ a mile from the houses. We discovered it when K noticed a “spoil pile”-looking mound of dirt and rock that didn’t match the surface materials. Further investigation nearby revealed a 5’ diameter, rock-lined hole that had been covered over with tree limbs, branches and boards. In peering down through an opening the well seemed quite deep but we will have to plan an excursion back (without all the beasts), and with some tools, to investigate more fully.
The intermittent leak from our water storage tank progressed into a full-time, full-scale leak to the extent that we had a small river running down our road most of the time. The water was coming out at a rate fast enough to start undermining the tank itself. We have been trying to get the guy who set the tank out but have been unable to as of yet.
We got some seedlings poking their little heads through in the garden. The summer squash, zucchini, turnips, beets and leaf lettuces’ first sprouts came up despite the recent winds that we feared had buried them too deep in new sand. We placed an order to Gurney’s for 60 Cotoneasters we will plant around the garden as a windbreak. We tried to order some Lilacs as well, but were told that their delivery into AZ is restricted and we could not get them.
I made a few more soft goat cheeses and experimented with adding some herbs to one and some bleu cheese to another.
We placed an order to Caprine Supply including some milk filters, a cheese mold, some Probios, Entrolite, Blue-Kote, and VetRx, (goat meds), some drenching syringes and a metal head piece for the kid disbudding box we are going to build.
Nutmeg got her 2nd Clostridium shot SQ and it was much easier now that she has more skin to get a hold of! She still got a little lump but not as bad as the first time.
The weather was pretty nice and we even got some passing thundershowers on the 27th.
We did some general clean-up projects around the houses and animal compound, distributing “keeper” materials to their proper places and making several runs to our construction dump. K cleaned out the goat house and organized it.
We started getting serious about getting some rabbits for meat production and continued our research on breeds coming to the conclusion that we wanted to try Satins first. Our plan is to get one buck and 5 does from a meat-line (not necessarily show quality or configuration). We began trying to find breeder in the area and got a catalog from Bass Supply to investigate equipment. We started working on plans for building our own hutches, which we would be constructing from welded metal and hardware cloth.
I gave the tractor its 220-hour check-up.