Robert Nelson, above, with help from his younger brothers Caleb and Joshua, operates Blue Goose Farm in Randolph Center. Nelson focuses on goods, such as raw milk, he can sell in small batches. (Herald / Tim Calabro)

Like most farmers, Robert Nelson knows how to pack a lot into a single day. Last Monday, after an early start milking and tending to the cows, sheep, hens, and ducks, he did a day of classes at Norwich University, came home and delivered a calf before milking and feeding his menagerie of animals.

At just 18, Nelson operates Blue Goose Farm in Randolph Center, an avocation he’s pursued since his early childhood.

Nelson and his family moved to the area in April 2021 from Dixmont, Maine. His parents, Robert and Judy Nelson bought the 232 acres of farmland on remote Blue Goose Drive in Randolph Center, and Nelson leases the farm from his parents.

His interest in farming began as a young child and his joy for being around animals. When Nelson was 14 he found a small dairy farm in Dixmont where he could work and learn—Great Hopes Farm. He stayed there for three years and, as his family moved, he decided to take what he learned and apply it to his own farm.

Nelson studies biology at Norwich University and planned on a path toward veterinary medicine, but with the initial successes of his farm, he’s reconsidering that career.

“I have all these animals,” he said, “and if I was going to go off to vet school, we would have to get rid of them all and that would be really sad. I’m very attached to all my animals.”

Nelson currently has two older Jersey milk cows, Clarice and Sunflower. At 7 and 6 years old respectively, they produce the certified organic raw milk that Blue Goose Farm markets. Sunflower is the only one milking at the moment, as Clarice gave birth to a bull calf on April 4. Sunflower is mother to a young heifer who will join the Blue Goose herd when she grows.

That emphasis on a small operation matters to Nelson, who, though he wishes to grow his operation, “to a size that a can make a decent living from the farm and it be my only source of income,” also wants to keep the farm to “a size that I can manage on my own with the help of my family.” That’s a number of cows somewhere in the low double-digits, Nelson said, producing the same raw milk that he can sell to a more select clientele than comparatively large convention dairy operations.

“I only want to scale at a pace that the farm income can support,” Nelson added, “without going into debt. As of right now all farm income is going into building infrastructure and growing the farm.”

Raw milk, he said, has a very different market from the milk one might find in a supermarket, which undergoes pasteurization and greater processing. Because of its particular niche, the product is much more local and excludes itself from the vagaries of international dairy.

Nelson also boards Holstein calfs for the nearby Silloway farm. The Silloways and Lamberts, Nelson said have been great neighbors and very supportive of his fledgling operation.

Along with his cows, Nelson has 24 breeding ewes that are meat sheep: Katahdins and Dorsets. He breeds them and raises the lambs for meat. He has about about 20 ducks and 80 laying hens that give a variety of different colored eggs. Nelson will be adding 15 meat birds and 30 big white Pekin ducks over the next couple of months.

*Robert Nelson gives hay to his sheep during afternoon chores at Blue Goose Farm in Randolph Center. (Herald / Tim Calabro)*

“My cows are definitely my favorite animals,” Nelson said. “Just because I spend a lot of time with them. And they’re very personable.”

Dairy and meat products are not the only export of Blue Goose Farm. Nelson also raises cut flowers and creates bouquets to sell. He is planning to increase the scale of his flower business, too, as he discovered that he enjoys the gardening process.

The farm is primarily Nelson’s responsibility, but he gets plenty of assistance from his family. His mother helps with the accounting and management, and his younger brothers, Caleb and Joshua, help Nelson with the day-today chores and tending to the animals. His father is a forester for Washington County.

The hours for farmers tend to be long and demanding, between six and 16 hours a day depending on the season, and Nelson acknowledged that being a freshman at Norwich has added some responsibility.

“It’s been very crazy and kind of hard and stressful. But I’ve done it and it’s been okay,” he said.

Nelson cares deeply about sustainability and the health of his animals, and he advocates farming practices that match that ethos. He practices intense rotational grazing which benefits the soil, crops, and animals.

Rotational grazing, a practice that the Pennsylvania based Rodale Institute and others advocate, allows allows for pastures to “rest” while the animals graze on another pasture, giving the plants time to “recover and deepen their roots system.”

This summer, Nelson will move the cows to a new pasture after every milking. His sheep are also moved every 24 hours.

“One of my biggest goals is to be able to produce very fresh, good products for the local community, and to be able to produce it in a way that’s sustainable and good for the farm and the animals,” said Nelson.

Blue Goose Farm’s products will be sold at the Northfield Farmers Market and the Lebanon Farmers Market in New Hampshire as soon as they start up again in person. Prior to this farmer’s market season, Nelson had only been selling online and at a small store at the farm. He is quite excited to be a part of the in-person markets this spring and summer.

Nelson even delivers milk to some nearby customers, an actual twenty-first century milkman.

There is a self-serve farm store in the hay loft above Nelson’s barn. It is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Frequent customers can sign up for a mailing list from Nelson for updates and information about the farm.

Raw milk from Nelson’s cows can also be found at the Green Mountain Girls Farm store in Northfield. Nelson hopes to expand the stores he sells the milk in, especially since raw milk regulations in Vermont recently changed and allow it to be distributed more broadly.

With fewer young people involving themselves in farming, Nelson offers a cheery outlook for those interested in the trade.

“Jump in with both feet and follow your heart,” he advised.

Original story can be found at The Herald.