Oak Ridge Goat Dairy is a family affair

For the last several years, the Crowley's Ridge Mennonite Community

has grown steadily in this area, bringing in a total of 23 families from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ohio, Wisconsin and even Mississippi. The homesteads, scattered throughout the hills in the Bloomfield and Advance communities, provide the area with some services not previously seen in this region.

One particularly unique business is the Oak Ridge Goat Dairy and Creamery: Family Farmstead Goat Products. The 72-goat herd is located at the County Road 307 home of Enos and Jo Ann Kauffman and their six children. The family moved to the area five years ago from east Tennessee.

MADELINE DeJOURNETT-advancensc@sbcglobal.net Enos Kauffman waits for the temperature of the milk to reach the right point before he continues the pasteurization process. The Kauffman family all take part in the process of milking, processing the milk, and marketing the product out to the public.

The farming operation is truly a family business.

"My wife and I had a dream that we could choose a way of life where we could work together as a family," Enos Kauffman explains. "We would raise our children with solid Christian principles and family values that would guide them through the rest of their lives."

Jo Ann Kauffman once lived on a family dairy farm, so she was familiar with the process. However, goats were chosen, rather than cattle, for several reasons.

"Goats are very people-friendly animals and easier to manage," says Enos Kauffman. "This is important to us, because we are raising our children around them. Goat's milk offers many health benefits we have personally experienced. Goat's milk is more easily digested than cow's milk, and people with lactose intolerance can enjoy goat milk products."

The Kauffman operation makes four kinds of Feta cheese--hot pepper, herbal, tomato basil and ranch. They also make cheddar, Colby Jack, cheese curds and more.

Jo Ann's sister, Keturah Miller, recently joined the family to help out with the operation.

"I just can't do it all!" Jo Ann admits.

Enos Kauffman admits that their five-year experience in goat-raising is "tough," because they do it all--running the dairy and milking the goats, processing the milk into cheese, and doing all the marketing.

"When we first talked to Schnuck's, they thought they could sell everything we could produce," Enos said. "However, they didn't consider all the other similar products on their shelves."

The family considers the farmer's markets as their "stay alive" source of income, and in recent months they have had to broaden their offerings out to homemade donuts, which they cook on site and serve fresh.

"There's nothing like a fresh donut!" Enos says. "They're very popular!"

Their week lines up as follows: Tuesday is Jackson Park Day at Shelter #5 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday is Cape Plaza Parking lot on Independence Street from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; On Saturdays, they set up in Sikeston from daylight until noon near the old railroad station. Kauffman said that they have many customers in Dexter and Bloomfield, and they usually go to the Sikeston market as well.

"This weekend, we're going to check out the Poplar Bluff Auction, but that's really early, so it's hard to get there in time," Enos said.

The Kauffman children are a big help in the family business, getting up at 6 a.m. and helping with the chores, which they do before breakfast.

The children range in age from age 14 to one and one-half. Michah is 14, Joshua and Josiah, the twins, are 13. Katrina, the only girl, is 10. Brian is seven and Derek is 16 months old.

"The children have their schedules worked out, so that they all do their fair share of the work," says their father. "They keep track of whose turn it is to milk and whose turn it is to go with me to the markets. I can depend on them to do the milking right."

Worship is an important part of each day. After a 7:30 a.m. breakfast, the family has worship and Bible study.

"Derek likes it when we sing!" adds 10-year-old Katrina.

"He likes the motion songs," says Enos.

During the interview with the Kauffman family, Jo Ann answered a call requesting goat milk. Enos Kauffman explains that he can sell milk to someone who requests it, but he cannot market the milk, because his dairy is considered "manufacture grade certified."

Enos explained that he had no raw milk, since he was in the process of pasteurizing the milk at the time of the interview. He explained that raw milk does have more of the vitamins and enzymes than the pasteurized version.

"All our goats are antibiotic-free and raised naturally," Kauffman says. "We graze them when we can. Right now, it's dry, but we still try to find grass for them."

Kauffman admitted that sales are down right now, because of the heat, but he expects them to pick up as soon as the weather cools.

There is no doubt that raising goats and making cheese is hard work, but it would appear Jo Ann and Enos Kauffman have chosen a good life for themselves and their children. In addition, they are providing a healthy local business for Stoddard County.