pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
that produces
artisanal
An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, s ...
farmstead
A homestead is an isolated dwelling, especially a farmhouse, and adjacent outbuildings, typically on a large agricultural holding such as a ranch or station.
In North America the word "homestead" historically referred to land claimed by a settle ...
chèvre
Goat cheese, or chèvre ( or ; from French ''fromage de chèvre'' 'goat cheese'), is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world with a variety of ...
.
Operation
Idyll Farms’
Alpine goat
The Alpine is a medium to large sized breed of domestic goat known for its very good milking ability. They have no set colours or markings (although certain markings are discriminated against). They have horns, a straight profile and erect ears.
...
s are pasture-fed using
rotational grazing
In agriculture, rotational grazing, as opposed to continuous grazing, describes many systems of pasturing, whereby livestock are moved to portions of the pasture, called paddocks, while the other portions rest. Each paddock must provide all the n ...
Mark Spitznagel
Mark Spitznagel (; born March 5, 1971) is an American investor and hedge fund manager. He is the founder, owner, and chief investment officer of Universa Investments, a hedge fund management firm based in Miami, Florida.Feeding the Bubble: Is the Next Crash Brewing? ''Der Spiegel'', December 3, 2013 who built the sustainable farm after acquiring its approximately 200 acres in 2010 in his hometown.
Idyll Farms herd in Detroit
In June, 2014, Idyll Farms moved a herd of their wethers along with movable pens and electric fencing from Northport to the
Brightmoor
Brightmoor is a roughly neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, near the northwest border of the city.Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, under the stated objective to have the
grazing
In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...
goats clean up overgrown foliage and help the struggling community through agriculture, jobs, education, and self-sufficiency. The event drew national media attentionFund Manager Sets Goats Grazing in Blighted Detroit ''The New York Times'', June 5, 2014A Deadline for Goats to Get Out of Detroit ''The New York Times'', June 6, 2014City of Detroit butting heads with blight-eating Brightmoor goats ''Detroit Free Press'', June 6, 2014 but Detroit mayor
Mike Duggan
Michael Edward Duggan (born July 15, 1958) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician serving as the 75th mayor of Detroit, Michigan since 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Duggan previously served as the Wayne County Prosecutor ...
ordered the goats removed because of the city ordinance banning all livestock.Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan Halts Urban Farming Project in Struggling Neighborhood ''Ron Paul Channel'', June 9, 2014
Awards
The farm's cheeses have won awards at the World Championship Cheese Contest (including Best of Class) in 2016, as well as multiple and repeat awards (including in the broad all milk cheese category) at the
American Cheese Society
The American Cheese Society (ACS) is a non-profit trade group for the American cheese industry that was founded in 1983.
ACS promotes American cheeses, provides the industry with educational resources and networking opportunities and encourages ...
North American Competition in 2013, 2014 (the farm’s first two years of production),Idyll Farms Takes Home Three Awards at 2016 World Championship Cheese Contest ''PR Newswire'', March 17, 2016 and 2016. Its cheeses were also named “Best Artisanal Cheese” in ''
Food & Wine
''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and season ...
Men’s Journal
''Men's Journal'' is an American monthly men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and gear. It was founded in 1992 by Jann Wenner ...