Tucked away on 15 acres of serene property in Roopville is a dairy goat farm where two families are working together to not only raise the goats but transform their milk into fresh, soft goat cheese.

Sheila Simpson’s dream of having a Grade A dairy goat farm came to fruition last week after she became licensed by the state. The dairy goat farm, named 7B-Bar Dairy, is one of only two such farms in Carroll County, where agriculture remains the number one industry.

Simpson, who is a single mother with two children, Samuel, 11, and Rebecca, 9, said the entire family is involved in the daily farm operations. That includes milking and caring for the 30 Lamancha and Saanees goats on the West Drive property, where the family also lives.

Situated on the farm in another building, sisters Cathy Spivey and Robin Schick have created the CalyRoad Creamery. The two sisters do not have to travel far for the fresh goat milk since they buy all of the milk needed to create cheeses from Simpson’s dairy.

“This is something I’ve been working toward for the past five years,” Simpson said. “With a Grade A license, the state inspects the farm to test the milk each month.”

Simpson, who grew up around cattle ranches, said it was not until the Carroll County Extension Office came out to tour the property five years ago that she decided starting a dairy farm was the best choice for her family.

“I’m glad I decided to go with a goat dairy farm,” she said. “At that time, my children were very young. Goats are safer, because with a 1,200-pound animal you would have to worry about an accident.”

Simpson said when she decided to start her own farm, she was looking for a way to earn a living and still be at home with her children to teach them valuable skills. Yet, running a successful dairy farm can be demanding and labor intensive.

A typical day for Simpson involves waking up at 4 a.m. to milk and care for the goats. This process, she said, takes about two hours to complete as she milks all 30 goats. Then she feeds the animals and mends an occasional fence. Again at 7 p.m., the goats are milked and cleaned. In the evening, she said, both of her children help out with the milking process.

“It’s great for my children,” she said. “The kids learn to love and have an appreciation for the animals, nature and land. It also instills a strong work ethic and business skills, such as learning about profit and expenses. They both have their own checking accounts and do their own deposit slips. They also learn social skills since they have a lot of contact with the public.”

Young Samuel Simpson said he enjoyed helping his mother and sister on the farm and he hopes to have some goats of his own when he grows up, although the older brother added that it was his younger sister who wanted to take over the family business.

“It’s fun,” he said. “I love playing with the animals and petting them. My favorite goat is named Coco. He’s only three days old. He likes me a lot and plays on my back and licks me.”

Samuel Simpson said one of his duties on the farm includes helping move the goats out from the holding pen. He milks the goats when needed.

“You hook them up to a machine, and it sucks the milk,” he said.

Sheila Simpson said that while the children are learning about the farm as a b usiness, they are allowed to name five goats that they develop personal attachments to.

“They get to name and keep five of the goats, and I get to manage the rest,” she said. “This way they can get attached to some of the goats and see the business side as well.”

The dairy farm is capable of producing up to 65 gallons of fresh milk a day, and next year she hopes to increase the herd by five or 10 more goats.

“That’s about all we can have on the 15 acres,” Sheila Simpson said. “We want as much grass bed as possible, instead of chemicals.”

After milking the goats, CalyRoad Creamery buys the milk needed to create the fresh cheese.

Spivey said she and her sister decided to open the creamery after they mulled around with several business ideas.

“We were looking for something to do, and we both enjoyed working with goats and wanted to explore making cheese,” she said. “We met Sheila through an acquaintance and learned that she wanted to start a Grade A dairy. We formulated our plans together.”

Spivey said at this point the sisters are focusing solely on soft goat cheese but hope to expand their product line in the future. Both sisters are in the process of completing a certification at the Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese Making to further increase their knowledge in the industry.

Spivey said making the cheese is a three-day process that begins with purchasing the milk and then pasteurizing it at 145 degrees for at least 35 minutes. Cultures and enzymes are then added to the milk before it coagulates overnight.

The whey is then drained and cut into curds before they are carefully scooped into a micro-fiber bag that is hung to allow the whey to continue to drain.

Throughout the process, the sisters continually check the pH balance of the milk, curds and cheese to maximize the flavor and produce the highest yield. On the third day, the cheese is weighed and packaged and ready for sale at various farmers’ markets in the area.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s definitely worth it,” Spivey said. “I love the creation of the product and the farm-to-table concept. It’s about using what we have in the simplest form and making something that tastes great. The taste of fresh goat cheese is so different from any you buy in the store.”