My First Month at The Goat Conspiracy
By Paulina McIntire
My new friends in the White Barn
I am a senior at Indiana University studying environmental science, chemistry, and biology, and wanted to get involved at The Goat Conspiracy Sanctuary because of my interest in someday starting my own farm. My goal is to grow mushrooms and have my own goats and chickens. Currently, I am applying to masters degree programs for non-profit management, and I can’t wait to learn more about the management side of TGCS as well as the physical operation of the sanctuary.
Working at the Sanctuary
During my last spring semester, I learned about the work being done at TGCS in my Urban Alternative Agriculture class. We discussed urban/semi-urban farming initiatives across Bloomington and different management styles for urban livestock. After this class, I submitted a volunteer application for the sanctuary, was awarded application approval, and began my journey to become an intern after meeting with the management team. I completed a funding application through the Indiana University Hutton Honors College and was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to complete an internship at TGCS this September.
My first impressions after touring the sanctuary were that the entire team is incredibly caring and passionate about the animals residing on the land and that goats have a TON of personality. I have absolutely loved getting to know the TGCS team and of course, the goats, who each have their own unique character and custom-made collars embroidered with their names.
After a month of part time internship work, I am comfortable with the daily chores necessary to ensure the animals are happy and healthy at the sanctuary. Because of my background in ecology and sustainable agriculture, I expressed interest in completing a project within the field that would help TGCS’s functioning and resource cycling. After discussion with Ben Walker, the Sanctuary Operations Manager, we have outlined a fencing design project that I will be working on throughout my internship. I am excited to hone my mapping skills and to design a rotational grazing plan for the Sanctuary to implement in the following years. I am also planning on designing some kind of compost system throughout the property and am excited to research different methods and implementations that might work well in the TGCS setting.
It is wonderful to be able to step away from my classwork, get outside, and gain some hands-on experience through this opportunity. I am continuously thrilled to be a part of a wonderful team and practice my degree at The Goat Conspiracy Sanctuary!
