By Cathy Miller

Blair McCloskey, from White Township, breeds goats as a hobby, operating what is known as a hobby farm. “Real farms make money, or make a living from farming,” he explained, then lamented, “I’ll never be able to retire because the goats have eaten up all the money!” Figuratively, of course.

(Side note: goats don’t eat grass, just in case you’re thinking about hiring a few a living breathing lawnmowers – what they DO eat is just about everything BUT grass – including all the stuff you DON’T want them to eat.)

During a recent visit to the farm, nine babies (kids), ranging in age from six to eleven days old –  three sets of twins and one set of triplets – were very busy being adorable. Blair said, “Twins are more common than single births, but triplets are also pretty common.” For now, they reside in two inside pens, away from the barn. Blair tries to be there when they’re born, just in case there’s a veterinary crisis. Only once did he have to rush a goat to the vet for an emergency caesarean section, grateful to have a veterinarian who’s always on-call and willing to make house calls if needed.

All of Blair’s goats are registered and named. Over time he has named 700-800 goats. If there’s a favorite name, he said it could be recycled, but only after 20 years. Of the brand new crop of kids, Blair’s grandson Rocco named one of them Stan (no chance of a repeat moniker, there)!

Goats make great pets, as long as the property is zoned accordingly. They are friendly when raised by or close to humans. Some will want to play a bit rough so may not be best for very small children. They are very social and need to be paired with another goat, sheep, pony, etc. Within each herd, there is definitely a pecking order. 

Turns out the goat life was not entirely Blair’s decision. At ten years old, his family relocated from Randolph Township to Oxford and acquired nine acres of land in the move. With all that property, his parents thought he needed some animals, so they  purchased a couple goats. Blair soon joined 4-H and began showing his goats, who have earned several championship ribbons over time. To this day, he still shows the goats. 

The majority of Blair’s goats are descendants of his original two. Currently, he has just one Nubian goat (with long floppy ears), while mostly raising Toggenburgs. Both breeds are dairy goats. Twelve are deemed show-worthy, and twenty or so are older and retired. “Show Quality” is strict, right down to overall size, proper location of spots and stripes, shape of udder (“the udder needs to be nice and full at the show”), and positioning of ears. He breeds them yearly, with the females (called does) in heat sometime between September to December. Gestation lasts 150 days. He starts showing his kids at around two months of age, having prepared them for the ring by frequent handling and leading them in a collar.

One can only imagine the work required to maintain Blair’s hobby farm. With a barn that constantly needs cleaning and an old tractor that’s no good for scooping poop, he used to use a pitch fork to load everything into his truck…but then he found a guy (thankfully). Over the winter, he’ll allow the droppings to accumulate because as it decomposes, it generates heat. The pen area must be well-ventilated due to the resulting ammonia, and the decomposed material must be removed regularly. There are also fences to repair and hooves to be clipped every 2-3 months. One “guard” is on duty at all times. His name is Murphy and he’s a big, beautiful, bushy Great Pyrenees dog who takes his job seriously, keeping any interlopers at bay. Rounding out the McCloskey’s canine family are Sophie, the airedale; Sam, the geriatric border collie mix; and Ruth, the pit/lab mix.

Blair’s wife Susan doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day goat activities, although she makes award-winning cheese with the goats’ milk. She will often accompany him to shows and usually gets drafted to run the raffle table at their annual Garden State Dairy Goat Association-sponsored show, slated this year for Saturday, May 25, at the Warren County Fairgrounds. The show offers a great opportunity to visit and view different breeds of goats, with photo ops galore.

When it comes to life beyond goats, Blair is employed as a weld inspector and non-destructive testing inspector. He inspects crucial welds on new buildings, frequently traveling to Philadelphia, Cape May, Newark, and lower Connecticut. During amusement parks’ off-season, he inspects the rides for damage or stress. He has also worked at American Dream Meadowlands, the immense indoor amusement park/water park/ski park/ice park/theme park/mammoth mall opening soon in East Rutherford, and is very excited about the two record-setting roller coasters incorporated into the site.

For 10 years, Blair and his brother Brian (with the help of their spouses Susan and Marge) have also run “Folk on Foul Rift,” a series of house concerts presenting great live music in an intimate setting. The shows are open to everyone, though not free of charge. There is a recommended donation, ALL of which goes directly to the artists. Visit the “Folk on Foul Rift” Facebook page for plenty of details regarding performers and upcoming dates.

When it comes to the people and happenings of Warren County, you can count on award-winning photographer Cathy Miller to be there to record the moment.