Prancing Pony Farm Maremma Sheepdogs and Mini Dairy Goats
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        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
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      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
      • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
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      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
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      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
        • 2022 Fall Nigerian Dwarf Kids
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      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Pneumonia in Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Nigerian Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
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  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
    • Fun Farm videos
    • Our Prancing Ponies
  • Home
    • Contact us
    • Veterinarian's Letter of Recommendation
  • MSCA Registered Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
    • Available Maremma Puppies & Planned Litters
    • Available Juvenile & Adult Dogs
    • Maremma Buyers' Guide
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog Puppy
    • Training Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog
    • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference - How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
      • Our Puppy Parlor
      • Maremma Testimonials
      • How Many LGD's do I Need?
      • Breeding Candidate Puppies
    • Our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Our Breeding Maremmas
        • Simba
        • Sevro
        • Pax
        • Pegaso
        • Gianna
        • Marcella
        • Marisa
        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
    • Maremma Litters - Past & Present
      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
      • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Housing Maremmas
      • Favorite Dog Products
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale
    • Baby Goats For Sale
    • Adult Goats for Sale
    • Breeding Plan Goats
    • Shipping Goats
    • Our Dairy Goat Herd
      • Mini Nubian Does
      • Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Reference Mini Nubian Does
      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Standard Nubian Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
        • 2022 Fall Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2022 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2022 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Fall 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2020 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2020 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2019 Fall Kids
        • 2019 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Fall Kids
        • 2018 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Mini Nubian kids
        • 2018 Nigerian Dwarf kids
        • 2017 Spring Kids
    • Goat Care & Info
      • Goat care articles
      • Clicker Training Goats
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Feeding Our Mini Dairy Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Pneumonia in Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Nigerian Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
      • Dairy Goat FAQ's
  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
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Why My Animals "Live on Dirt"

8/3/2022

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Picture
My granddaughter, Collette, with one of my Maremma puppies. She one of the many reasons why I live in the ugly, dry, drought-stricken Dust Bowl of Central California.
I have had some comments on social media posts lately asking why my animals "live on dirt".  Some people may not realize it but farming doesn't look the same in Central California as it looks in Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Guam (all places I have lived) or a lot of other places.

I live in the Central Valley of California. This is where most of the food in the country is grown, all watered by a huge irrigation system. Back when we first moved here (I'm from Tennessee and my husband is from Maryland) it used to rain only in the winter. We had two seasons. Dirt and Mud. But for about a decade we have been in a severe drought. We get almost no rain and very little snowfall. The snow is what our irrigation systems run on. We have been in such a severe drought for so long that wells are drying up, mature trees are dying and farms are closing. New housing developments are not even allowed to put in lawns in some areas. Only rock gardens and drought tolerant plants. Or fake grass. In some areas entire towns have dried up. On our farm alone we have lost 30-40 mature trees. They just died and fell down or had to be cut down. Almost all of my neighbors and friends have had to put in new wells, because their wells dried up. We are just waiting for it to be our turn.

So why do my animals "live on dirt"? Because there's no water to make grass grow. There's no rain and not enough water to irrigate such luxuries as grass. Even our small lawn struggles to make it. I buy every bite my horses and goats eat, in the form of alfalfa and other hay. This costs me over $2000 a month and it's getting harder and harder to even find hay, much less afford it. Farmers are growing other, more profitable crops instead.

I love grass, rain and trees. Unfortunately those are luxuries I can't have, at least not enough of. So why do I stay in such an ugly, brown dust bowl, you ask? My family. My husband served 40 years in the Navy. We had 6 kids during that career and we spent the last part of his tour here, in the dust bowl. And our children grew up, settled down, got married and had kids. We now have 12 grandkids and they all live in California. We did move back east for a time. Bought a farm in Virginia, where we had all the grass, rain and trees we wanted. But we left half of our family here, in the dust bowl. And with it we left our hearts. So we moved back here. We gave up our 12 acres of green grass in Virginia and willingly moved to the ugliest place on earth. Because though we love grass, trees and rain, we love our family more. And they make this ugly place the real "happiest place on earth".
  • Drought in California Growing Threat 
  • Central California in Exceptional Drought
  • Feds Predict 0% Water for Valley Farmers in 2022
  • Historical Drought in Central California
Picture
About 8 months of hay for my goats and horses.
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    Author

    Hi I'm Kim. I have been an avid animal lover all my life but goats and dogs are my favorites so I built a business around them, breeding registered Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats and MSCA registered Maremma Sheepdogs. I love sharing my passion and knowledge of these amazing creatures with others.

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​We are located in Lemoore, California.
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Click the link below to download a free digital copy of our Maremma Sheepdog Training Manual. Print copies are included with each puppy purchase. 
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  • Home
    • Contact us
    • Veterinarian's Letter of Recommendation
  • MSCA Registered Maremma Sheepdogs for Sale
    • Available Maremma Puppies & Planned Litters
    • Available Juvenile & Adult Dogs
    • Maremma Buyers' Guide
    • Bringing Home Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog Puppy
    • Training Your Prancing Pony Maremma Sheepdog
    • The Prancing Pony Farm Difference - How We Raise and Train Our Maremma Puppies
      • Our Puppy Parlor
      • Maremma Testimonials
      • How Many LGD's do I Need?
      • Breeding Candidate Puppies
    • Our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Our Breeding Maremmas
        • Simba
        • Sevro
        • Pax
        • Pegaso
        • Gianna
        • Marcella
        • Marisa
        • Celeste
        • Electra
      • Reference Maremmas and Non-Breeding Dogs
    • Maremma Litters - Past & Present
      • January 2023 Litter Gianna x Pax
      • December 2022 Litter Marisa x Sevro
      • October 2022 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Polar x Sevro
      • May 2022 Litter Marisa x Simba
      • February 2022 Litter Celeste x Sevro
      • December 2021 Litter Gianna x Simba
      • October 2021 Litter Marcella x Sevro
      • May 2021 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • February 2021 Litter Simba x Marcella
      • February 2021 Litter Sevro x Polar
      • December 2020 Litter Sevro x Gianna
      • September 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • August 2020 Litter Simba x Polar
      • January 2020 Litter Olaf x Carina
      • 2019 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2018 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
      • 2017 Litter Olaf x Genevieve
    • Maremma Sheepdog Info & Care
      • Maremma Sheepdog FAQ's
      • Feeding our Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Goat Milk for Healthy Dogs and Puppies
      • Grooming Maremma Sheepdogs
      • Housing Maremmas
      • Favorite Dog Products
      • Whelping & Puppy Rearing Info & Supplies for LGD's
  • Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Sale
    • Baby Goats For Sale
    • Adult Goats for Sale
    • Breeding Plan Goats
    • Shipping Goats
    • Our Dairy Goat Herd
      • Mini Nubian Does
      • Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Reference Mini Nubian Does
      • Reference Mini Nubian Bucks
      • Standard Nubian Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Does
      • Reference Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
      • Past Kidding Seasons
        • 2022 Fall Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2022 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2022 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Fall 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • Spring 2021 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2020 Nigerian Dwarf Kids
        • 2020 Mini Nubian Kids
        • 2019 Fall Kids
        • 2019 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Fall Kids
        • 2018 Spring Kids
        • 2018 Mini Nubian kids
        • 2018 Nigerian Dwarf kids
        • 2017 Spring Kids
    • Goat Care & Info
      • Goat care articles
      • Clicker Training Goats
      • Annual Disease Testing of Goats
      • Bringing Home Your New Goat
      • Health concerns of your new goat
      • Feeding Our Mini Dairy Goats
      • Feeding Mini & Dwarf Baby Goats
      • Housing Does & Kids
      • Goat Parasites
      • Pneumonia in Goats
      • Goat Hoof Trimming
      • Milking Dairy Goats
      • Our Dairy Goat Milking Parlor
      • Disbudding Mini & Dwarf Goats
      • Nigerian Dwarf Goats
      • Mini Nubian Goats
      • Mini Nubian Ears
      • Dairy Goat FAQ's
  • Prancing Pony Farm Blog
    • Dairy Goat Blog
    • Fun Farm videos
    • Our Prancing Ponies