Packa Sweets Milk & Meats
learning to tend holistically
Mini Alpine Dairy Goats, Kunekunes, Chickens & Gardening in Palmer, Alaska
What can our land produce?
Our Mission
Share what we're learning about small farming - breeding and milking goats, raising and slaughtering pigs, layers and meat chickens, gardening and compost. We are trying to breed sweet-tempered Mini-Alpines with high production and easy-to-milk udders/teats, along with thick winter coats and good feet. I am also trying to produce sweet milk with high butterfat for those sensitive to the goatie aftertaste. We are trying to get away from Round Up and other chemicals in animal feed while buying local. This is challenging!
Goats for Sale
All of our doelings and bucklings are sold for this year. We can put your name on our "interested" list for Spring 2023. We may have does in milk available summer 2023.
Our Motivation
Four amazing little daughters that God has entrusted to us, Alaska food-security, and thirst for independence & true community.
3 hilly wooded acres in Palmer, Alaska
In 2020, we wanted to become a little more self-sufficient to feed our 4 little girls. We chose goats because of our land. We chose Mini-Alpines for their hardiness, great milk production, sweeter milk and ease of hand-milking. Kunekune pigs joined us this year, and we have layers and meat birds. I just started taking a permaculture gardening class, learning to garden/compost using the farm's ingredients, but I don't have a greenhouse yet. We grind grain for home-made bread and flake oat groats to make granola. My sister-in-law has given me sour dough starter twice and I have let it die both times, and I haven't tried kefir or sprouted grains yet, but I want to! I am so thankful to all the hobby farms and new homesteaders who write blogs, update websites and post Youtube videos - I hope to provide some insight to people just starting up here in Alaska.
We homeschool and my husband works from home as an engineer. We are humbled by all we don't know about sustainability, permaculture, and food preservation. We're so excited to learn and share. It's already so fun to have bread, eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese on this small farm.
We sell animals and herd shares. Our shareholders enjoy fresh raw milk weekly. We also love farm visitors and host "goat yoga” in the spring. It is so exciting to share this new lifestyle and all that we are learning. Call us to arrange a visit! Ali-K Packa (907) 232-1667
Farm Chores
Goat Setup, Care & Sources
Barn & fencing, stall setup, feeding at different life stages, vitamins, water setups, medical care, coat and hoof care, disease/fecal testing, etc. Goat supply stores & local farms I've found that produce with fewer chemicals & less plastic.
Breeding, Kidding, & Milk
Pairing does to bucks, kidding prep and kid care, udder health, milking procedure, storage, processing (yogurt, cheese, etc.), & milk testing.
Money & Small Farming
How much did it cost to get started? How much does it cost each month? Can I cover costs by kid sales and herd share sales? What about meat birds and layers? What do pigs cost? Can I grow fodder to offset feed costs?
Chickens, Pigs, Compost & Gardening
2022 is our first year with Kunekunes, 2nd year with meat birds and 3rd year with layers. We just bought a plucker! This is my first year really gardening. Wow...what a year to start. Compost is going well though!
Ali-K (me)
I believe that the grace of Jesus Christ saves those who ask for it. I also believe that the wise store up oil and flour. I have a Master's Degree in Teaching from UAF and taught for 6 years in the public school system in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Mat-Su. We bought this property in 2012, and I became a stay-at-home mama in 2016. We're worried about the future of Alaska and the country. We're trying our best to get ready for the dark days ahead. I hope we can encourage others to do the same and build real community in the process.