Douglas Calderwood is one of Yankee’s newest FarmStart
investment. Doug is using his FarmStart investment to help fund the startup for
his goat dairy in Royalton, VT which includes the purchase a four wheel drive
tractor with a bucket loader.
Doug graduated from Vermont Technical College in 2013
with a degree in diversified agriculture and has since managed a large sheep
and goat dairy in New York State. In late January, Doug returned to Vermont to
prepare for April’s kidding. Doug’s been busy over the last several months
renovating and building an addition to the barn at the farm he co-owns with
family friends. The necessary projects have included: installing a milking
parlor, bulk tank and grain bin as well as improving and enlarging the dairy
goat’s living space. Doug plans on milking 65 does this spring with ambitious
plans to milk approximately 500 does by spring 2019. Doug is a meticulous
manager and has extensive experience in the goat dairy industry as well as an
attention to detail which will serve him well as he grows his operation. Yankee
is excited to partner with Doug in this fledgling agricultural sector and
believes he’ll be an outstanding ambassador for the goat dairy industry
throughout the association’s territory.
The goal of FarmStart is to provide working capital to help start-up
farmers establish a positive business and credit history during the early
phases of their careers. Within five years recipients should be able to
graduate to a conventional line of credit from Yankee or another lender.
To learn more about FarmStart please visit our wesite or contact your local branch.
