What is the Future of CHARM?

Our primary goal is to rescue as many unwanted/neglected animals as we can and rehome them with folks who will actually take care of them the way they should be taken care of.

Over the summer, we used due diligence to pull out wire and other harmful debris from every nook and cranny of the property. We started many smaller projects and finished them in due time. We built perimeter fences and a pig pen, along with other maintenance type issues. We still have many tasks to complete and will get them accomplished as time allows.

Plans are in the works to establish a complete mixed "micro-farm" on premises. This farming operation will consist of 6 farrowing sows, a few fibre producing alpacas and sheep, a small dairy goat herd and egg producing as well as butchering free range chickens. The income from this venture should be high enough to maintain our entire "domestic" herd, as well as be able to provide extra feed for the rescued animals we take in. The housing for these herds will be separate from the rescue/petting zoo housing, although demonstrations for schools and such will also include the hogs and other animals that reside on premises.

We will rent feed producing land to start with, but desire to purchase at least 1 quarter section for additional pasture and production land.

We have learned how to live cheaply and have little desire to change much of that. When we lived in the city, we grew a garden on a micro-scale. We plan to organize our garden here to be a much larger scale of what many folks told us "was the nicest in the city".

As you can see from the above pictures which were taken early in the growing season of the last year in the city, we can grow stuff. The plot here is large enough that we should be able to grow a surplus of many vegetables that will be sold at the Farmer's Market - something we are already a part of.

Because we can grow a vast majority of the food we need to survive, our living expenses will be somewhat less than while needing to buy foor for the family. The income generated by the Goat Dairy and Micro-Farm will go a lot further toward the Animal Rescue operation because of it.

We are not expecting public support (financially speaking) to start the goat dairy and micro-farm. We have secured financing for that for the spring of 2010. The farming operation will provide us with a majority of the food items we need to live. It will also provide income to cover the mortgage of the property and (in time) the purchase of more farm land.

We have a lengthy list of clients who want the product we will produce, so we are confident that we will turn profits in the first year of operation.

The rescue will continue as a separate entity from the Goat Dairy/Micro-Farm. It's mission will always remain the same. We will continue to take in unwanted, neglected and abused farm animals and ensure they always have a loving home. If support from the public (and business sector) is also there, we will look to expand the rescue by purchasing several quarters of pasture land in "the foothills". There, we will be able to provide "life term" husbandry for aged horses and good trail riding country for the trail rides planned for future.

We will continue to educate and teach people about animals and their care. Chicks will be hatched on premises, as will piglets and goat kids be born, whereby we can demonstrate the complete cycle of life. Sometimes rescued animals will be pregnant and will give birth here as well.

Our present fund raisers are needed now to ensure that we can complete the entire plan. Without them, we may not be able to make the spring time frame and still keep the rescue going.