June 3, 2024
Hattie Mae, a 5-year-old Nubian goat, is a natural caretaker with a curious spirit. She arrived at her new home, Farmaste Animal Sanctuary on March 30, 2024. Since then, she’s been busy exploring and bonding with her new friends, Opie, a playful goat kid, and Willow, an adult goat.
Hattie Mae’s journey from the dairy industry
Hattie Mae’s journey began in the dairy breeding industry, where she produced triplets each year. She was eventually sold to a new breeder who was starting a herd. During routine tests, Hattie Mae was found to be positive for CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis), a common and contagious disease among goats. Despite this, many breeders continue to breed CAE-positive goats. She may have been sent to slaughter at this point but Farmaste was able to take her in.
Farmaste: A safe haven for CAE-positive goats
Her new home is unique because both goat herds at Farmaste are CAE positive. This allows them to offer a safe haven for goats like Hattie Mae, who might not be accepted elsewhere due to the risk of spreading CAE.
A natural caretaker
Hattie Mae was known in her previous herd for her nurturing nature, often acting as an adoptive mom to many goat kids. She had continued her nurturing ways with her new companion kid, Opie. She also gained a new herd mate, Willow, who was seeking a friend.
New beginnings for Hattie Mae and Opie
“We heard about Hattie Mae and Opie needing rescue the same week that our sweet Otis passed,” said the new caretakers at Farmaste. “Willow was alone and needed herd mates. We are excited to offer a forever home to Hattie Mae and Opie, giving Willow a new family to love.”
A heartwarming story of compassion
Hattie Mae’s story highlights the compassion and care that can change lives. She no longer is forced to live a short brutal life as a breeder goat to the food industry. In her new forever home, she can continue to be the nurturing, curious goat she has always been.
The work of Farmaste Animal Sanctuary
Farmaste Animal Sanctuary rescues abused, neglected, and unwanted farm animals and provides them with a safe sanctuary. Residents are respected as someone, not treated as something.
Farmaste is located in Lindstrom, MN, less than an hour north of the Twin Cities, near Stacy and North Branch. Founder Kelly Tope tells us that farm sanctuaries like Farmaste do important work for their residents and raise awareness, but don’t have the capacity to care for even 1% of the animals slaughtered each year.
Farmaste currently serves as a home to five cows, seven goats, five sheep, five pigs and two donkeys! You can see more photos and find out more about their work and their residents on their website.
Farmaste: A caring farm animal rescue organization
This is how Farmaste describes their mission: “At Farmaste Animal Sanctuary we believe that all animals have inherent worth, and that farm animals are not an exception to that rule. We rescue abused, neglected and unwanted farm animals and bring them to our 30-acre farm in Lindstrom, MN. There they are allowed to roam in the pastures, and live out their days free from cruelty. Farmaste Animal Sanctuary also provides opportunities for people to connect with the animals and hear their stories through our scheduled tours and volunteer opportunities.”
They are a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization fully funded through donations. Farmaste is verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
Other featured Farmaste residents
We have featured other Farmaste residents in past blogs, including:
Kristen the goat (in memoriam)
Our partner farm sanctuaries
There are several wonderful farm sanctuaries in the area including Chicken Run Rescue, Herbivorous Acres, Spring Farm, Farmaste, and Soulspace. All of these sanctuaries do wonderful work for farmed animals. Each month, we feature one sanctuary resident from one of these rescue organizations in our blog and newsletter.
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