Episode 240 -- Anita Yates Andrews -- Goat Lady, Grit, and Grace

Ever wondered what perseverance sounds like at 4 a.m. in a cold barn? Meet Anita “the Goat Lady” Andrews, who runs a five-acre Alabama dairy with 120+ goats, Jersey cows, and a work rhythm tuned to full udders and empty stomachs. We explore how once-a-day milking protects long-term herd health, why fly control is real preventive medicine, and what it takes to read an animal’s nonverbal cues before trouble hits. Anita’s path runs from training horses to breeding parrots to building a teaching herd for Auburn University vet students, where hands get dirty and learning gets real outside the perfect conditions of a clinic.The conversation moves through the tough and the tender. Anita walks us into kidding season—barn cameras, sleepless nights, breach deliveries—and the sober truth that some fights you win and some you lose. She shares how grief and love are twins on a working farm, from the loss of her first Jersey to the quiet healing that comes when a child collects an egg or a stranger holds a bottle baby. We talk about social media as a lifeline for small farms, why festivals are powerful but punishing, and the commitment behind every jar of raw milk and bar of goat milk soap.Threaded through it all is Anita’s faith, not as a slogan but as a way of making decisions under pressure. Fear doesn’t help you pull a kid; a steady mind does. Strength, she says, is perseverance—showing up, doing the next right thing, and caring without shortcuts. If you’re curious about homesteading, small dairy life, or kinder goat care—or you just need a story that puts courage back in your chest—this one’s for you.If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review so more listeners can find the show.Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff